Chapter 1

1

In our seventh year of marriage, my husband fell madly in love with a young intern.

She came from a poor background but carried herself with fierce pride. When he offered her company shares, she turned him down cold.

"Whatever I want, I will earn with my own two hands," she had declared.

That single sentence completely captivated him.

Nathan Miller chased after Avery Hayes so aggressively that the entire city knew about it. He completely forgot about the wife at home, the woman he had once written ninety-nine love letters just to win over.

I never confronted him. Instead, every single time he neglected me for her, I burned one of those letters.

Once all ninety-nine letters turned to ash, I would walk away from his life forever.

The day I burned the ninety-seventh letter was the night of the prestigious Blue Dot Architecture Awards.

Nathan accompanied me to the gala. I had spent hours getting ready, eager to receive the industry honor I had dreamed of since childhood.

Yet right before the winners were announced, Nathan spotted Avery walking in with the junior team.

The young woman simply whispered how much she envied the finalists. Nathan immediately pulled strings with the event committee, replacing my name on the winning blueprint with hers and handing her the trophy.

"You never have to envy anyone," Nathan whispered softly to her. "As long as I am here, you can have whatever you want."

Avery shoved the golden trophy back into his chest with righteous indignation.

"Mr. Miller, I told you I don't take shortcuts," she said loud enough for everyone to hear. "I only rely on myself. Nothing you do will ever make me happy, and I will never agree to be your mistress. Stop insulting me!"

With that, she turned on her heel and stormed out in front of the entire ballroom.

Instead of feeling humiliated, Nathan scrambled after her like a desperate puppy.

My breath caught in my throat as the room started spinning.

Our colleagues exchanged uneasy glances and tried to offer hollow comfort, telling me not to take it to heart.

I couldn't hear them. All I could look at was the award Nathan had dropped in his rush, watching it tumble off the second-floor mezzanine railing.

In a daze, I vaulted over the railing without thinking.

Gasps and screams echoed around me. Nathan didn't even glance back as he vanished into the night behind Avery.

As agony tore through my body on the ground below, a memory flashed through my mind. Five years ago, Nathan had promised he would personally hand me the Blue Dot trophy one day.

I clutched the cracked metal in my hands and looked at Avery's freshly engraved name on the base. Tears blurred my vision.

Years of my blood, sweat, and tears meant nothing compared to a single word from her.

After the banquet descended into chaos, a close friend rushed me to the emergency room.

She let out a heavy sigh when the doctor confirmed a severe fracture in my right leg.

"Why would you jump off a balcony for a trophy that wasn't even yours anymore?" she scolded softly. "Thank God you landed on the lawn. If that were concrete, you wouldn't have survived."

She shook her head in disgust. "Nathan has completely lost his mind. He didn't even make this much noise when he spent five years chasing you."

A sharp pain stabbed through my chest, and I kept my head down in silence.

She was right. Back then, Nathan had written ninety-nine handwritten love letters and planned endless daily surprises just to get me to say yes.

Everyone used to say Nathan loved me down to his very bones.

Everything changed the day Avery joined the firm. When she picked a fight with her supervisor over a petty task, Nathan didn't see her as unprofessional. He found her amusing.

He began a relentless pursuit, showering her with luxury cars, cash bonuses, and an offer of thirty percent equity in the firm. Avery rejected every single gesture without hesitation.

She even marched up to my desk one morning to confront me.

"Please keep your husband on a leash," she had snapped. "I only want to succeed on my own merit."

She could have easily resigned if she truly wanted peace. There were dozens of top architectural firms across the city.

When I finally confronted Nathan about his behavior, he merely chuckled.

"Penny, don't you think she's entertaining?" he said casually. "I'm just playing a little game to conquer her. Once I get bored, I'll come right back to you. Don't worry, you're the only woman I truly love."

It was absurd, yet five years of devotion made it hard to let go immediately. So I pulled out the ninety-nine letters, granting him ninety-nine final chances.

After the doctor put a cast on my leg, my friend drove me back to our empty house.

Nathan was nowhere to be found.

I pulled the ninety-seventh letter from the wooden box and flicked the lighter.

Watching the flame devour his vows of eternal devotion, I whispered to the empty room.

"Only two chances left."