Chapter 1

After two years of long distance with my boyfriend, I quietly resigned from my job and moved across the country to his city.

I hid in his apartment to surprise him, only to find a handwritten notebook titled, "999 Things to Do with Piper Lewis."

Piper Lewis was not me.

Following the very last item on that list, I drove out to the canyon bungee jumping platform.

Before I even stepped onto the observation deck, I heard my boyfriend's roaring voice echo through the valley.

"Piper! This is the 999th thing on our list! Marry me!"

My boyfriend, who had always been deathly afraid of heights, was suddenly fearless. The girl standing on the deck blew him kisses and made heart signs with her hands.

I could not bear to watch any longer.

I turned around in silence and walked away.

Yet when I completely vanished from his life, he was the one consumed by regret.

1.

In the distance, Gavin hung from the bungee cord at the edge of the canyon cliff. Even though he had blacked out for a second during the drop, he still forced himself to shape his trembling hands into a heart.

The girl on the platform was the center of his 999-item list: Piper Lewis.

She stood above, screaming back at him through tears of joy.

"I will! A million times yes!"

When they walked out holding hands, they met at the center of the glass skywalk, which was covered in red rose petals.

Gavin grabbed a megaphone, his face glowing with pure euphoria.

"Piper, forever is a long time, and I want to spend every second of it with you!"

The crowd of tourists erupted into thunderous applause.

Piper blushed, nodding shyly as he slipped a ring onto her finger.

They embraced and kissed passionately under the cheers of strangers, looking like the ultimate power couple.

What did that make me?

I backed away from the crowd, a sharp, suffocating pain tearing through my chest.

During our years of long distance, I had brought up marriage several times.

Every single time, Gavin had looked at me with impatient irritation.

"Why do you always act like a desperate woman begging for a ring?" he had sneered.

Looking at him now, I finally realized that I was the only outsider in this story.

Gavin never hated the idea of marriage. He just never wanted to marry me.

I tried to push my glasses up, only to find my face already drenched in cold tears.

My body shook uncontrollably. I tried to turn around, but my feet felt as heavy as lead.

In the next second, I collapsed hard onto the concrete.

My blurry vision caught one last glimpse of them kissing.

Using my last ounce of strength, I dialed for help before darkness swallowed me whole.