I asked my boyfriend to marry me 101 times, and he finally said yes, and then he did this after he got married.

I cherished Gideon more than anything. I proposed to him a hundred times just to marry him. As I was about to propose for the 101st time, Gideon was suddenly kidnapped.

In my desperate attempt to save him, I took a fatal blow that was meant for him.

When I awoke from a coma, Gideon willingly put on the wedding ring I had prepared. “Adeline, let’s get married.” From that moment, I became the envy of everyone, Mrs. Gideon.

After our marriage, Gideon’s behavior didn’t change. He brought countless women home, but I didn’t mind. I even stood by and opened small umbrellas for them.

Outsiders thought I was pitiable, unwilling to let go of the luxury and wealth Gideon provided.

But no one knew that my relentless pursuit to marry Gideon was never about him or his money. It was for the heart beating in his chest.

I watched the drunken, sleeping Gideon and placed my hand over his beating heart. “Gideon, you must live a long and healthy life.”

1.

A soft, melodious sound came from the guest room. I looked at the closed door, unable to recall how many women Gideon had brought back.

Since he agreed to my 101st proposal, aside from a brief period of being a faithful husband shortly after marriage, he quickly reverted to his old ways.

His handsome demeanor remained unchanged. An hour later, the noise from the room finally ceased. Following his usual habit, I opened the door and offered a glass of freshly poured red wine.

Gideon watched me walk in calmly, a satisfied smile on his face. He pulled me onto the bed where he had just been with another woman, holding me tightly in his arms.

He gently tapped my nose with his finger and said, “Adeline, you are the most understanding.”

“Marrying you was indeed the right decision.” He drank the wine in one gulp and went into the bathroom to freshen up, leaving the woman and me staring at each other.

Once the bathroom door closed, I discreetly rubbed my nose where Gideon had touched. The woman Gideon chose this time was different from the usual ones. She was pure, with a face so fair it seemed to glow.

Seeing my indifferent reaction to my husband’s betrayal, she boldly flaunted her good figure in front of me.

Despite her innocent appearance, her eyes were full of mockery and disdain. “You’re the ‘pathetic’ Mrs. Gideon everyone talks about.”

In a lowered voice, she revealed, “I’ve been with Gideon for two months. He often tells me he likes me very much. If he weren’t already married, he would definitely marry me.”

Worried about Gideon overhearing, she leaned closer and whispered in my ear, “I advise you to leave Gideon soon, or I won’t let you have an easy time.”

Before I could respond to this familiar threat, the bathroom suddenly went quiet.

When Gideon emerged with a towel wrapped around his waist, she suddenly fell backward, hitting the floor hard. Before he could help her up, she tearfully accused, “Gideon, she hit me!”

Pointing at me, she continued, “She threatened me to leave you, or she wouldn’t let me go easily.” Watching this scene, I found it amusing. Such poor tactics, Gideon wouldn’t fall for it. But this time, Gideon showed a worry I had never seen before. He nervously held the woman in his arms.

“Cora, where does it hurt? Do you need a doctor?” Gideon looked at me standing emotionlessly and frowned, “Adeline, you pushed Cora. Apologize to her now.”

I glanced at Cora’s smug expression in his arms and remained unmoved. Seeing this, Gideon became furious, “Didn’t you hear me? Apologize now!” Perhaps sensing my unyielding attitude was different than usual, despite his repeated orders, I remained unmoved.

Suddenly, Gideon clutched his chest, breathing heavily. This sudden change left Cora bewildered.

Seeing this, I immediately took out the medicine I always carried, pushed Cora away, and forced the medicine into Gideon’s mouth. Listening to his gradually calming breath, I glanced at the surgical scar on his chest and said to Cora, “Ms. Lin, I’m sorry.”

2.

Probably to punish me for my rebellious act yesterday, Gideon brought the meticulously dressed Cora to the company’s anniversary celebration. Everyone looked at me with mocking eyes. Even the interns who just joined the company covered their mouths, waiting to see the joke of the infamous ‘gold-digger wife.’

Ignoring their looks, I quietly stood aside, watching Gideon and Cora mingle with the partners. But in her self-importance, Cora forgot herself and cursed at a young woman who accidentally stepped on her dress.

“Are you blind?” “This dress is the only one in the city. You can’t afford it even if you sell your life!” Furious at the dirty hem, Cora pushed the young woman into the champagne tower. The tower toppled, drenching the woman in wine, and she began to cry.

The commotion caught the attention of Gideon and the partners. The main partner’s face turned pale, and he rushed over to help the young woman. He demanded, “Daughter, who did this to you?”

