Ninety-Nine Pardons

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.”