Simba snuggled comfortably in my arms. I cried until I was completely worn out and eventually dozed off.

The next morning, Seth and I were woken up by a strange noise.

I quickly ran to the bathroom once we saw each other. Inside, I saw Seth's face staring back at me in the mirror.

I pinched my cheek. It hurt.

This was not a dream.

A counter with the number twenty on it suddenly appeared on our wrists.

A book of instructions was lying on the coffee table in the living room. It informed us that this was a game to bring married couples closer together. If we hit a hundred points and told each other 'I love you', we would be able to switch back.

We stared at each other, unsure what to do. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

It was my mother-in-law. She would show up almost every weekend without informing us beforehand, and she would act like a superior conducting a spot check at a worksite.

This was another one of those days.

Seth stood up and reflexively called her 'Mom'.

She looked at me adoringly as she held my hand. There was a pained look on her face as she told me I was too skinny and started to berate Seth.

"I don’t think you deserve to call me ‘Mom’, Nicole. I don’t understand this. I returned to the factory to work right after I recovered from giving birth to Seth. Are you so delicate that you can’t do anything after losing one child?

"I can admit that you’re not in good health and accept that you refuse to work after getting married, but you can't mistreat Seth this way. You don't clean the pots and pans, you don't do laundry, and you can't even cook well. Look at yourself! You’re still in your pajamas and sleeping on the sofa even though the sun’s already up! Are you waiting for Seth to do everything for you?"

Seth was in my body and had no idea how to reply.

I tried to help him out. "Mom, Nicole is…"

However, my mother-in-law interrupted me forcefully. "Stop siding with her. She doesn't care about you at all."

She pulled me over to the sofa and turned on the television for me.

After that, she started walking around the house to criticize Seth.

I turned back to glance at him. I had heard these same complaints so many times before.

When I confided in Seth about it, he always said that she was still his mother and I should not take her words to heart.

Now that he was rendered speechless by what had happened, I wondered what was going through his mind.

Seth and I were relieved to see my mother-in-law finally leave.

We began to go over our social circles with each other to prevent our situation from being exposed and to avoid any further trouble.

He looked at me. There was a light in his eyes that was so mesmerizing that I could hardly look away.

We had been married for three years. He had never looked at me with so much concern and care, even when we were newly married.

Seth was worried I would make a mistake at work when I went to the office in his place. He was worried that I would say something wrong or get intimidated when other departments asked for a meeting with me.

I remembered how his eyes had lit up the same way when he proposed to me. He told me the most romantic thing he had ever done was taking me as his wife.

It only took three short years before those became empty words.

I listened as he told me who his closest colleagues were and who could be trusted. I listened as he shared the funniest and hottest office gossip.

There was a small smile on his face. It had been a long time since he shared any stories with me.

We used to confess to each other how much we missed one another through Simba. Our hearts were still intertwined back then.

After that, I was trapped in the daily routine of managing a family. I was almost losing my sense of self.

"It's been a long time since you've told me stories like this…”

He seemed slightly taken aback when I said this. He was silent for a while before awkwardly changing the subject.

Since that day, he suddenly started treating me better.

He would come over to kiss me before I left in the morning. During the night, he would quietly hug me around the waist while I slept. He would share every detail about what happened to him during the day. It felt like we had gone back to the time when we started dating.

I was grateful for this strange game. He finally understood me and cared for me again.

We made an effort to get closer to each other, and we eventually reached ninety-nine points.

Before I left for work that day, I was feeling elated over our improving relationship.

That was until Jenny sultrily strutted into my office.

She leaned in close to my ear and whispered in a sickly sweet voice, "Why haven't you divorced your wife yet?"

It turned out my husband had been planning to divorce me and live a happy life with another woman.

To think that I had been overjoyed about us getting closer!

What a joke.

Halfway through my shower at the hotel, I looked down at that thing hanging between my legs. The more I looked at it, the dirtier it felt.

I let out a long sigh. After my shower, I went to bed.

I woke up the next day with a splitting headache. A hangover was a very unpleasant experience.

I looked at my phone and saw a message from 'Nicole'. It was a picture.

She was smiling happily, posing beside Wendy Sanders in a restaurant.

"I'm out shopping with my bestie. If you don't come home tonight, I'll spend the night with her."

It was difficult to suppress my anger. I clenched my fists.

That evening, I returned home as Seth at 6 PM.

Seth quickly opened the door when he heard my footsteps. He had been waiting right at the door.

Suddenly, a piercing voice rang into our ears. It seemed to be simultaneously coming from the inside of the house and the outside.

“Points have been reset to zero! Reset! Reset! Reset!”

I was filled with anger and hate. The man whom I trusted and depended on with all my heart had been cheating on me while telling everyone he was getting a divorce. He was such a jerk! What could be possibly worse than that?

However, he had just managed to top that. He was threatening me by saying he would sleep with my best friend!

When I saw the body that belonged to me take a step back and lean against the wall, I suddenly understood something.

