I had been divorced from my ex-wife for nearly six months. Since that day, we had never contacted each other, nor had we ever met again. I thought that time had been enough for everything to cool down, for all the emotions to fade away, but to my surprise, when we coincidentally ran into each other that evening, all the feelings surged back fiercely.

That night, after a long, exhausting business trip, I returned to the hotel and was surprised to see my ex-wife right in the lobby. It turned out we happened to be on a business trip to the same place, staying at the same hotel.

When she saw me, her eyes registered a fleeting surprise, a slight awkwardness, and then a smile—half shy, half familiar—appeared on her lips. My heart strangely raced, as if all the memories I thought had gone dormant suddenly came back to life.

We stood chatting for a while, initially just about work, but the atmosphere gradually became relaxed and intimate. I took a chance and asked her out for dinner:

“I guess you haven’t had dinner yet, have you? How about we go eat together and talk some more?”

My ex-wife nodded, and we went to a restaurant near the hotel.

Dinner passed with laughter and light-hearted stories. The glass of wine erased the six-month gap of our divorce. The liquor, the intimate atmosphere, and the old memories made us forget all about time, forget about reason, leaving only the complex emotions surging within—both confused and warm.

Then, what was meant to happen, happened. I don’t know how, but somehow we ended up helping each other back to the same hotel room.

As soon as we reached the room door, we quickly fell into each other’s arms. We held each other tightly, kissing passionately, enjoying every intimate moment that felt like it had been lost for so long—moments that once belonged only to the two of us when we were husband and wife. The intoxication made all barriers disappear, leaving only a longing, a desire to make up for the months apart and the unspoken feelings.

In the morning, I got up to take a shower, but instinctively looked down and froze when I saw a dark red stain on the bed sheet. In that moment, my heart seemed to stop. Worried, I quickly woke my ex-wife up and asked if it was her period, or if we had been too vigorous the night before, or if she had some kind of illness.

Seeing my worried expression, my ex-wife hesitated:

“Perhaps… it was because we were… too rough last night.”

I was still restless, because after all those years of marriage, we had never encountered this situation. Worried that my ex-wife had some ailment, I said sternly:

“You can’t be so dismissive. Let me take you to the hospital for a check-up, I won’t feel at ease otherwise.”

After much persuasion, my ex-wife reluctantly agreed. We quickly went to the hospital for a check-up, and when the doctor read the results, both of our faces turned red.

“It’s nothing serious, just… too vigorous. I know you two are young and full of vitality, but in your future marital relations, you should be more moderate, gentler.”

My ex-wife looked at me, her face flushed, and I was no less embarrassed. But it was this very incident that made me realize what was in my heart, how much I still cared for her, and how deeply I still loved her.

On the way back, both of us were silent. No explanation was needed; our eyes and the clasp of our hands said it all. I remembered the evenings when she patiently listened to me complain about work, and the times she tirelessly cooked my favorite dishes. Now, amid the worry, the embarrassment, and the euphoric feeling after last night, I understood that the affection had never faded.

From that day on, we started talking more, caring for each other more, and this time not out of obligation, but out of realizing each other’s true value. In the following days, we got back together, carrying with us both our old love and a new, stronger, and deeper understanding.