One Coupon Short of Marrying a Liar

Theo's POV

"That's wonderful news, Theo," Mom said. "I'm glad that you've finally come to your senses. What good is love on its own? Nothing can compare to a well-matched marriage and a wealthy life."

She sounded ecstatic on the other end of the line, believing that I had finally understood her point.

After all, I had been very stubborn. However, I couldn't be blamed for it. Not when my romance with my girlfriend, Lilith Fordson, had been so perfect.

It was so perfect that although Mom and Dad didn't approve and my standard of living would be much worse, I had been willing to marry her just to spend the rest of my life with her.

Our relationship started with Lilith pursuing me first. She was a beautiful and passionate woman who was like the sun. She worked hard for what she wanted, including the person she liked. That was why she actively expressed her love for me after she fell for me.

Cradling a bouquet of roses, Lilith would declare her love for me in front of the teachers and students after class. "I like you, Theo. Will you be my boyfriend?"

She would wait in front of the library with two cups of coffee every day without fail so that we could study together. She also kept vigil by my bedside and took care of me whenever I was sick.

I was only moved by Lilith's sincerity after she confessed to me for the 19th time. We began dating after that.

The happiest days of my university life were when I was in a relationship with her. We studied, ate, and traveled together. My chest was always overflowing with happiness.

I wanted to stay here, marry her, and spend the rest of my life with her. However, Mom and Dad didn't approve of our relationship because Lilith's family background wasn't a good match for ours. Thus, they arranged a suitable marriage partner for me, the daughter of a mafia boss, Luna Ellis.

But I wanted to be with Lilith, so I proposed to her.

Lilith simply smiled and said, "I confessed to you 19 times, Theo. In the name of fairness, you have to get my approval 19 times if you want to marry me. I'll make 19 marriage vouchers. I'll give you one every time I agree to marry you. We'll get married after you collect all 19 vouchers."

I watched as she prepared the vouchers, using acrylic paint to draw cartoon versions of us on the pieces of paper that were only as big as my palm. She then wrote the words, "Marriage Voucher", across the bottom of each one.

She made all nineteen of them. I picked up one of the small cards, looked at her, and asked—