I was pouring the remaining soup down the sink when my phone rang at 3 AM. The call from Tristan rang only three times before I picked up. It was noisy on his end, and I could hear Jodie yelling, "Goal!" from his side.

Tristan tried to suppress a laugh as he asked me, "Were you asleep?"

I stared at the sink as the soup slowly flowed down. "Nope."

Tristan sounded happy with that answer. "Go to my study and look at the second drawer on the left. There's a blue scorebook in there. Get the driver to deliver it to my office tomorrow morning."

I clenched the phone hard. "What do you want to do with it?"

I started that scorebook eight years ago. It recorded the teams he supported for every World Cup, the amount of alcohol he consumed, and the time of the match when he held my hand. The last page even had the note he secretly passed to me after he was punished and forced to kneel on the ground. Tristan told me back then that the match's champion could change at any time, but the woman next to him would never change.

He said with indifference, "Jodie is meeting a client tomorrow who wants a World Cup theme for his project. She needs some references, and you don't need that scorebook now anyway."

Jodie could be heard speaking near him. "The match is about to start, Mr. Hayes. Hurry up! You shouldn't miss this."

Tristan gave her an affirmative reply before saying to me, "Take a picture for me when you find the scorebook. Make sure not to lose it."

He hung up after that.

I stood in the study for a long time before finally pulling the drawer open. The blue covers of the book had aged, and the corners were covered with cellophane tape that I had used to hold it together. When I flipped to the last page of the book, I found the note still there, but an unfamiliar silver brooch lay beside it. The brooch looked like the one Jodie had on her tonight.

As I stared at the brooch, I was suddenly reminded of how Tristan had come home very late last week. A small gift bag had fallen out of his suit pocket while he was taking a shower. When I questioned him about it, he took the bag from me and replied nonchalantly that it was a gift from a client. I guessed that 'client' was the one who pinned the brooch on my old scorebook.

Tristan returned the next morning when the driver stopped by to pick up the scorebook. He was still reeking of alcohol, but he did not look tired at all.

I passed the scorebook to him. "I took the note. Remember to return the scorebook once you're done with it."

Tristan's hands paused while flipping the pages. "It's just some old pieces of paper. Why do you care about it?"

I looked at him. "You wrote it for me."

Tristan closed the scorebook. "Souvenirs shouldn't be turned into shackles, Dahlia. Stop treating every single thing as something so important."

Jodie's head poked out from behind him. She was hugging a folder in her hands. "Good morning, Mrs. Hayes. I'm here to pick up some documents for Mr. Hayes. I'm sorry to have disturbed both of you."

She was not wearing the brooch on her chest, but I could see a thin string tied on her wrist. It was the last of the blue thread I used to sew the ankle brace with. I reached out to stop her. "Where did you get that piece of string from?"

Jodie looked down at it. "Mr. Hayes said it's the same color as Argentina's jersey. I thought it looked nice, so I tied it on my wrist."

Tristan pulled her behind him. "It's just a piece of string."

I smiled. "Everything seems to be nothing to you."

Tritan's face fell. "Stop embarrassing yourself in front of my subordinate."

Jodie quickly shook her head. "Mrs. Hayes didn't do it on purpose, Mr. Hayes. I must have crossed the line."

I pulled my hand away. "Yes, you must have."

Jodie got teary-eyed, and Tristan quickly handed the scorebook to her while saying in a slightly cold tone, "Wait for me in the car, Jodie."

Before Jodie left while hugging the scorebook to her chest, she gently caressed the blue string. Tristan and I were left standing at the door. He looked at me. "The company is hosting a World Cup-themed event tonight. You should attend it, or others might think something is wrong with our marriage."

I asked him, "And who am I supposed to be there as?"

Tristan acted like he did not understand the question. "As Mrs. Hayes, obviously."

I glanced at the closed door. "But your Mrs. Hayes is someone who can't even get something she wants right away. Even she is forced to wait her turn for it."

Tristan clasped a watch over his wrist as his tone remained calm and composed. "You were always willing to share what you had with others, Dahlia. When did you become so petty?"

I lowered my eyes. "I guess it comes with age."

Tristan paused. He was about to say something when his phone rang. Jodie's name appeared on his phone's screen, and he quickly picked up and replied in a gentle tone, "I'll be down soon."

When the door closed once more, I saw a small, fuzzy piece of blue thread on the cupboard at the door. I picked it up to see that it had been forcefully torn off.

While I was at the registration counter to sign in for the company event, the staff handed the name tag with my name to Jodie. Jodie was taken aback, but she quickly waved it off with a smile. "This name tag belongs to Mrs. Hayes. I can't take it."

