Jack Wilson planned 66 romantic trips to propose to me. On the 67th attempt, I was finally moved enough to say yes. On our first day of marriage, I prepared 66 “forgiveness cards” for him. We agreed that whenever he upset me, he could use one of these cards to earn my forgiveness. For six years of our marriage, every time Jack angered me because of his childhood friend Jessie, he would use up one forgiveness card. By the time he used the 64th card, Jack started to sense something was off about me. I no longer reminded him to be careful or set boundaries. I no longer seemed to need him. I only asked him one question when he was about to abandon me for Jessie again: “If you go to her, can I use a forgiveness card?” Jack paused for a moment, then looked at me helplessly. “Use it if you want. There are so many left anyway.” I nodded silently, watching his figure disappear. He still thought the forgiveness cards were endless. But what he didn’t know was that there were only two cards left.
Today was the banquet held by the company’s biggest partner. It was also the 7th day after my surgery for an ectopic pregnancy. Jessie Yang smashed a cake onto the clothes of the partner’s CEO. Jack’s first reaction was to ask if she was okay. Then he turned to look at me. “Lily, go apologize to Mr. Zhang.” I stared at him in shock. The CEO was wiping cake off his suit, his anger visibly rising. “So your company likes to shirk responsibility! The one who should apologize is hiding behind others.” Jessie had tears in her eyes as she leaned against Jack’s chest, acting as if she was the one who got hit. Jack held her protectively and gave me a stern look. “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and apologize!” “First offer Mr. Zhang a drink. We can’t let this affect our partnership!” He forgot that I was still recovering from ectopic pregnancy surgery, and alcohol was strictly forbidden. Or maybe he just didn’t care about my health at all. Jessie looked at me smugly, her eyes full of challenge. She knew all along that Jack would push me out as a scapegoat. She also knew Jack would always protect her and never let her get hurt. I naturally didn’t want to take the blame for her mistake, but Jack suddenly whispered in my ear: “One forgiveness card.” Years ago, when he was trying to marry me, Jack personally planned 66 romantic trips to propose. I got to enjoy his undivided attention and love 66 times. On the 67th attempt, I finally said yes to his proposal in front of our family and friends. That’s when I received his solemn vow: “Lily, you are the love of my life! If I ever betray you, may heaven strike me…” I covered his mouth before he could finish. The sight of him kneeling and swearing his love touched my heart deeply, so I agreed to marry him. To match his 66 proposals, I had a friend design 66 forgiveness cards for me. I told Jack, “If we ever use up all these cards, I’m leaving you!” For the first five years of our marriage, Jack kept the cards locked away, afraid I might impulsively use them up if I got angry. But after his childhood friend Jessie returned from overseas, it only took one year for him to use up 63 cards. This time, he was using the 64th card. I bent over slightly, my body trembling as I fought the pain in my abdomen. I looked at the CEO and said: “Mr. Zhang, I’m truly sorry about what happened.” The CEO glanced at me and could only shake his head helplessly, not really blaming me. As I bowed, I saw Jack carefully fixing Jessie’s hair. “Be more careful next time. What if you had hit the table and gotten hurt!” “Okay, okay. You’re still the same as before.” Before? The pain from my surgical wound spread across my abdomen, making my face turn pale. Just bear with it a little longer. He only has two chances left! After the banquet ended, I followed behind Jack just wanting to go home quickly. But he stood with Jessie, looking like a perfect couple. Jack turned to me with a cold expression and said slowly: “You go home by yourself. Jessie twisted her ankle, so I need to take her to get it checked.” He seemed to have forgotten about my own injury. His eyes were full of concern as he looked at Jessie. In the past, I probably would have explained that I was in pain too, then asked him to take me to the hospital with them. Then I would have cried and asked why I had to apologize when I didn’t do anything wrong. But now I just nodded lightly. “Okay.” Jack let out a sigh and his expression softened. “Lily, be careful on your way home.”
Just as he finished speaking, Jessie walked up and linked her arm with his. “Jack, my foot hurts. Can we go soon?” Jack’s suit jacket was draped over her shoulders. Her delicate figure leaned halfway against Jack’s body. Jack paid no attention to me and my pale face from the pain. He simply picked Jessie up and placed her in the passenger seat. “Sit tight and don’t bump your injury.” After he finished helping her, he was about to drive off when he finally noticed me still standing there. “We grew up together. I only see her as a sister. You go home first.” I forced a smile. “Mmm, sister.” Afraid he might think I was upset, I added: “You already used a forgiveness card, so it’s fine.” Jack looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated. Jessie let out a hiss of pain, and he quickly turned back to her. “We’re leaving now.” With that, Jack drove off. Leaving me alone at the hotel entrance, I pulled my coat tighter around myself. When I got home, I took out the forgiveness cards from the side table. The stack of cards that Jack used to keep locked in the safe was now carelessly left out on the table. I stamped the 64th card and then found the divorce papers I had prepared earlier. Not knowing any lawyers personally, I decided to contact my former professor. “Professor, do you have any lawyer recommendations if I want to get a divorce?” The professor was confused when he heard the news. “Who’s getting divorced? You?” “I remember you two caused quite a stir on campus when you got together. It’s only been a few years, what happened?” The professor had witnessed Jack’s proposal back then. How did we end up here? It started when he kept abandoning me for someone else. When he was with Jessie and only talked about their shared history that I couldn’t be part of. When he shamelessly shared a bed with Jessie overnight. The worst thing for a relationship is the appearance of a third person. We had drifted apart and there was no going back. The professor let out a sigh. “I’ll take care of this. I’ll have someone contact you soon. Just let them know what you need.” I looked at the last two forgiveness cards in my hand and said slowly: “Okay, thank you professor.” Just then, Jack walked in. “Who were you