All Chapters of Against the Wind: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

As the movers went in and out, my apartment was slowly being emptied. Only then did I realize that despite being together for seven years, almost nothing in my home had anything to do with Simon.There was a pair of dusty slippers, a cup he had used. I couldn't find a third piece after that. Even the slippers and the cup were things I had bought for him. He had never given me any real presents.When Gem moved in, he gave her a housewarming present. On her birthday, he bought a huge bouquet of her favorite white roses. But with me, he always said, "Those things don't matter. When two people are building a life together, being practical matters more."I had questioned him. I had been upset about it before, too. But all he said was, "I gave your best friend gifts to make you look good, didn't I?"I laughed at myself mockingly. Then, my phone rang with a call from my mother, Anne. "Janice, have you and Simon talked about the wedding?"Not long ago, Simon and I met each other's

A few days later, Simon sent me an address along with a text message. [My mom invited you to dinner to talk about the wedding.]I repeatedly typed and deleted in the chat box. After hesitating for a long time, I finally replied with one word. [Fine.]Even if I had decided to break up with him, I still owed his mother Danielle an explanation in person. She had treated me well over the past seven years, after all.When I arrived at the private room, Danielle was already there. I exchanged a few polite words with her before Simon arrived late together with Gem. "Mom, Gem works next door, and she's Janice's good friend too. Since this restaurant is close to her work place, I brought her along to eat," he said.Danielle faked a cough, her expression darkened. However, Simon seemed not to notice as he picked up the menu and started ordering.Every dish he ordered was something Gem liked. He and Gem both liked something spicy, but I didn't.Whenever the three of us shared a crawfi

Janice's POVAfter I moved, my life became much quieter.In the past, I pushed everything else aside to work around Simon's schedule. I turned down business trips, training sessions, and gatherings with friends.Every time my manager asked for volunteers to take an assignment out of the city, I always lowered my head and stayed silent.Eventually, everyone knew. "Janice? Her boyfriend always comes first."I kept my schedule clear just so I could be there whenever Simon called. But now, I only have to think about myself. I no longer had to consider him.That day, my manager asked again during the meeting. "Who's willing to go for the Northton project next week?"The meeting room went silent as everyone lowered their heads, avoiding his eyes.Next week was Valentine's Day, and no one wanted to travel for work then.In that room full of silence, I was the only one who raised my hand. "I'll go."My manager looked up at me surprised before nodding. "Alright, Janice. You and Harr

After that day, Simon never texted me or came to look for me again. I heard he had requested a transfer and went to a distant city in the north.Over the phone, my friend sounded like he was in disbelief. "I heard he applied it himself and no one could talk him out of it. He had so many projects on hand, but he just abandoned them all. Was it because of you?"I didn't answer. I simply smiled and changed the subject. Whether it had anything to do with me no longer mattered. From now on, we would go our separate ways and have nothing to do with each other. That was probably the best ending for us.Not long after, I heard news about Gem.Soon after Simon and I broke up, she confessed her feelings to him. However, Simon had become unusually cold. He even told her bluntly, "If you hadn't come between us, would Janice have ever left me?"Everyone who knew him said he had lost his mind. He blamed every mistake on Gem, and he even forced her to resign and go back to her hometown.I