It started with a new job. Taeyeon would watch her wife coming home later and later each night. With every hour later, Taeyeon could see the dark circles deepen in color and the creases on her forehead sink further in concern. Of course her wife would say, “Don’t worry babe” or “It is just for a little while.”

Taeyeon knew her wife though. She could see in the eyes of her beloved that things were not okay and these late nights would persist if she kept this job. After a month, Taeyeon confronted the girl on looking for a new job but her wife would reply, “We need the money.” Like the coward she is, Taeyeon couldn’t say the words she truly wanted to express, “But I need you.”

If Taeyeon would have seen what this job would make her wife into, Taeyeon would have forced her to quit but Taeyeon couldn’t see into the future. She couldn’t turn back time either...and now she is guessing if she truly lost her wife because she was too careless to see the changes fast enough.

Taeyeon laid in bed looking at the ceiling before turning her head to look at the clock, “1am...still not home?” With a loud sigh, Taeyeon tried to sleep by closing her eyes but she couldn’t relax enough to let sleep consume her body. Finally a soft click of the door was heard that made Taeyeon’s eyes shoot open to see her wife entering the room quietly. With the lights turned off, Taeyeon knew her wife couldn’t see that she had her eyes open to watch her slip off her business attire and wrap her skin into a night gown. Then a blinding light from the bathroom made Taeyeon squint but she could still see her wife go into the medicine cabinet as she popped some pills into . Of course Taeyeon knew what those were for and it made her heart sink that those pills could do more for her wife that she could.

Finally the bed dipped down and Taeyeon scooted over to wrap her arms around her wife, “The doctor said you need more sleep.”

The wife turned over as she looked into Taeyeon’s eyes, “I can’t...I just feel like I need to do more at work.”

Taeyeon cupped her wife’s face, “Sica.....I can’t lose you to your work. You need to think about your health.”

Jessica took Taeyeon’s hand off her face so she could kiss the fingers, “Everything is fine. You should sleep and stop staying up late. Your work starts early.”

“How do you expect me to sleep when you are not home?!” Taeyeon said hushed but the anger was still clear.

“Look I am tired. We can talk about this another time.”

“When is there another time? You leave early and come home just to sleep.”

“Kim Taeyeon. I said not now.”

Taeyeon sighed in defeat as her wife pulled away from her warmth to sleep on the far side of the bed. Doesn’t the girl know that she is making Taeyeon feel like she is getting pushed out of her life?

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“Taeyeon you can’t do this to yourself.”

“Sunny I have tired. I really have but I can’t even get two minutes with her.”

“Maybe you should consider counseling?”

Taeyeon looked up into her friend’s eyes, “You really think we are at that point now?”

“Do you think that would make her finally listen to you?”

“I don’t think she would agree to do something like that with me.”

Sunny sipped her coffee, “Why do you think that?”

“If she can’t spare 2 minutes alone in our house, how could she fit a 30 minute counseling session into her schedule?”

Sunny leaned back in her chair to think, “What about a vacation? When was the last time you two actually got some alone time away from work?”

Taeyeon rubbed her chin while she thought, “Maybe 4 years ago...sometime before she started this job.”

“See! You two need a vacation! Her work has to give her some time off.”

“The question is still how I can ask her for a vacation.”

“Taeyeon she is still your wife. You can get up early and talk about it over breakfast or something. She does live with you.”

“Physically....physically she lives with me.”

Sunny sighed, “At least you have half of her. It is time you get the other half back.”

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Taeyeon set her alarm to wake up at 4am which was 4 hours earlier than she actually had to get up so she could prepare a decent breakfast for her wife that had to get up in an hour. Taking her time, Taeyeon took a quick shower before heading into the kitchen and getting to work. With so much time, Taeyeon was able to peal several fruits, make waffles, toast, and make a protein shake. Everything healthy that Jessica needed for her busy day.

“Babe?”

Taeyeon looked over excited to see her wife awake, “Ah you are up.”

Jessica scanned the table, “You woke up early to make breakfast?”

Taeyeon pulled out the seat to have her wife sit down, “Of course. I would do anything for you love.”

“I thought it was strange you weren’t in bed when I woke up...this is a nice surprise.”

Taeyeon took a seat next to her wife as she started plating their food, “We need some time like this together.”