The girl at the counter lowered her voice. "Miss Lenford, Mr. Hayes already informed us that you will be standing by his side on stage tonight. The tag is just a formality. Whose name on it isn't important."

I was standing three steps away, and I heard everything clearly. Jodie turned back to see me, flustered. "I had no idea they made a mistake with the tag, Mrs. Hayes. I'll return it to you right away."

Despite her insistence, her fingers clenched the name tag, refusing to let it go. That was when Tristan walked out of the venue in a sharp, black suit, looking like everything was normal. "You should stay in your seat at the family's table, Dahlia. Jodie will be taking over the event on stage due to a last-minute decision."

I looked at him. "A last-minute decision?"

Tristan avoided eye contact as he helped Jodie straighten the name tag on her chest. "Jodie is familiar with the event flow tonight, and the clients love a young face. Don't overthink this, Dahlia."

Someone nearby started laughing. "It's fitting that Mrs. Hayes stays put where she is."

It took me three sleepless nights at home to help him write up an entire soccer-themed marketing plan. I put together the copywriting for the poster and the profiles of lesser-known soccer players, but Jodie was going on stage to take the credit.

When the host invited Tristan up to the stage for his speech, a large image appeared on the bright screen. It was a picture of my blue scorebook. As they enlarged the image of the scorebook, I could see the words, 'The tip of Tristan's ears would turn red after his third drink', appear clearly on the screen.

Everyone started laughing, and Jodie picked up the microphone, winking at the crowd. "This scorebook is a cherished item of Mr. Hayes. I heard that the person who recorded this was a woman who knew soccer well and was particularly cute."

Someone asked, "Is that person Mrs. Hayes?"

Jodie looked at Tristan, waiting for him to affirm the statement. He smiled and said, "It used to be."

The venue turned silent, and he continued, "Now she's more concerned with my health, but I guess that can be considered another form of her care for me."

Laughter rang in the air. I crushed the mineral water bottle in my hand as I sat at the family table. Jodie quickly continued, "Tonight, I'd like to represent that cute lady, and I hope that Mr. Hayes will forgive me if I don't do a good job of telling this story."

Tristan looked at her indulgently. "You're doing very well right now."

Tina, Tristan's mother, was sitting next to me. She lowered her voice. "Stop looking like that. You shouldn't embarrass your man in public like that."

I turned to look at her. "That scorebook is mine, Tina."

She frowned. "You've been married for three years. Do you really need to insist on what belongs to each of you? You should be honored that Tristan is willing to use something of yours in an event like this."

I stayed silent after that.

The event continued on stage, and at the end of the itinerary, Jodie suddenly took out a transparent box containing the silver brooch and the ankle brace torn off the jersey. She said with a smile, "As Mr. Hayes has shared, this piece of cloth represents the most passionate period of his youth, which is why I will be using it as the lucky draw prize for tonight."

I jumped from my seat, and when my chair screeched on the floor, everyone turned to look at me. Tristan frowned right away. "Sit down, Dahlia."

However, I approached the stage instead. "Miss Lenford, don't you know that the piece of cloth you're talking about that represents Mr. Hayes' youth is actually the ankle brace from my college team? I sewed it to his jersey myself, and even though it isn't worth much, you don't have the right to give it out as a prize to strangers."

Jodie clenched the box as tears started streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Hayes. I thought it was fine because Mr. Hayes agreed to it. I had no idea it would bother you so much."

Tristan took the box and stopped me from grabbing it. "The event is still ongoing. Don't embarrass all of us in front of our clients."

I stared at him. "You know what that means to us."

He lowered his voice to warn me, "I do, but that isn't reason enough for you to lose your temper."

The guests started whispering amongst themselves, and Tina stood up with a smile to say to everyone, "Don't worry about it. It's just a normal couple's spat."

She came to my side and grabbed my wrist as her fingernails dug into my flesh. "You can hash this out at home."

However, I refused to budge. Tristan stared at me coldly. "If you still care about our marriage, you should stop this fiasco right now, Dahlia."

I stared at the old ankle brace in the box. The blue thread had been pulled apart messily, and the sewing work was ruined.

After the event ended, I went backstage to look for the scorebook, and I found it under a contract on the table filled with gifts. When I pulled out the scorebook, the contract fell to the ground, and I saw a line written at the bottom of the page.

'South City Sports Center - World Cup-Themed Pavilion Sponsorship - Title Transfer Agreement. Recipient: Jodie Lenford'.

I clenched the contract as I spotted the signing date in the top-right corner of the papers, which was two months ago. I had no idea that they had planned this betrayal so meticulously.

When Tristan returned home, I placed the scorebook on the table with the picture of the contract next to it. He unclasped his cufflinks and glanced at the table. "Did you go through the company's documents again?"

