How much did my wife love me?

To marry me, she proposed ninety-nine times.

I was not moved until the hundredth.

On our wedding day, I gave her ninety-nine make-up cards.

We agreed that as long as all of them were not used up, I would stay with her.

Five years into our marriage, she used one card every time she went out to be with her crush.

When she reached the ninety-seventh card, she suddenly noticed that I had changed.

I no longer begged for her to stay.

When she lost control because of her adorable secretary, I asked her, “If you don't come back tonight, can I use a make-up card?”

She paused for a moment and then softened, which was rare for her.

“Okay.”

I nodded and let her leave.

She thought she still had many make-up cards. She didn't realize this was his last chance.

Today was the celebration for Lawson Corp’s win of the East City project.

It was also the third day after I was discharged from the hospital following my liver surgery.

When Yvette Lawson’s adorable secretary knocked over the champagne tower, and the client was soaked, her first reaction was to shield him behind her.

Then, she turned to me and said, “Yoel, apologize to Mr. Lewis.”

I froze. I was unable to believe it.

The client frowned and angrily pointed at Connor Zeller.

“Ms. Lawson, it was that man’s fault. I want him to apologize to me.”

Connor frowned. He tugged on Yvette’s sleeve as if he needed help. He looked deeply hurt.

Yvette patted his hand gently, then she looked straight at me.

“What are you waiting for? Go and toast to Mr. Lewis.

“One glass. If that’s not enough, then two. If two aren’t enough, three. You have to calm him down.”

She forgot that I had just left the hospital and could not drink.

Maybe she did not care at all.

The people around us whispered to each other. Their eyes shone with pity for me.

Everyone knew it was not my fault.

All of them could see that Yvette was determined to protect Connor.

I wanted to refuse, but Yvette seemed to have some expectations. She mouthed something at me.

“Make-up card.”

Back then, to marry me, Yvette had proposed ninety-nine times. I had refused all ninety-nine times.

I thought she would give up. But on the hundredth time, Yvette gathered all my family and friends.

She swore and said in front of everyone, “Yoel, you’re the only one for me. If you say no, I’ll keep asking you until you say yes.”

Her unwavering love moved me, and I finally said yes.

To return her love, I had made ninety-nine make-up cards on our wedding night.

We agreed that as long as the cards were not used up, we would never be apart.

For the first three years, Yvette treasured them. She did not use even a single one.

Then, Connor appeared in her life. In just two years, she had used ninety-six of them.

This was the ninety-seventh.

I gripped the wine glass so tightly that my knuckles went white. I forced out a smile and walked up to Mr. Lewis.

“Mr. Lewis, here’s to you.”

He sighed and told me to take just a sip.

I smiled and drank the whole glass of red wine.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yvette affectionately hold Connor’s hand. She said, “Silly, don’t run so fast next time. What if you get hurt?”

Connor grabbed her hand. His eyes sparkled in delight.

“Got it, Ms. Lawson. You’re so good to me!”

She was indeed very good to him.

At that moment, the alcohol caught in my throat. The burn stung my eyes.

I told myself it was fine.

After all, only two cards were left.

…

After the celebration, I walked over to the passenger seat as usual and reached for the door.

Just as my hand touched it, I heard the click of the lock.

Yvette rolled down the window and looked at me with cold indifference.

“Take a cab. I just had the car washed. You smell like alcohol. It’s disgusting!”

She seemed to have forgotten where that smell came from. Her eyes were full of disgust.

If it had been any other time, I would have rushed to rinse my mouth as I tried to explain, “It’s just a little alcohol. It doesn’t smell that bad.”

I might even have broken down and demanded with teary eyes, “Why did you make me apologize for Connor earlier?”

This time, I only smiled and nodded.

“Okay. Drive safe.”

Yvette loosened her grip on the steering wheel and instinctively turned to me.

“Yoel, you…”

She had just started when Connor smiled and pushed me aside.

“Ms. Lawson, I’m ready. Let’s go.”

His suit reeked of alcohol.

It must have been from when he knocked over the champagne tower earlier.

Yvette did not mind at all. She opened the car door for him.

“It’s cold outside! Don’t catch a cold.”

Only then did she remember me. Guilt shone in her eyes.

“Don’t misunderstand, okay? Connor just graduated and doesn’t know much yet, so I take extra care of him.”

I nodded. “I understand.”

