Ninety-Nine Punishments for His Love

Chapter 4

Claire froze, staring at Arthur in disbelief. "Arthur, I have a fever! And you know perfectly well I'm terrified of heights!"

She vividly remembered how, three years ago, she had climbed a hundred-meter tower for Arthur's sake, despite her fear. When descending, paralyzed by fear, she'd frozen at the spire, unable to move.

It was Arthur who had carried her down, step by step, through hundreds of steps.

Back then, he had told her, "Claire, now that you have me, I'll be your legs!"

Hearing her words, Arthur hesitated briefly, conflict flashing in his eyes. But when his gaze met Julie's expectant one, he hardened his heart.

"Claire, do you still want to marry me or not?"

Her heart clenched painfully. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath.

"Fine. I'll jump."

Securing her safety harness, she stood at the platform's edge, trembling as she looked down at the abyss below. Dizziness and terror made her legs weaken.

Glancing at the whistle around her neck, she thought silently. 'Ethan, just wait a little longer. In less than two weeks, I'll be back with you.'

Then, shutting her eyes and spreading her arms, she jumped without hesitation.

As she fell, Julie's smug voice reached her. "She's throwing her life away just to marry you! What would she do if she knew this wedding is fake and that it's actually the 100th game you're playing on her for me?"

By the time Claire returned from the valley, Arthur and Julie were already gone.

The staff removed her gear with pity, helping the shaken woman to a bench.

The plunge had felt like dying. Her body wouldn't stop trembling.

Taking the whistle from around her neck, she pressed it to her lips.

Ethan's face appeared in her mind. "Claire, this whistle is for you. Blow it anytime, and I'll come running."

Hands shaking, she blew the whistle hard toward the distance. Only silence answered.

She choked back a sob. "Ethan... You lied to me."

When she finally calmed down, she took a taxi home. Arthur wasn't there.

Marking off another day on the calendar, she began erasing all traces of her three years there.

She boxed up everything she didn't need to throw away.

Then came couple items: matching toothbrushes, mugs, slippers, customized pillows with their photos, couple photos, close-up selfies, and travel snapshots from their trips...

And there was a love lock engraved with both their names. She remembered the day they bought it. When the staff had explained the love lock tradition, Arthur had called it childish, looking thoroughly bored. Yet later, he'd secretly bought one, carved their names into it, and kept it safe.

Claire packed everything into a large bag, then entered the bedroom and pulled out a big box from under the bed.

Opening the box, she found it overflowing with items, identical to the couple items that she had with Arthur.

Even couple photos, selfies, and travel snapshots taken at the same locations in the same poses...

And an identical "love lock." The only difference was that the man was Ethan.

Claire traced Ethan's face in the photos, her eyes clouded with grief. "Ethan, I miss you so much..."

Arthur had always believed Claire loved him as her life depended on it.

If he so much as sniffled, she panicked.

He never guessed that Claire only loved the heart in Arthur's chest, the one that had once belonged to her true love.

Her worry about his health was only a worry for that heart.

Over the past three years, every object Claire bought for Arthur, every experience they shared, and every path they walked together were all things she had once done with Ethan.

She was only using Arthur to grieve the real love of her life.