ANMELDENI looked at Gary and suddenly found him utterly ridiculous."Another chance?" I asked quietly. "When I gave you 98 chances, where were you?"I closed the door.His pleas stayed outside, and so did he.After that, Gary seemed to have lost his mind. He tried every possible way to stay close to me.Like he did five years ago, he began leaving flowers outside my door every morning.At the café I visited most often, he sat at the piano and played the songs I loved.On the paths where I usually walked, he arranged endless "coincidental" meetings.But I never turned back.Until one day.In the busiest square in town, with crowds all around us, Gary suddenly dropped to one knee. In his hand was a diamond ring.The scene looked like a poor imitation of the past."Shannon," he said, looking up at me.His eyes were bloodshot, filled with desperate hope, and his voice was loud enough for everyone nearby to hear."Five years ago, I proposed to you 99 times before you agreed to marry m
Priscilla panicked completely.She scrambled to pick up the papers scattered on the floor, her voice trembling."N-No, it wasn't me. I don't know what you're talking about. Someone must be setting me up!"Gary had no patience left. He bent down, grabbed her chin, and forced her to look him straight in the eyes."I'll ask you one more time," he said slowly. "I watched Shannon board a ten o'clock flight. The destination was Montara. So tell me something: how did she appear at a hotel in Starborough at eleven?"Priscilla froze. Every bit of her act shattered in an instant.She jumped off the bed and clung to Gary's leg, crying uncontrollably."I was wrong! I just love you too much. I was jealous of her. I was scared she'd take you away from me!""You love me?"Gary let out a cold laugh.He kicked her away, disgust written all over his face.For years, Priscilla had whispered complaints about me in his ear. He had always brushed it off as petty jealousy between women.Only now
After that night, I stopped reacting to Priscilla's tantrums.I stopped questioning Gary when he stayed out late.When he gave me gifts, I accepted them without complaint. When he came home late, I never asked where he had been.Gary thought I had learned my place, that I had finally understood the price of being Mrs. Cooper.He thought I had become obedient, tamed.He was even proud of it.But the truth was something else entirely.I hadn't accepted my fate; I was waiting. Waiting for him to hand me the knife for the 99th time, waiting for him to complete those 99 slow cuts.Then I would take the blade he gave me and end everything between us myself.Gary's vision suddenly darkened. He staggered backward, grabbing the edge of the bed to keep from collapsing.He had been wrong. Completely wrong.Right then, his phone buzzed.A news notification popped up on the screen. The headline was sharp and vicious.[Cooper Corporation Scandal: CEO's Wife Caught in Late-Night Hotel
On the other end of the call, Priscilla froze. She hadn't expected Gary to react like that.Her fingers tightened around her phone until her nails dug into her palm.Shannon. It had to be her. She must be behind this!She was determined not to let me get away with it.-Gary drove home as fast as he could. He burst through the front door of the house, his heart pounding wildly."Shannon! Shannon!"His voice echoed through the empty space.There was no answer. Only silence.In the five years he had lived there, the house had never felt this quiet.It was so quiet that he could hear his own heavy breathing. He could even hear every step echoed sharply across the marble floor.Then he realized something: the house felt different.The soft slippers I always wore by the front door were gone. In their place sat a brand new pair of guest slippers, cold and unfamiliar.On the living room couch, the pillow I had embroidered myself was gone.The cashmere blanket I used when watchin
Montara.The word hit Gary like a hammer.He stood frozen in place, his mind completely blank.The calm look on my face while packing the night before, the casual way I said "Clearford," the way I turned down his offer to drive me to the airport…Every small detail he had brushed off now connected into one clear picture.It was a trap made of lies, and he had walked straight into it.For the first time, Gary panicked.He fumbled for his phone and called me. The only thing he heard was the cold, automated message saying my number couldn't be reached.He refused to give up.He opened our chat. The empty chat box felt like it was mocking him.His fingers shook as he typed.[Shannon! Where are you? Come back right now!]But just before sending it, he noticed the last message I had left him.[I left something on the table. Remember to check it when you get home.]For a split second, a ridiculous spark of hope rose in the middle of his panic. He thought it might be an explanati
Gary and Priscilla would be at a private theater, and they probably wouldn't come home all night.I got out of the car, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.The living room lights suddenly flicked on.Gary was sitting there.For a second, I froze. Instinctively, I almost asked why he was home.But the thought faded just as quickly as it appeared.Without even looking at Gary, I walked past him, went upstairs, and started packing.I didn't have much to pack. And anything connected to Gary, I left behind.Gary followed me upstairs in silence. When he saw me packing, panic flickered briefly across his face."Are you going on a trip?"I kept folding my clothes. "Yeah. Need a change of scenery.""Where to? When's your flight? How long will you be gone?"I casually made something up. "Clearford. The flight's tomorrow. I'll be gone for seven days."Gary studied my face carefully, as if he was trying to catch me in a lie.Luckily, I was good at pretending."Clearford, huh? Nic