To make sure she believed me, I added, “You already used a make-up card, didn’t you? I won’t be angry.”

Yvette paused. She seemed to want to say something, but Connor sneezed. Her attention immediately shifted back to him.

“Get home safe.”

After saying that, they drove away.

I watched the car fade into the distance and could not stop myself from shivering.

When I got home, I took the jar that held the make-up cards out of the closet.

The slips of paper used to be easy to grab, but this time, I felt around for a long while before I finally pulled one out.

After tearing up the ninety-seventh make-up card, I turned on my computer and began drafting a divorce agreement with Yvette.

To keep things fair, I called my mentor, Ethan Cole.

“Mr. Cole, if I divorce Yvette, how should we divide the assets?”

Ethan was taken aback.

“Divorce? Why?

“Everyone at the college knows that Yvette proposed to you ninety-nine times back then. People still talk about it as a great love story. How did things end up like this?”

How did it come to this?

It might have started with the men’s cologne on her that grew stronger every day, with how often she stopped coming home, and with the make-up cards in the jar disappearing one by one because of Connor.

I knew then that there was no going back.

When I stayed silent, Ethan did not try to talk me out of it anymore. He only asked, “I’ll help you draft the divorce agreement. When do you need it?”

I turned to look at the jar and said in a flat voice, “When Yvette uses her last two chances.”

As soon as I finished speaking, someone pushed the door open.

“What chances?”

Yvette stepped inside with a paper bag in her hand. She sounded very confused.

After I hung up, I calmly shut down the computer.

“It’s nothing. I was just talking to Mr. Cole about the divorce.”

Yvette’s expression immediately changed. She rushed over to me.

“What divorce? You want to divorce me?”

I stepped back and said casually, “No. It’s about one of his cases. He wanted my opinion.”

Only then did Yvette relax. She handed me the paper bag she was holding.

“This is for you.”

The logo on the bag was from my favorite cake shop.

Before we got married, whenever Yvette made me angry, she would buy me a cake from there.

The shop was always busy, and the wait usually took two hours.

Still, whenever I said I wanted some, she would go and line up in person, rain or shine, just to make me happy.

Sometimes, I felt bad for her and told her to get it delivered instead.

Yvette would smile and say, “Yoel, it’s fine. I’m willing to do it for you.”

The memory warmed my heart. I smiled without thinking, took the bag, and opened it.

“I didn’t expect you to remember… What’s this?”

I looked at her in shock. A sense of unease crept in.

There was no cake in the bag. Instead, there were two pieces of clothing that smelled of alcohol.

They were Connor's.

Yvette looked embarrassed when I questioned her.

“Connor got his clothes dirty, didn’t he? You’re used to doing the laundry anyway. Two more pieces don't make a difference, so I brought them here.”

Then, she seemed to think of something and regained her composure.

“At worst, I’ll just use another make-up card. There are still plenty left. That way, you won’t be so petty about it.”

Everything I wanted to say was stuck in my throat.

I wanted to tell her there were not many left.

If she wanted to use another make-up card, only one would be left.

The words were at the tip of my tongue, but I looked at her and could not say anything. Then, I put the clothes into the washing machine.

In the past, to keep her clothes spotless, I had never used the washing machine. I washed everything by hand.

Looking back, I was truly foolish.

What I thought was consideration and love had turned me into free help in her eyes.

I smiled bitterly, closed the door, and returned to the bedroom.

When she saw how quickly I returned, Yvette froze for a moment.

“That fast? Are they clean already? That shirt is Connor’s favorite. I promised him you would wash it properly.”

I nodded and went to wash up.

Suddenly, a familiar ringtone sounded outside.

Yvette looked at me carefully. Then, she took her phone and went out onto the balcony.

I followed quietly and heard Connor speaking from the other end.

“Ms. Lawson, the cake you bought me was so good. I’ve never had anything that tasted this good!

“But I know it took a long time to wait in line. I felt bad for you.”

Yvette glanced toward the bedroom and said indulgently, “It’s fine. If you want it, I can buy it for you anytime.

“I’m willing to do it for you.”

Connor laughed and pretended to be awkward. “What about my shirt? Is it really okay to let Mr. Quinn wash it?

“I don’t want to make things awkward for you.”

Yvette chuckled.

“What’s there to feel awkward about? He’s used to it. You’re the one I worry about. Your hands are so nice. I would feel bad if you had to do rough work.”