For a moment, the house fell into complete silence—so quiet we could hear each other’s breathing. She didn’t expect me to say those two words. But it wasn’t the first time I’d said them. Four years ago, when the company had just started gaining traction, I told her to cut ties with the shady people from her past. I begged her to stay away from that kind of crowd. But she didn’t listen. And in the end, trouble found her. I took a knife for her. I nearly died.

On the way to the emergency room, clutching her hand, I said, “If I die, that’s it. But if I survive this and you still refuse to sever ties with them—then we get divorced.”

She cried and promised me that if I made it out alive, she’d do anything I asked. But now, everything had changed. And for the second time, I said those same words—Let’s get divorced.

I turned toward the bedroom. Behind me, Natalie’s voice echoed coldly, “Do whatever you want. If you want a divorce, fine!”

I froze for a moment, my hand gripping the doorknob tightly before I opened the door and stepped inside. Leaning against the door, I heard the sound of her storming out. Bang! The sound of the front door slamming shut felt like a door inside my heart was closing too. She was gone. I crouched down in the corner of the room and cried. The last time I cried like that was back in school. Back then, I was a lonely kid, always bullied, with no one to turn to. I could only hide in a corner and cry silently.

That was when Natalie had stomped up to me, bold and brash, “You're a guy—why are you crying like a coward? Someone bullied you? Why didn’t you fight back?”

I didn’t take her seriously at the time, but she threw an arm around me and started talking about Tom, Harry and Danny. It was the first time I thought someone worse at school than me actually sounded like they knew more than I did. I believed her. Then—got beaten up again.

When she saw me with a swollen face and bruises, she laughed so hard she almost fell over. And I laughed too, like a fool. But from that day on, the bullies stopped messing with me so openly. Because they saw I was no longer just a pushover. I had learned how to fight for my dignity. After that, I never cried again. Until now. Thirteen years of repressed tears burst like a dam, flooding out in waves I couldn’t stop.

***

The next morning, I covered my swollen eyes with sunglasses and went to the company. Natalie wasn’t there.

Robin greeted me with a smug grin. “You actually showed up?” he sneered.

“Still trying to get me fired? Getting tired of being the boy-toy and now you want to be the boss? Who do you think you are? You really don’t know your place, do you?”

“Well, good! Keep acting like this and Natalie’s gonna hate you even more. I can’t wait to see you two get divorced.”

His taunts reminded me of something from years ago when the company hit a crisis and I was feeling utterly defeated. Back then, Natalie had comforted me just like always.

She threw an arm around me and said, “Remember what Tom said? Don’t get angry when facing the enemy—anger only makes you stupid. Let the enemy waste their energy screaming and roaring.”

I asked, “Did Tom really say that?”

She blinked and said, “Whatever. Doesn’t matter. As long as you get it.”

To this day, I still don’t know if Tom ever said that. But I took that lesson to heart.

I looked Robin straight in the eye and calmly said, “Call Natalie. Tell her the board of directors is meeting today.”

“The board?” He let out a mocking laugh.

“You? You think you have the right to call a board meeting? Who do you think you are, seriously? Just some loser who got lucky enough to marry the boss.”

I ignored him and walked straight into the boardroom. This company was something I had built behind the scenes, with my own hands. I brought in the funding. I brought in the investors. Truth was, most of the major shareholders invested because of me.

By that afternoon, the entire company was buzzing with rumors.

“Several major shareholders are forming a united front—they’re holding a board meeting to elect a new chairman!”

“Word is, big changes are coming. Not just a new chairman, but a major reshuffle in management too.”

“This meeting is going to decide the future of the company!”

When Natalie arrived, her face was ice-cold. She sat across from me and stared at me without saying a word. As expected, after the majority vote, I was elected the new chairman of the board.

Immediately, I began appointing new management and reassigning roles across the company. During the entire meeting, Natalie didn’t speak a single word. Not until I called in Robin. He walked in and saw me sitting at the head of the table. The color drained from his face. He was visibly shaken.

“You’re fired,” I said flatly.

He immediately turned toward Natalie, silently begging for help. She stood up. Even when she was stripped of her chairwoman title, she hadn’t said a word in protest. But now—for him—she finally spoke.

“I object. Robin is a valuable asset. We should keep him.”

In the past, seeing her defend another man like that would’ve crushed me. But not now.

Now, I was calmer than ever. “Then let’s put it to a vote,” I said.

Once we reached that point, her objection was meaningless. I held the same percentage of shares as she did. And this time, all the other major shareholders were backing me. She was outnumbered. Her protest meant nothing. Natalie didn’t seem surprised. She said nothing more and walked out of the boardroom, with Robin following behind. I watched them go, then calmly continued the meeting.

When it ended, a few senior shareholders came up to me.

“Kevin, no matter what happens, we’ve got your back. But please, sort things out with your wife. Don’t let outsiders take advantage of this and ruin the company.”

“Yeah, Kevin,” another added. “I still remember when you kneeled at my front door, begging me to invest in this company. Don’t let all that go to waste. Be careful.”

Their advice was part concern for me, part protection of their own interests. I shook hands with each of them, thanking them sincerely.

***

That night, when I got home, I was hit with the warm, familiar smell of food. In the kitchen, Natalie was cooking. I thought she would’ve disappeared for a while. But she was here, making dinner. I couldn’t even remember the last time she cooked at home. Two years ago? Maybe three? Or even longer…

"You're back?"

"Go wash your hands. Dinner's ready."