talking to? The professor?” He was carrying a shopping bag which he placed on the table. I hung up the phone and turned to face him. “It’s nothing, just asked about some research questions.” Jack frowned, giving me a suspicious look. “What questions? It’s so late, why are you asking now?” I furrowed my brows and looked at him. “It’s nothing, just about an experiment.” He finally sat down on the couch and pushed the bag towards me. “Here, this is for you.” The bag was from my favorite traditional pastry shop. In the past, Jack would always bring treats from this shop whenever he came to see me. Of course, being a century-old famous bakery, there were always long lines of customers every day. Just because I said I wanted to eat their pastries, he would go line up before the store even opened. I didn’t want him to go through so much trouble. But he would just tap my nose and say with a smile: “If you want to eat a pastry, of course I’ll go buy it myself. Even if you asked for the stars, I’d find a way to pluck them for you.” Thinking back, we did have many sweet memories. “How did you go there… What’s this?” I opened the bag, but it wasn’t the pastries I was expecting. Inside was just a dress stained with cake and a crumpled bed sheet. I looked at Jack and he had an odd expression on his face. “Jessie’s clothes got dirty and there’s blood on the sheets that’s hard to wash out. She’s on her period so she can’t use cold water. I thought I’d bring them back and ask you to help out.” He spoke with increasing confidence, his expression becoming forceful. “Don’t be so petty. You’re both women, you should understand. If not, just use another forgiveness card.” The angry words I was about to say got stuck in my throat. I had just had surgery and couldn’t use cold water either, but he seemed to have completely forgotten about that. And what forgiveness card? There was only one left. But seeing his nonchalant expression, I swallowed my words. All of Jack’s clothes were expensive custom-tailored suits that required hand washing and ironing. Thinking about it carefully, I must have water in my brain. My self-perceived care and consideration was no better than just sending it to the dry cleaners.
I left the clothes by the entrance, planning to take them to the dry cleaners, then went back to the bedroom. Seeing me come in, Jack looked pleased. “As expected of my wife, finishing so quickly. That’s Jessie’s favorite dress, make sure you wash it clean.” I nodded once and started to put on a face mask. I picked up my tablet from the bedside table and began watching a show. Jack was also on his phone, his fingers tapping away as if messaging someone. Suddenly a notification popped up on my tablet. I tapped on it and realized Jack’s SnapChat was logging in on the tablet. “Jack, you’re so thoughtful! I haven’t had such authentic pastries in ages.” “Though it was really crowded there. You went to so much trouble.” Jack glanced at me, his fingers still typing. “I’m glad you like them. I’ll buy you more next time.” “Who else would I do this for but my little sister!” Jessie replied again: “What about my bed sheets? There’s period blood on them. Is it really okay to have Lily wash them?” “If she doesn’t want to, forget it.” Jack’s lips curled into a smile, his eyes full of affection. “It’s fine. I heard you need to use cold water. I couldn’t bear to let you wash them, and she has experience.” I paused, instinctively looking at Jack. After marrying him, I took care of all the household chores big and small. Even changing light bulbs was my job. No wonder he said I had experience. I put the tablet aside, not wanting to see any more hurtful messages. After washing off my face mask, Jack suddenly leaned close to my ear and whispered: “Lily, Chris called me over for something. You rest first.” I curled up in bed and mumbled an agreement. As he was getting dressed, I asked in a low voice: “Jack, if you don’t come back tonight, can I use up a forgiveness card?” I looked at him, my voice trembling slightly from sadness. His hands didn’t pause as he tied his tie. He smiled as usual. “Go ahead and use it.” Jack smoothed his hair, completely unconcerned. “I’ll definitely be back soon. That forgiveness card will be useless today!” Seeing his relaxed expression, I held back the tears in my eyes and shrank further under the covers. “Mm.” It was 10 PM now. He said he’d be back soon. I had someone go buy me pastries from that shop I loved. Coincidentally, Chris had just posted a photo on social media celebrating a date with his girlfriend. Jack sent me a message right then: “Found Chris. I’ll be back soon.” It was almost midnight. I looked at an old post on my social media from when I accepted Jack’s proposal. I reshared it to my profile with the caption: “Time flies.” Jack commented a heart emoji below it. Then he sent me a photo of an office desk. “Working. Missing my wife.” I closed his chat window. Ignoring him. He must have forgotten that photo was one I took with his phone last month. It wasn’t a photo from today at all. He was not only lying to me, but also putting in minimal effort. Jessie also posted an update, as if deliberately for me to see. “You said you’d marry me when we grew up. You broke that promise and now you say you regret it.” In the photo, their hands were intertwined. Jack’s small birthmark on his index finger was clearly visible. I sat on the couch, watching the video Jack had recorded of his proposal while eating the pastries I’d bought. The pastries I used to love now tasted bland. Maybe I didn’t like them anymore. And it wasn’t just the pastries I no longer liked. Jack never sent another message. I put my phone on the coffee table and started packing up my belongings. It was already past midnight. I was about to stamp the final forgiveness card. Suddenly my phone rang. It was Jack calling. “Lily, are you asleep? Don’t wait up for me. Something came up and I can’t come home tonight.” “Use a forgiveness card first. I’ll bring you pastries tomorrow. I have to go now, bye.” Before I could say anything, Jack hung up. The busy tone sounded before I could react. I put the phone back on the coffee table, accidentally knocking over a mug. It was the couple’s mug we had made after getting engaged. It instantly shattered into two halves. Perhaps it was a sign that our relationship should be severed as well. I opened SnapChat and tapped on Jack’s profile. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you earlier. There are no more forgiveness cards left.” “Let’s get a divorce.” Immediately after, my phone started ringing non-stop.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “296018”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring
Leave a Reply