"You really want us to switch back, don't you?"

I remembered all those hugs and kisses. They reminded me of the way I felt when we were dating. We had been close and depended on each other back then. I looked at the counter on my wrist with its huge zero and sneered.

"You're making good money and flirting with a sweet young thing at work. That's why you want to switch back. You were only being so sweet to me because you wanted to return to your old life. I should’ve realized this before.

"You would always turn your back on me after waking up in the morning and seeing me beside you. When we're having our meals, you would rather stare at your phone than at me. I wondered why you were suddenly treating me so well. Now I know you’ve wanted me out of your life for a very long time. I can’t believe I was so happy about your ‘change of heart’. I bet I look like an idiot to you right now.”

Seth seemed eager to prove something. He reached out to hold my hand, but I dodged it.

"It's not what you think, Nicole. I don't have any other girls hanging around me. Don't listen to mindless gossip. I was so worried about you and waited up for you until the morning. Also, my mom stopped by again yesterday. I really had no idea you were having such a hard time with her. I should’ve been more concerned and understanding of you."

I slowly closed the door and took a step forward.

Seth was still trying his best to convince me.

"I've been thinking about a lot of things. First, I'll handle everything related to my mom. I promise to never let her harass you again.

"Secondly, I'll treat our parents the same from now on. Whatever my mom has, so will your mom.

"Finally, I'll get back the money I gave my mom. From now on, I'll deposit a regular monthly allowance into your account from my salary. You can use the money however you like. I've been blind for all these years toward how much you do for our family."

What a beautiful picture he was painting.

I never dreamed that Seth would say such words to me.

My difficulties, anxieties, and troubles had never been addressed before. He was showing me so much understanding, concern, and sincere respect.

How touching.

This was how it felt to be the dominant one in the relationship.

It was also the reason why Seth was being so submissive and gentle with his words.

"If you had only said those words during our wedding anniversary. It's too late now."

"This reminds me…" A thought flashed through my mind, and I quickly grabbed my phone.

"Locke… You kept talking about Locke the other day. Why haven’t I met him yet?”

Seth stood up. He wanted to snatch the phone from my hands, but he failed.

I had dialed Locke’s numbers as I was speaking.

"Why are you calling me at this hour, darling? Do you miss me?"

A familiar female voice came through the phone. Her voice was so sultry and sweet that I could almost taste the sugar in the air.

I made up an excuse and hung up. After that, I gave Seth an understanding smile.

Seth could no longer keep up his act. "Just tell me what you want. Don't hurt Jenny. She's innocent."

I smiled even though tears were welling up in my eyes. "I knew this day would come, but I didn't expect it to come so soon."

My parents disapproved of my relationship with him while we were dating. They tried everything they could to convince me not to marry him.

"His family isn't well-to-do. What can he give you? You're our little princess. We didn't raise you just so you could suffer a hard life with him.

"Nicole, you've been sheltered for your entire life. You have no idea how terrible people can be. How do you know that he doesn't have ulterior motives?”

"He'll treat me well."

I was so in love that I could not listen to a word my parents said.

Seth had stood outside my house for the next three days, enduring the sun and the rain. Finally, he passed out from exhaustion.

That was when my parents finally relented. They kept sighing, but in the end, they agreed to our marriage.

Seth treated me very well after we got married. He was capable enough to expand his business, and he eventually made more and more money.

We were the perfect couple in the eyes of our friends and family. I was naive enough to believe that we would continue being this happy.

Seth fell silent when I talked about the past.

"I'll ask her out tomorrow. You can meet her as me. Will your true love choose money and leave, or will she be willing to wait for you to divorce me so she can marry you?"

A guilty look flashed across Seth's face. He gave me an upset glance. "When did you become like this? Jenny is not what you think she is."

I smiled and said nothing.

The next day, I found a hidden corner to sit at in the restaurant where they were meeting.

Seth stood up the moment Jenny walked in. "Jen—I mean, Miss Locke."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know your name, Mrs. Rothman. How do you do? I'm Seth's colleague, Jenny Locke."

Seth stared at her blankly, while she looked back at him quietly.

After half a minute, Jenny said, "I know you don't like me being close to Seth. I'll do whatever you want."

It took Seth quite a while to reply. "B-but why?"

Jenny flung back her long hair. "I never planned to marry him. It's more fun to leave men like him hanging. I wouldn't cherish him if I could get him so easily. Do you expect me to wait around to marry him while he gets his divorce?"

I saw Seth demanding with a look of shock, "Don't you like him? Otherwise, why would you still flirt with him knowing full well he's already married?"

"All I need to do is wave, and men will come running. It's no fun that way, is it? I'll be leaving if there's nothing else. Don't worry. I'll keep my promise to you."

Seth seemed to have turned into stone. He could not snap out of his daze.

"She's gone. Stop thinking about her," I said sardonically as I appeared from the hidden corner.

Seth looked up suddenly and glared at me. "I've cheated on you more than once. Do you have any idea how many women want me?"

I was silent.