Natalie brought out a dish and placed it gently on the table. Her tone was soft, familiar even—but it felt like a memory from another life. I looked at her and asked, without warning, "Have you thought about the divorce?"

She visibly flinched. The dish in her hands nearly slipped.

Placing it down carefully, she forced a smile. "Food first. You need energy to talk about things like this."

"Alright."

I went to wash my hands and sat at the dinner table, watching her move around the kitchen, in and out, back and forth. For some reason, my eyes stung again. Maybe the tears from last night hadn’t quite dried. Or maybe, they were fresh. But deep inside, I felt something warm. A flicker of something I hadn’t felt in years.

After dinner, she poured me a cup of tea and said, “Your birthday is next Wednesday. I feel like... it’s been forever since I last celebrated it with you.”

She looked at me, a hopeful glint in her eyes. “Let’s go away for a bit. Just the two of us. A short trip, a little break—what do you think?”

I stared at her in silence. After a long pause, I finally said, “About the divorce—”

“Can we... not get divorced?” she cut in, grabbing my hand tightly.

Her hands were shaking. Natalie—who could remain calm even if the sky was falling, who never broke her composure—was trembling. I hadn’t seen her this panicked since the night I was wheeled into the ER, hanging on by a thread.

Something in me shifted. She still had the power to stir my heart.

“Alright,” I said. “I’ll go with you next Wednesday.”

The following days were hectic. I had just taken over the company and there were endless matters demanding my attention. But when Wednesday came, I cleared my schedule and got into her car early.

She had made an effort to dress up for me that day—even pulling out her old school uniform, something I hadn’t seen in years. Watching her drive, I felt like I was being transported back to our youth.

I smiled and said, “You should still be the company’s CEO. It suits you more.”

She glanced at me and smiled. “Let’s not talk about any of that today. It’s your birthday. Just you and me, okay?”

“Okay.”

I nodded. But inside, my emotions churned. It had been so long since we had a moment like this. And all I could think was—if only things could stay like this forever. When we arrived at Swan Lake Resort, her phone suddenly rang.

On the screen, I saw the caller ID: Baby. Once upon a time, that nickname was mine. But not anymore. And I knew exactly who it was now.

Natalie noticed the change in my expression. She panicked a little. “I…”

“Pick it up,” I said calmly. “You’ve been distracted this whole time. If you don’t take that call, you’ll be in a fog all day.”

She hesitated for a moment, then answered.

“Nat.. I feel so alone right now,” said the voice on the other end. “Can you come be with me?”

Natalie opened her mouth, then replied, “I can’t today. I have something important.”

“But he fired me,” Robin’s voice cracked through the speaker. “He pushed you out of the company too. Shouldn’t we both be miserable right now?”

Then, with a sudden softness, he said, “Nat, come see me. It hurts too much without you. I’m afraid of what I might do. You know I have depression…”

Natalie’s eyes flickered nervously toward me, gauging my reaction. I just sat there, my face calm, but cold as stone.

Then his voice came again—sharper, more desperate. “I know today’s his birthday. But if you don’t come now… you might never get the chance to see me again.”

The line went dead. Natalie, who never flinched even in a boardroom war, was now trembling uncontrollably. And in that moment, whatever had begun to reopen inside me—whatever small crack she’d made—slammed shut. Sealed off completely.

I leaned back in the passenger seat, closed my eyes and said, “Go. Maybe he really will do something stupid. If you miss this moment… it might haunt you forever.”

“Thank you for understanding,” she whispered. “I’ll be back soon.”

She looked at me with determination. “I will come back.”

That was when my heart finally broke. Because what I meant was, if you miss this moment, it might haunt you forever. That “forever” could have been him. But it could’ve been me too. And she chose him. I got out of the car.

As she drove away, I stood alone in silence. And quietly, I said to myself, “Don’t come back.”

I spent the entire day alone at the resort. She never came back. It wasn’t until deep into the night that I received a message from her. [Are you there?]

[No.] I replied.

[Don’t be so petty. Robin has depression... I was just afraid he might do something stupid.]

One message after another, she kept trying to explain. But I didn’t bother to read the rest. Robin might be at risk of breaking down—but did she not think I might be, too? She didn’t come back that night. Not a single call. Not even a voice. Maybe I should’ve known better than to expect anything. Maybe I was the one who couldn’t let go. But this time, she had made her choice. And maybe that meant… it was time for me to finally let go too.

***

One month later, I closed a major five-year deal for the company, in partnership with South US Capital. It was massive. A contract big enough to keep the company thriving for the next five years, even without a single new project. We wouldn’t have to worry about performance, profit, or survival.

To celebrate, we hosted a company-wide banquet. A formal evening gala. What no one expected—what no one could’ve seen coming—was that Robin, who had been fired from the company, showed up. Not only did he crash the event, he snatched the microphone and stood dead center on the main stage, staring straight at me with defiance written all over his face.

Then he turned to Natalie and shouted, “This man isn’t worth your life, Natalie! He doesn’t deserve you!”

Then, softening his voice, he looked at her with a twisted kind of affection, “Come with me. Leave him. You know we should be together.”

The whole room went dead silent. Faces turned pale with embarrassment and disbelief. Several of our security staff started moving in to remove him from the stage. But I held up a hand to stop them.

Instead, I turned to Natalie and said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Well, since things have already gone this far… why don’t you just go with him?”

The entire room froze. You could’ve heard a pin drop. Even Robin stared at me in disbelief. And Natalie—she just stood there, stunned. In the span of a few seconds, her expression changed a dozen times—shock, fear, panic, confusion, even sorrow.