I looked up at him. "Didn't you promise me the South City Sports Center as a memorial?"

Three years ago, I quit my job as a sports columnist to stay by his side and entertain clients on behalf of the Hayes family. He promised me a small World Cup-themed pavilion if the company won the South City project, where I could display our jerseys, ticket stubs, and the old ankle brace.

Tristan placed his cufflinks in the tray and replied nonchalantly, "The commercial value of the project has changed. It's better suited to be the venue for Jodie's Youth Soccer Fan Club.

I questioned him, "Why didn't you tell me about it?"

He looked at me. "Would you have agreed if I did?"

I smiled. "So you took it away from me first and just planned to convince me to be okay with it?"

Tristan did not deny it. That was when his phone rang, and Jodie's voice could be heard on the other end. "Mr. Hayes, I'm feeling a little nervous about the signing ceremony tomorrow. Will Mrs. Hayes be unhappy about it?"

He looked at me and switched to speakerphone. "She'll understand."

Jodie was hesitant. "But there's a note missing on the last page of the scorebook. What if the media asks about it?"

Tristan frowned. "I'll handle it."

After he hung up, Tristant took the scorebook from the table. "Be there tomorrow. It'll look better with Mrs. Hayes present."

I pressed down on the other hand of the scorebook. "I'm not going."

The look in Tristan's eyes darkened. "Stop being stubborn about this, Dahlia."

I looked him right in the eyes. "I'm asking you one last time. Did you plan to let her have that exhibition hall from the very start?"

Tristan paused for half a second, but that short moment reminded me of the date on the top right corner of the contract, which was two months ago. It was also the time when Jodie started working at the company. I remembered how Tristan hugged me at the kitchen door, telling me about how the South City project could make up for our delayed honeymoon.

He pulled the scorebook from under my hand, and the pages in the scorebook cut my palm. "It's a business decision. It shouldn't be decided with emotions."

I lowered my eyes to look at the red scratch on my palm. "What about me? Am I a business decision too?"

Tristan got annoyed. "You're my wife. Stop comparing yourself with Jodie."

That was when I stopped asking any more questions.

The next day, I wore a plain dress to the signing ceremony. Tina's expression relaxed when she saw me walking into the lounge. "That's more like it. You shouldn't harbor any anger as husband and wife. When Tristan extends you courtesy, you should just take it."

That was when Jodie pushed the door open to enter in a blue and white dress. She carefully passed me a gift box. "Mr. Hayes told me to give you this, Mrs. Hayes. He wants you to open it for him when you get on stage."

I opened the box to see a newly made silver brooch inside. It was cushioned with a piece of cloth cut from my old ankle brace, its side pressed down into the shape of a soccer ball. Jodie said, "Mr. Hayes says that an old item like this should transform to accompany him down to the soccer field."

My fingers froze at the side of the box. That agreement was just not about giving her the exhibition hall. He had given her the last of the personal items we shared by tearing the brace apart and turning it into an accessory to make her shine on stage.

Tristan walked into the lounge, and when he saw me standing still, he reached out to close the box in my hands. "Stop giving us that look. I got someone to preserve it before I had it cut. This way, it would last longer."

I looked up at him. "You agreed to have it cut to pieces?"

He looked at his watch. "Jodie said that it would look better as an accessory. Why not change it into an accessory I can keep on me rather than letting it collect dust in the drawers? Isn't this what you always wanted, Dahlia?"

The signing ceremony began shortly, and when the host announced Jodie's name, the applause was thunderous. Tristan led her up to the middle of the stage where the spotlight shone on the brooch. He picked up the microphone and said with ease, "Miss Jodie Lenford will be the youth ambassador for the themed pavilion at the South City Sports Center, while this brooch represents a very important time in my youth."

Jodie became teary-eyed as she looked in my direction. Tristan turned to look at me as well, as if reminding me not to embarrass him. He continued, "Today, I'd like to invite my wife to put this on Jodie to symbolize the handing over of a passion of the past into more suitable hands."

A staff member approached me with the brooch, and I took it while my fingers gently caressed the cut on the cloth. As everyone was waiting to see me take in the humiliation and pin the brooch onto my husband's little lover with my own hands, the doors to the venue suddenly burst open.

The representative of the initial investor in the South City project strode in with a document in his hand and announced coldly, "Mrs. Hayes, the request you put in yesterday to retract all creative rights of the South City project has been legally approved."

Tristan immediately turned to look at me in shock. I smiled as I looked into his astonished eyes, and I let go of the brooch. There was a hard clank as the brooch, which was covered with the flesh and blood of my youth, smashed to the ground.