He Cheated on Me 99 Times

I've caught my fiancé Henry cheating ninety-nine times. And every single time, I forgave him.

That's because I have this rare condition—short-term memory loss. Every morning, I wake up with no memory of what happened the day before.

But then, out of nowhere, a car accident actually cured me.

I was so excited. I rushed over to tell Henry the good news, but stopped cold when I heard him outside the door, joking around with his friends:

"Didn't Judy get sick because she walked in on you and Kenna having sex?"

...

The door to the private room wasn't closed all the way, and voices leaked out, each word a punch to the gut.

"Bro, that's the ultimate cheater's cheat code. You're a genius."

"Henry, man, if I had that setup, I'd—"

Laughter—sharp and cruel, scraping against my nerves. I waited for Henry to say something, to defend me. Even just a "shut up" would've been enough.

He didn't.

His voice came out cold and flat. "I love Judy. But messing around with other women? That's separate."

I pressed my back against the hallway wall and slid down, crouching on the floor with my hand clamped over my mouth. The tears came anyway.

The memories from the car accident already felt heavy enough—a whole year of waking up every morning with yesterday erased, reading my own journal entries like they belonged to a stranger. That was supposed to be as bad as it could get.

But these few sentences? They weighed more than all those lost days combined.

I don't know how long I stayed crouched there. When I finally stood up, my legs had gone numb and the tear tracks on my face had dried.

I took a deep breath, forced the rest of the tears back down, and pulled out my phone to call my doctor.

"Judy? Is everything okay?" The doctor's voice was gentle, concerned.

"I'm fine." My voice came out way too calm. "I wanted to ask you something. About my memory coming back, could you not tell Henry yet?"

"Oh?" A pause. "Why not?"

"I want to surprise him." I kept my tone light. "You know how much he's worried about my condition."

"You sweet girl." The doctor laughed warmly. "Henry really treasures you, you know. He's tried everything for your condition. Just a few days ago, he asked me to contact a neurological team overseas to study your case. This accident, it's a blessing in disguise, really."

A blessing in disguise.

My nose burned and more tears fell.

Maybe he didn't want me to get better. He wanted me sick forever. Sick meant he could screw around without consequences. Sick meant I'd forget every betrayal by morning. What man would give that up willingly?

I stood there in silence. Couldn't get any words out.

"Oh, and Judy—" The doctor's tone shifted, "You just had a car accident. Even though you're mostly fine, you should still rest. The baby's only three months along. Not quite stable yet."

My breath stopped and my hand moved slowly to my stomach.

The baby. They'd found it during the post-accident exam. When I first heard, I was so happy. I even imagined how happy Henry would be when I told him, about getting my memory back, about the baby, all of it.

But now I wish I never got better, I thought. I wish I still didn't know.

"Henry really has you at the center of his world," the doctor continued. "You're very lucky to have found someone like him."

I said nothing. Just let the tears fall silently.

"Remember, three months is still early. Take it easy. If you feel anything unusual, come in right away."

"Okay." I could barely get the word out.

I hung up and stood there with my hand pressed against my stomach, eyes closed. It took a long time before I could make myself walk toward the exit.

When I opened the apartment door that evening, the air smelled wrong. Perfume, something sweet and cloying mixed with the faint musk of sex. Subtle, but my senses were razor-sharp now. I caught it immediately.

Henry came toward me, smiling. "Hey, babe. Where were you? I was getting worried."

His arm slid around my waist, guiding me toward the living room. That's when I saw a woman sitting on our couch.

"Judy, you remember Kenna, right?" Henry's voice was casual, easy. "Her place had a pipe burst. I said she could crash here tonight."

Wait, this was Kenna? He had the audacity to bring his mistress into our home? My heart stopped.

I forced a smile and looked at Kenna's face.

She smiled back. Something lurked behind her eyes, not quite mockery, not quite pity. Testing me, maybe. Or just looking down on me the way she always did.

"Hi, Judy." Her voice was honey-sweet. "Thanks so much for letting me stay."

Henry pulled me down onto the couch next to him. Poured me water without asking. Asked if I was tired, if I'd eaten, if I needed anything. Anyone watching this would think he was the perfect fiancé.

And that's when I smelled it on him.

That same perfume. That same smell. Stronger now, up close. Mixed with sweat and sex and her.

My stomach lurched.

I stood up so fast. "Excuse me."

I barely made it to the bathroom before I was on my knees, dry heaving over the toilet.

When the nausea finally passed, I lifted my head. My eyes landed on the trash can next to the sink.

A used condom. Carelessly tossed in, barely covered by tissue.