Till the 100th "No"

I stood in the middle of a sea of roses, still down on one knee. The ring I had been holding tightly had just been thrown into the river by Isabelle Cole.At this point, I didn't look like I was proposing anymore. I looked like some guy who'd messed up and was kneeling in front of his girlfriend, begging her to forgive him.I let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. Only I could turn what was supposed to be a romantic, moving proposal into such a humiliating scene.And the worst part was that I'd already been through this 99 times. Isabelle and I had been together for seven years, from ages 23 to 30. I'd already proposed 99 times, and today was my hundredth.On every previous proposal, she'd refused me, saying that her childhood friend, Ronald Shaw, hadn't married yet, and she couldn't break their promise.I used to believe that even if she graded me from zero, by the hundredth time, I would've gotten a perfect score, and she'd finally agree. So, I chose to propose for the hundre

After I said that, I pulled my hand back and walked straight out the door.The moment I got to the office, news broke that our department was sending two people to the overseas branch for further training, and everyone scrambled to sign up.Since graduating and joining the company, I've had three opportunities to go abroad for training, and this would be the fourth. Most of my colleagues from my entry-level cohort had already gone, as a year abroad usually meant a promotion and a raise upon returning.But I hadn't been willing to try long-distance with Isabelle, so I never signed up and let those opportunities slip by, one after another.Looking back now, I was already 30, and my life was a complete mess.In our relationship, I was the only one making sacrifices. I'd been with Isabelle for seven years and rejected a hundred times, and she still wouldn't even give me some vague idea of a wedding date, always insisting she'd only marry me after Ronald got married.At work, I'd acco

To my surprise, Isabelle actually commented on my post."Wait for me. I'll come back and watch it with you."I originally planned to just hike back down the mountain, but it was already pitch-black. I could barely see the trail, and there was no way to call a ride up here, so I had no choice but to wait for Isabelle to come back for me.What I didn't expect was for three hours to pass without her showing up. I texted her, asking how long she'd take, but she never replied.The midnight air in the mountains was cold and damp. The temperature dropped fast, and I couldn't stop shivering.Seeing that my phone battery was about to die, I finally called 911. Otherwise, I was genuinely afraid I'd end up spending the whole night up here and wind up in the ER with hypothermia.By the time the police arrived, I was already mildly hypothermic. After giving me a lecture, they sent me to the hospital.It wasn't until noon the next day that I finally got a call from Isabelle. "Lucas, where did

Tears rolled down Isabelle's cheeks as she clutched my hand and said in a trembling voice, "Lucas, I really know I was wrong. We can register for marriage tomorrow—no, right now. The moment the city hall opens tomorrow, we'll be the first ones there. Give me one more chance, please?"Her face was filled with regret.I figured she really did regret it this time. But the cracks in our relationship weren't formed overnight. They had widened over seven years, until everything finally collapsed today. Naturally, there was no fixing us anymore.I didn't reach up to wipe her tears like I used to. Instead, I pulled my hand away. "Isabelle, we're done. I'm leaving the country in a week, and it's better if we end things peacefully."After saying that, I went to the guest room and shut the door. I could hear her muffled sobs outside, but I felt nothing. There was no use crying over spilled milk.For the next few days, I focused on packing and paid no attention to her. Several times, she look