Jessica started eating the waffles and her face distorted into something that expressed extreme pleasure, “Wow. Has your cooking gotten better?”

Taeyeon laughed as she ate some fruit before looking Jessica in the eyes, “Would you like to eat my cooking every day for a week?”

Jessica looked up at Taeyeon who looked very concerned, “Taeyeon is something going on?”

“Jessica have you thought about maybe taking some time off work? I want us to have a small vacation together.”

“Taeyeon...you know this time of the year...”

“Jessica please! I am just asking for a week. We haven’t had a decent vacation since you took this job. They have to give you some time off.”

Jessica couldn’t ignore the pleading that was coming from Taeyeon’s eyes, “I—will think about it okay?”

Taeyeon jumped up in joy to kiss her wife on the cheek, “Good! Now eat up, I prepared a lot.”

Jessica nodded as she enjoyed something she hadn’t had in a long time...time with her wife.

With Jessica gone to work, Taeyeon sat at the table in the empty kitchen thinking about how Jessica finally considered taking a little time off of work. Thinking she had to prepare for work too, Taeyeon got up and went to the bathroom to finish washing up by applying makeup and brushing her teeth. However, when Taeyeon opened the medicine cabinet behind the mirror, her heart sank as she looked at Jessica’s bottle of Zoloft. Taking the bottle of pills, Taeyeon looked at it thinking if there was a day that Jessica didn’t have to rely on this to get her through life.

--------------------------------

“Did she say yes?”

Taeyeon leaned back in her chair while playing with her lunch, “She said she would consider it.”

Sunny clapped her hands in excitement, “I am sure she can get time off!”

“I have a deep feeling inside that Jessica won’t actually get time off. Sunny what if she won’t let us have this vacation together? I really feel like she is slipping through my fingers. I feel like I barely know her anymore.”

Sunny could see the panic and concern that filled Taeyeon’s heart, “I am sure she will agree to a vacation. If not—if not, maybe you need to make her take time off.”

“You are still suggesting the counseling?”

“Taeyeon. She is your wife. No job should get in the way of having happiness with you.”

Finding that she had no appetite, Taeyeon closed the lid on her food to put it back into the fridge, “Sunny I plan on fighting for her. I will do anything to get her back to what she used to be. I still have memories of us being—different.”

“I want to see the old Jessica too. I know you are the only person to bring her back.”

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Taeyeon woke up early again to make breakfast for her wife who wasn’t as surprised as the first time she saw Taeyeon missing from bed and now in the kitchen, “You know you don’t have to get up early like this and make breakfast.”

“When else can I see you? This time you came home around 3am.”

Jessica sighed, “Don’t put this all on me Taeyeon. Not now. I don’t need more stress.”

“Then what about the vacation I asked you about before? Are you going to agree to that?”

“Maybe in a few months or something. Just not now okay?”

Taeyeon slammed her hands on the table in anger, “It is always later! Can’t you see how much this job makes you suffer! Make us suffer!?”

“You? What does this job have to do with you?”

“You have to F—n’ kidding me. It has everything to do with us! I never see you!”

“You are seeing me now.” Jessica creased her eyebrows in anger.

“That is because I had to get up early to see you. I want us to go back to being a normal couple that has breakfast together around 7 am, not 5am. I want us to see each other for dinner and have dates on weekends. Why can’t you just get a new job so we can do these simple things again?”

“Because we both know that I need this job.”

“No you don’t! Not when you can’t be next to me. When you have to take pills just to get through the day with a half-smile on your face! No, we don’t need this.”

“You can’t decide this by yourself Taeyeon.”

“Why can’t you see that I am desperately trying to get you back to me? Jessica come back to me! Do I have to get on my knees and beg you?” Taeyeon was starting to cry with all her emotions going wild.

Jessica stood up from the table and started walking away but stopped right before she left the kitchen, “stop being overdramatic Taeyeon.”

Taeyeon slumped into her chair while she couldn’t stop the crying as she lay her head into her arms. Overdramatic?

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“Oh Taeyeon dear! You and Jessica haven’t been here in a while.”

Taeyeon bowed to her mother-in-law, “Hello mother.”

Mrs. Jung looked around for her daughter, “You came alone?”

Taeyeon chuckled before following Jessica’s mother into the house, “You know Jessica, she has become a workaholic.”

