Ninety-Nine Punishments for His Love

Claire Smith and Arthur Miller had been together for three years, having s*x in every conceivable place. Arthur had promised that once Claire endured a full 99 punishments, he would marry her. Consider it penance for what she'd done three years ago, for driving away his one true love. For this reason, over those three years, Claire had yielded to Arthur's every demand, enduring even the most outrageous punishments without protest. Now, she had already endured 95 punishments. Just four more, and she could marry Arthur. Under the dim light, Arthur gripped Claire's waist, his cold, sharp eyes clouded with desire. "Baby, you're too stiff in bed. How about we try something new?" Before Claire could react, her vision suddenly went dark. A lace ribbon swept over her eyes. Along with it came Arthur's scorching body weight pressing down on her. With her sight gone, Claire pressed her face against Arthur's chest in the darkness, listening to his rapid, galloping heartbeat. "Okay," she whispered. Arthur thrust into her. She closed her eyes and let him take control, let him move her body however he wanted, riding the rising tide until she was drowning in it. Just as they were both about to reach c****x, Arthur groaned, his eyes shut tight. "Julie..." Claire froze, her entire body turning cold. Julie, the name of Arthur's true love, the one he whispered in his sleep. Afterward, he lay there, satisfied, spent. She slipped out of bed, murmuring something about a shower, and fled to the bathroom. As soon as she reached the living room, his laptop screen flickered to life. w******p was still logged in. She walked over. A message popped up in his group chat with the guys. It was a photo that showed Arthur's large, well-defined hand, a lace blindfold still tied around his wrist. Arthur: The 96th punishment. Thirty seconds ago, this was tied over Claire's eyes. He'd shared it, their most private moment, thrown into a group chat like cheap entertainment. She stood there, frozen, ice water in her veins. The chat exploded. A: Holy s**t, the punishments are getting kinky! Claire's really going all out to marry Arthur! B: Arthur, only three more punishments left to hit 99. Are you really gonna marry Claire in half a month? C: Come on, she's just some boring housewife type. How can she compare to our Julie, a medical school graduate doing volunteer work everywhere? Don't screw this up, man. The computer showed that Arthur was typing a message. A few seconds later, his message went through on w******p. Arthur: Never. After what she did to Julie, you think I'd let her off that easy? Arthur: I can only bear it by pretending she's Julie when I close my eyes. Arthur: The whole marriage thing? Just a game. I'll leave her at the altar. That will be her 100th punishment. Claire froze, her entire body turning to ice. So the promise of marriage after enduring 99 punishments was all a sham! All this time, she'd just been a stand-in for Julie! Their wedding would be the ultimate punishment! Claire's heart contracted violently, as if an iron fist had closed around it, sending waves of excruciating pain through her. Numb with shock, she stumbled from the living room into the bathroom and dialed a number. "I've made up my mind. Two weeks from now, I'll join the medical team. Back to the border." Two weeks from now, when they were supposed to wed. And when the 100th punishment would come due, the day Claire would walk away forever. Little did Arthur know that Claire's heart had always belonged to another.