All Chapters of Love Died Before I Did: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

When I found out about his tenth affair, Christian held me tight and apologized through tears as he chased the woman out of the room. She barely even had time to strap her bra on.By the twenty-eighth time, he went further. He transferred mansions and luxury cars into my name, swearing over and over that I was the only one he loved.After the ninety-ninth time, I stopped counting. The details blurred together until they meant nothing at all. His guilt faded, and so did the tears. Even pretending began to feel like a burden to him.Instead, he called his assistant and laid down a rule—cold, calculated, almost absurd.A house under my name for every affair. A set of rare jewelry whenever one of his lovers got pregnant.We'd dated for eight years and married for four. Now I had 99 properties under my name and was the owner of 98 sets of jewelry.The other elites' wives envied me. Christian made a good show of him being a generous husband. Unbeknownst to them, this marriage was rotte

Christian found me three days later. I had just finished sorting out my passport when he saw a man escorting me into a car. His expression darkened instantly. He stormed over, yanked the door open, and dragged me out.The man looked worried, but I only said, "Please go ahead without me, sir." He sighed, then left.Christian took me into his car. His voice was rough when he spoke. "That baby isn't happening. I'll make sure of it."He threw an ultrasound report at me. The fetus showed serious abnormalities, and the doctor had recommended termination.For a moment, memory pulled me backward. Christian had once sworn that he would only ever have children with me. He said I was his only love. If any other woman ever carried his child, he would curse the baby himself before letting it come into the world.That curse finally became his reckoning. He had silently accepted Jasmine's pregnancy, and the sorrow in his eyes was unmistakable.I felt no sympathy. Only cold amusement. "Suit

Ten minutes later, the wail of coast guard sirens cut through the night, pulling every guest on the cruise ship to the railings. Search teams were deployed immediately. They found nothing.There wasn't even a drop of blood or torn ropes at the scene.Unbelievable as it was, the coast guard officer reported, "Mr. Helmley, your wife jumped out of the nineteenth floor and disappeared into thin air the moment she hit the fourth."This could very well be an unresolved case if things were stretched out. Christian stood as still as a statue, while the rain pelted his face, shoulders, and torso. His eyes never left the fourth floor.The surveillance footage showed me falling and disappearing once I hit the fourth floor. The cops had scoured every inch of the place, yet not a clue had surfaced.The patrol came back with a horrifying speculation. "Perhaps she's fallen into the seas, and these waters are shark-infested, so… Or maybe the multitude of lights flashing around at night obscur

I returned to the home preserved in my memories. It was the same as I remembered, inside out. Even the plushie in my bedroom was placed in the same spot I left it in. The air carried a subtly fresh scent. The owner had taken good care of it.Everything was just like the past, as if I had never left. But everything between me and Christian had changed, and we could never go back.The sound of the door opening snapped me out of my reverie. Christian was back, but no one was there to take his suitcase. He’d learned to take care of himself, and he was used to it.Christian changed his shoes and sank into the couch as exhaustion swept over him. He stared into the night for a while before taking out his notebook. A while later, he said, “Get me a glass of water, Nat.”My heart sank. I wondered if he’d found out I was here.A moment later, Christian moved his gaze away from the screen. The exhaustion in his eyes made way for confusion, and that made way for sadness and dejection. R