Taking a seat at the kitchen table, Mrs. Jung poured the two some tea and prepared a small snack, “That daughter of mine...”

Taeyeon took a sip of her tea, “I actually came to ask a favor of you and father.”

Mrs. Jung scooted closer, “Oh? What is it?”

“Jessica—well Jessica and I didn’t want to tell you, but I feel like you and father are the only two people I can come to for help.”

Mrs. Jung could see the concern in the face of her daughter-in-law, “I hope you can trust us with anything.”

“I know I promised you two that I could take care of Jessica—we made vows—but I am finding myself to be so weak and helpless.” Taeyeon leaned down to hold her head whilst Mrs. Jung went to hold Taeyeon’s hand for comfort, “It is just—I—can’t do this alone. Not anymore.”

“Taeyeon. Let us help you then. We know how much you love our daughter.”

“Well you know how Jessica took that job—it has been 4 years now—and I am sure you can see that we don’t come around often.” Taeyeon could see Mrs. Jung nodding along, “Well Jessica works long hours, weekends, and hasn’t taken a vacation even since then. Not like we have been avoiding you or anything like that.”

“Go on.”

“Thing haven’t gone well other than our bank account increasing. In fact, I have told Jessica many times to quit the job and that the money doesn’t mean anything to me, but she is avid on the idea that she needs to keep this job. Yet I feel like I am losing her. I am sure she even didn’t tell you that she takes pills for depression and even now—even now I am considering of going on the same thing.”

“Oh Taeyeon.” Mrs. Jung squeezed the younger girl’s hand, “Taeyeon why didn’t you come to see us earlier?”

“Because I thought there could be a solution. I am so ashamed to think that I couldn’t even take care of my own wife.” Taeyeon couldn’t hide the tear that slipped down her face.

“There is nothing to be ashamed of honey.” Mrs. Jung leaned forward to wipe the tear away, “Just tell me what you need. How can we help Jessica?”

Taeyeon finally looked back up into Mrs. Jung’s eyes, “I think we need to put her into forced counseling, but I need you to help me as her parents. You can get her into forced help.”

“Is it really that bad honey?”

“I really can’t lose her.”

“Okay. If you think this is for the best. Then we will help.”

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A week of refused visits, Taeyeon really thought that her wife didn’t want her in her life anymore, but even if Taeyeon lost Jessica as her wife, Taeyeon knew that she was still going to save Jessica from herself, “She has agreed.”

Taeyeon looked up at the nurse in surprise, “really? She wants to see me?”

“Yes Mrs. Kim. You can go back now.”

Taeyeon took the bag she had brought before practically running down the hall to the visitor area of the hospital. With her heart beating like crazy, Taeyeon nervously took the handle of the door to open it. Her heart rate spiked when she saw the back of the woman she claimed to love for an eternity.

Quietly, Taeyeon closed the door before she approached her wife who was in a hospital gone looking at something else in the room, other than her, “Sica...” Taeyeon called out to her wife who just remained still.

“You came...”

Taeyeon went around so she could face her wife, “Sica, we all thought it was for the best. Please don’t hate us for doing this.”

Jessica looked like she had cried a thousand rivers as her eyes were still red and puffy with her arms crossed and continued to blankly stare into the distance, “Is this really what is best?”

Taeyeon stepped forwards some so she could go into Jessica’s personal bubble, “Don’t you trust me?”

Jessica’s gaze finally went back down to look Taeyeon in the eyes, “What about me?”

Taeyeon sighed, “I—we tried to trust you for 4 years Jessica. 4 years I was reaching out for you. 4 years I tried to let you see me, see your family, see your friends, see a life outside of work, but tell me Jessica, what were you really looking at?”

Tears threatened to fall on the girl’s porcelain skin, “Is it too late? Can I still come back to you?”

Taeyeon took one last step forward so she could hold her wife’s face in her hands and give her a light kiss on the lips, “It is never too late.”

It ended with Jessica quitting her job.

~END~

Author's Note

Haha so I really had another story in works that is the opposite of this, but I am going to have you readers wait a bit before I give you something funny.

Anyway, this story was the original direction I was seeking for my story My Drug but I am sure most of you who read that story know, that I didn't do it this way at all. However, after updating that story, I remembered I really wanted to write a story like this so you get it now!