Chapter 1
Four years into their marriage, Morgan West discovered the scorecard Erica Stewart had been keeping on him.
When he casually pulled that piece of paper from his study drawer, Erica’s heart practically stopped.
The entries read:
“On my birthday, he flew to Australia to see his ex. -5 points.”
“Left me stranded on the FDR Drive to pick her up from JFK. -10 points.”
“Lost his wedding ring making soup for his ex. -10 points…”
Line after line of deductions, with a note scrawled at the bottom:
“100 points divorce.”
But he didn’t even look at it.
He barely glanced at the paper before casually handing it back to her. “I keep important stuff in here. Don’t leave your things in my study anymore.”
The bookshelves were perfectly organized with books Nancy Willis had given him back in college. Her old love letters sat locked in the glass cabinet. Even the photo frame on his desk showed their high school graduation picture.
This was his idea of “important stuff.”
He treasured it all, looking at those things every single day.
Her belongings? He wouldn’t give them a second glance.
So he had no clue she was about to leave him.
Erica gripped the scorecard and nodded, about to walk out when Morgan’s phone buzzed. It was William calling.
“Morgan, we’ve got a serious problem! There’s a massive fire at the Carnegie Hill mansion. Isn’t Nancy staying there?”
His face went white instantly. He grabbed his keys and bolted.
Erica stared at the door he’d just disappeared through, frozen for a moment, then flagged down a cab.
He tore through Manhattan like a man possessed, running every red light from the Upper East Side to Carnegie Hill. The taxi driver almost lost him twice on the Queensboro Bridge.
When they reached the scene, the flames were massive–black smoke billowing into the sky. Even Erica was stunned by the intensity.
When they told him Nancy was still inside, Morgan tried to charge straight into the inferno.
The firefighters along with William and his other buddy Ryan had to physically hold him back. “Sir, you can’t go in there! The fire’s too intense–you’ll get yourself killed!”
“Morgan, think about this!” William shouted. “You’re up for VP of Flight Operations! The board meeting’s next week–you can’t throw away everything you’ve worked for!”
Ryan grabbed his shoulder. “Dude, you’ve been Chief Pilot for three years. This promotion to VP would make you the youngest in Delta’s history. Don’t blow it!
He wasn’t hearing any of it. He shoved past them with one final statement:
“I don’t give a damn about the promotion. As long as Nancy’s okay, they can keep their VP position.”
Chapter 1
Watching him disappear into the smoke, his friends just stood there, shaking their heads.
“I told you guys not to call him!” William ran his hands through his hair. “Every time something happens to Nancy, he completely loses it!”
“What were we supposed to do?” Ryan shot back. “If Nancy got hurt and we didn’t tell him, he’d tear this whole city apart. Remember sophomore year when that TA was harassing her? He stormed into the guy’s office at Olin Hall and beat the hell out of him. And when she went MIA for ten hours last year, he had his security team searching from Brooklyn to the Bronx…”
Listening to them, Erica finally got it. The man who was always so cold and distant with her? He could completely fall apart when he loved someone.
Her chest tightened with a sharp, bitter pain.
William and Ryan noticed her standing there and looked uncomfortable.
“Oh, hey Erica… you came with Morgan? He’s just helping out an old friend from Cornell. Don’t read too much into it.”
“Yeah, totally!” Ryan added awkwardly. “He and Nancy go way back–like brother and sister, you know? That’s why he’s so worried.”
Erica knew they were trying to cover for him. She forced a smile, tasting blood where she’d bitten her lip without realizing it.
Thirty minutes later, Morgan emerged carrying an unconscious Nancy. Everyone rushed toward them.
His face was covered in soot, his white shirt burned and torn, but Nancy didn’t have a scratch on her.
When the paramedics took Nancy from him, Morgan finally collapsed.
The ambulance raced down Fifth Avenue to Mount Sinai. Erica sat in the waiting room, staring at her shaking hands, remembering that night when Morgan was drunk at the bar. She had gone to pick him up and accidentally overheard William and Ryan’s conversation.
“Poor Erica’s so clueless,” William had said. “She thinks Morgan actually loves her, treats him like he’s everything, but he only married her to get over the pain of his ex leaving him.”
That moment felt like falling through ice.
All these years, he hadn’t been rejecting other women because he was naturally cold. His heart was already taken by someone who’d walked away.
He was like some stubborn guardian, protecting a relationship that had died years ago.
Too proud to beg for her back, too hurt to admit he missed her.
So he just waited, hoping she’d come around.
Nancy Willis–that name carved into his soul, along with all those years of restraint and waiting–became a constant ache in Erica’s chest.
But she loved Morgan too much to let go.
So she made the scorecard in secret, planning to leave once she hit 100 points.
Over the years, she’d deduct points here and there.
Sometimes it was her birthday, but he’d fly off to see Nancy because of some Instagram post.
Sometimes it was their anniversary, but he’d spend the whole night texting Nancy instead.
And after Nancy moved back to New York…
The deductions came faster and faster.
Erica’s heart was slowly freezing over.
After surgery, the doctor came out with an update on Morgan’s condition.
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Chapter 1
“Your husband has multiple burns on his arms, shoulders, neck, and back from the rescue. There will be scarring, but the woman he saved is fine–just unconscious from shock. Nothing to worry about there,”
William and Ryan exchanged looks, trying to play damage control.
“Well, at least everyone’s okay.” William said carefully. “Don’t stress about it, Erica. Even if he can’t fly anymore, it’s not the end of the world. The West family’s been wanting him to come back and run the business anyway. Should we go see him?”
Erica looked down, hiding the pain in her eyes.
“I’ve got some things to handle. You guys go ahead.”
She took a cab back to their apartment on the Upper East Side and picked up the scorecard.
After deducting another 5 points, she stared at what was left and smiled bitterly.
Just 20 more points, and she and Morgan would be done for good.
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