Under her finger, Cora’s face turned white. Instinctively, Gideon shielded Cora, demanding, “Adeline, apologize to this lady immediately.”

I was stunned, looking at his tense muscles, ready to comply. But the partner stopped me, displeased with Cora, “It was she who pushed my daughter. Why is Mrs. Gideon apologizing?”

The young woman, eyes red from crying, added, “Mr. Gideon, if she doesn’t apologize, I’ll have my father cancel the partnership with Gideon Corporation.

” Facing the threat, Gideon rubbed Cora’s head to comfort her, then ordered me, “Adeline, even if you have to kneel, you must earn Mr. King and Miss King’s forgiveness.”

With that, he took Cora’s hand and left the hall. I vaguely heard their conversation. “Gideon, I was so scared. Fortunately, you were by my side.” Gideon replied tenderly, “I can’t bear to see someone as pure as you get hurt.”

Watching them leave, I took a deep breath, turned to King, and forced a smile.

Picking up a freshly opened bottle of wine, I apologized, “Miss King, I’m sorry for what happened. I sincerely apologize.” Raising the bottle to drink, Miss King stopped me, her eyes full of pity.

She took the bottle from my hand, saying, “Mrs. Gideon, you don’t need to do this. Consider the matter closed, but our companies will never cooperate again.

” Before leaving, she looked at me with disdain, changing her address, “Miss Summer, a man like that isn’t worth it.”

Her words left me with mixed feelings. The scene of Gideon and Cora leaving replayed in my mind. I touched the silver chain on my wrist and smiled bitterly.

3.

Despite my chronic stomach issues, the alcohol caused burning pain in my abdomen. After the event, I struggled to reach the car waiting at the hotel’s entrance.

As I opened the door, I saw them in an intimate moment. Hearing the door, they paused.

Cora, displeased, got off Gideon’s lap and gave me a look. Gideon glanced over, asking,

“How did the matter with Mr. King go?” I relayed Mr. King’s statement about ‘no further cooperation.’ Hearing this, Gideon’s expression changed.

Mr. King was not only the company’s biggest partner but also a primary source of income.

Canceling the partnership risked a financial crisis. Clearly, Gideon understood the consequences.

He looked at me with reproach, about to speak, but Cora interrupted.

“Adeline, you’re useless. Can’t even apologize properly. What are you still doing by Gideon’s side?” She poked Gideon’s chest with her manicured finger, adding,

“Gideon, maybe we should give Adeline a little punishment.”

“Otherwise, she might ignore your advice again.” Cora’s attitude seemed to deny any wrongdoing on her part.

Hearing this, Gideon affectionately ruffled her hair and slammed the door shut. The car door locked with a click. Gideon lowered the window, coldly demanding my phone, “Cora’s right. You need a lesson.”

She pointed her carefully manicured red-tipped finger at Gideon’s chest, suggesting, “Gideon, why don’t we teach Adeline a little lesson?”

“Otherwise, Adeline will keep ignoring your advice,” Cora said, acting as if she wasn’t the one who stirred up trouble this time.

Hearing this, Gideon gently tousled her hair before slamming the car door shut.

With a click, the door locked.

Gideon rolled down the window and curtly demanded my phone: “Cora’s right; you need to learn your lesson.”

“This time, I’ll be kind and let you walk back to the villa from the hotel.”

With that, he told the driver to start the car.

But just as the car sped up, it suddenly stopped.

Cora leaned out the window and shouted, “Adeline, don’t forget to buy ribs on your way back.”

“Whenever Gideon and I go out, he often brings your homemade braised ribs.”

“Hurry back to the villa; I’m eager to have them!”

As thunder roared in the sky, the car sped away.

Cold rain poured down, drenching me in an instant.

My heart grew colder with each heartbeat.

When I finally returned to the villa, my soaked body was stiff and hard to move.

I was about to head to the bedroom to change clothes when I opened the door to a scene of chaos.

Especially the photo album I had hidden in a secret corner—it had been maliciously torn and thrown on the ground.

The few intact photos bore dusty footprints.

The smiling father and daughter in the photos were my deceased father and me.

I squatted down, touching the photos, and cried out in agony.

Hearing my cries, Cora, wearing a dress Gideon had given me for our wedding, swayed over to me.

“What’s with all the yelling? I just picked a few clothes from your closet, no need to shout.”

I clutched the photos tightly, my eyes bloodshot as I glared at her, questioning, “Who told you to dig out these photos?”

Cora casually replied, “They’re just old photos, nothing valuable.”

She snatched the photos from my hand and, with malice in her eyes, deliberately commented, “The man in these photos looks like he’s doomed to die young. He must be suffering in hell after death!”