Michael stood beside Jacqueline in front of the sinks. Jacqueline was doing the washing and he was rinsing with hot water. She saw that he was very careful and afraid that he would break the plates.

"Queen..."

The deep voice called after they finished the washing-up.

"Yes?"

Jacqueline turned to look at him. He had acted strangely since he came into the kitchen. It was like he was pondering some ideas in his head and could not decide whether to say it out or not.

"How many years have we been separated?"

He asked the question that made her surprised.

"Don't you remember? Nineteen years. "

Her sound was smooth and calm as usual. She walked to dry her hands on a tower hung on the wall and took off the apron.

"Aren't you lonely?"

He walked to stand in front of her. Jacqueline did not understand why he had mentioned the long passed story and asked like that. She had been living happily and was content on her own for a long time.

"Not at all. I am good and happy."

She replied.

"But I have missed you. I have missed us all this time."

His statement made Jacqueline paused and looked up at his solemn face.

"Thank you." That was all she managed to say. Jacqueline still was not sure why he was saying it.

"Queen."

Michael called her name again. He reached out to hold her hands in his big hands.

"Please forget about the divorce. Give me a chance, please."

He said with a pleading tone that Jacqueline had not expected to hear.

"What do you mean, Mike? We are the grown-ups and it's about time we do things properly. Because you have been working and earning while I haven't. It would be good for you. I don't want your money. I will make sure my lawyer looks into the detail. "

She said while pulling her hands back but Michael refused to let them go.

"I don't want to divorce. I can't stand it, Queen. "

he said sadly. Jacqueline made eye contact with him. The powerful godfather now had a very gloomy face. She had never seen him look so sad like this before. She still did not understand what he meant when he said he could not stand it while they had nineteen years of separation and they saw each other only once or twice a year at the max!

"The way we have been living our own lives. It's like we already divorce, Mike. Just only to sign on divorce paper. You have wanted to be free, we talked about it since we first got married. I always remembered how much you wanted your freedom. Now our kids are all living their own lives. We should definitely do it to get over with. "

The tone was stable. Michael looked at her beautiful face and could not help to pull her into his arms. He hugged her tightly as he wished to. Jacqueline was shocked by his action.

"No, I will not sign the stupid paper. I want to be with you, Queen. In the past, if I ever hurt your feelings. I'm so very sorry. I didn't mean to. You can punish me but I won't divorce and I am not going to lose and let you go again. "

He said with his serious tone and solemn face.

Jacqueline remained silent in his arms. Her heart was pounding with an unexpected reaction from the man who was her first and only love.

"Even we divorced but we can still be friends if you want. " She said in a soft tone.

For many years, she had been trying to ignore the news and rumors of him with other women in the high society, all aristocrats. He was always popular among ladies because of his looks and his wealth.

"No, I don't want to be just friends. But I want us to be the same. "

He said. Now Jacqueline remembered this stubbornness. Stefan got this from his father without a doubt.

"The same for us was Friends if you still have fresh memory. You always told me I was your good friend."

She could not help to be sarcastic a little. Her voice was slightly quivering when looking back into their relationship. She was his friend from the beginning to the end. He never told her anything else she secretly wanted to hear. The feeling of sharp pain was suddenly surfaced but she tried to push it back down to the deepest corner of her heart.

Michael tightened his embrace. She was warm and smelling lovely as he remembered in his memory.

"I am sorry that in the past I didn't have much time to spend with you as I always had to work."

Michael thought that the cause for their separation was mainly the lack of time. As he was the only son of his parents. So he had to take all the responsibilities as the heir. Michael was only twenty-two at that time. And Jacqueline was twenty.

She was an intelligent woman so she was in the same class as him. They married as soon as they had graduated. As his mother was very ill with heart disease and she wanted him to marry so that she could see her grandchild before she died.

Michael did not know until later that his mother was afraid he would marry a bad irresponsible woman and she loved Jacqueline very much. The families were close friends. He did not mind to marry Jacqueline as she was his best friend and he trusted her the most. She also gave him her words if he wanted freedom she could give him back anytime. But after being together he had completely forgotten about that.

"Queen, please listen. I know I am not very good with words. Sometimes I left things as I thought it wasn't necessary to say out and sometimes I might have said the things that I shouldn't have said. I never understood my true feelings, I mean I didn't look at it deeply enough. Until when you asked to separate with me. Then I realized how much I loved you. I have been in love with you all along. But then I thought you had Ken, I thought you wanted to leave me for him as you didn't love me from the beginning anyway. It wasn't fair for you to do what my mother asked you to do. So I let you go. I wanted you to be happy with the man you loved. But since Ken died last year. I just thought I might try to talk to you again."

Michael always thought Ken was Jacqueline's lover since university. Apart from Michael, Ken was another man who was close to Jacqueline. After their separation, Ken was her friend who went to see her often at her suburb home. So Michael kept distance with his heart completely broken into pieces. He was afraid to see her marry Ken, but he was surprised and glad that it never happened.

Michael finished his long explanation. Jacqueline blinked to hear his thoughts. A lot that surprised her.

He said he loved her. She knew he loved her as his best friend but now as far as she could translate his statements. He meant he loved her as a man loved a woman.

Her heart skipped a beat and then pounding rapidly. But she still kept her feelings under her smooth posture as her brain was unsure how to react toward his confession.

But what about all the news with women all these years? That thought came and her heartbeats were slowing down.

"When you left, there has never been a day that I didn't miss you. love you so much, Queen."

He continued to tell her his feelings as she was still quiet.

"But I can see that you have a few friends to help you to get over with."

Jacqueline said. She saw his pictures with different women on gossip news.

Michael frowned a little.

"I don't have anybody. I have put all my time to work and our children. Please, Queen. I don't want to divorce from you I cannot bear that I will lose you forever. "

The pleading voice begged.

She looked at him and sighed softly. Gently broke off his embrace and walked to the door. Michael followed. They walked to the living room together. Still no sign of Stefan and Wirata there.

"I don't know yet, Mike. Right now, I still can't think of anything, but for our son, I want Stefan to get engaged and marry Wirata as soon as possible. "

She believed Michael still did not know that he was going to be a grandfather. Michael now knew that Jacqueline liked Wirata so much and he also felt respect to the young lady for her braveness and her brain. When looking at it, Wirata was a bit like Jacqueline in the aspects of intelligence and calm personality.

"I will handle everything as you wish."

He said and held her hand. When she did not pull it back, then Michael lifted it up to kiss gently. Jacqueline quickly pulled her hand out of his hold when he kissed her. His soft lips touched her skin softly, it made her feel the warmth. The time when they were together was flashing back in her memory. But she kept her calm and cool as she was the master of it.

"I will give you the time to think as long as you want, Queen. But I will not divorce and the children will agree with me in this case I am sure about that. So please consider it. We used to be great together and I have missed that so badly."

Michael took the opportunity to say all he had in his mind. He really wished she would take it to think seriously.

"Don't say anymore, Mike. As I said, I will not think anything until Stefan gets married to Wirata."

Jacqueline said and sat down on the couch.

Stefan and Wirata walked out of their bedroom to join them. Wirata served everybody with dessert and tea. They had a light conversation during that time.

Jacqueline was talking to Wirata about gardening and Michael was talking with Stefan about the coming party.