Series1–Chapter 1
Three years into their marriage, Milo Blake covered the scorecard Eliana Hart had been keeping on him When he casually pulled that piece of paper from his dudy drawer, Eliana’s heart practically stopped:||
The entries read:||
“Com birthday, he flew to Australia to see his expomis.“|||
Left me stranded on the ID pen to pick her up from JEK. -10 prints.“||
“Lost his wedding ring making top for his es.. 10 points…“||
Line after i
line of deductions, with a note served at the bottom:[]
no pouus diverre.“|||
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 Harper Lenox had given how back in college. Her old love letters sat locked in the glass cabinet. Even the photo trame on his desk showed their high school graduation picture.||
This was his idea of “important stuff
the treasured it all, looking at those things every single day.
Her belongings? He wouldnt give them a second glance.]]
So he had no clur she was about to leave him
Chana gripped the scorecard and nodded, about to walk out when Milo’s phone buzzed, h
Jake calling.
we’ve got a serious problem There’s a massive fire at the Carnegie Hil mansion. In’t Harper staying there?“]]
Tus face went white instantly. He grabbed his keys and bolted.
Elitna stared at the door he’d just disappeared through, frozen 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 H. The taxi driver almost lost him twice Queensboro Bridge.]
When they reached the scene, the flames were massive–black smoke billowing into the sky. Even Eliana was stunned by the intensity.
on the
When t
they told him Harper was still inside, Milo tried to charge straight into the inferno.
The Grefighters along with Jake and his other buddy Ryan had to physically hold him back. “Sur, you can’t go in there! The flee’s too intense–you’ll get yourself kulean
“Milo, think about mus! Jake shouted, “You’re up for VP of Flight Operations! The board meeting’s next week–you can’t throw away everything
thing you’ve worked forr“]
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 at:
He wasn’t hearing any of the shoved past them with une final statement
“I dont gave a damn about the prosation. As long as Harper’s okay, they can keep their VT postion “[]
Watching him disappear matu the penoke, his friend just stood the
stood there, shaking their heads |
“I mûd you guys not in call him” Jake ran his hands through his hair. “Every we suwething happens to Harper, he completely loses i
“What wi
were we mppised to do yan shot back “Harper got hurt and we didnt tell bạn, he’d tear this whole city apart. Reineiber sophomuer year when that TA HAI harassing her? He sicemed into the gry a office at olin ital and beat the hell out of han. And when she wend MIA fut bra hongs last year, he had his security team searching from brooklyn to the Brona_|
Listening to them, Eliana nally got it. The man who was sheays so cold and dad with her? fie could completely all apart when he loved someone.
Her chest tightened with a sharp, liter pran)
Jake and Hyan noticed her adding there and looked uncomfortable
“Oh bey Eliana you came with Milo? He’s past helping out an fred from cornead to much mo i
“Yeah, totally!” Hyan added awkwardly “I and Harper war bark–like beater and ster, you know? That’s why he’s so wured ||
‘Eliana knew tiry were trying tremver for him. She forced a smile, tasting blood where she’d been her lip without realring it |||
minutes later. Mão emerged carrying an unconscious Harper. Everyone rushed toward them
Hi fare way need a soot, his white shirt burned and then, but Harper didn’t have a scratch on her.
When the paramedics took Harper from him. Milo finally collapsed ||
The ambulance raced down them to Mount Sinal Elians sal in the waiting room, staring at her shaking hands, remembering the first time she’d met Milo
She went a sighomore. Her father was Professer Andrew Hart at Cornell’s Mechanical and Armspace Engineering department, and Milo was his star student. In his crisp uniform, comedzi and chartematic, even the sunlight seemed drawn to him when he demonstrated flight principles in Upson Hall
an liker a best puppy!
she fell for him instantly and followed him around campus
Plenty of garls chased him, but he kept his distance from everyon
thege graduation, when Elana’s Father got sick. On his deathbed at New York Presbyterian, he asked Mio to look after has only daughter.
and yes |
After the funeral he proposed to her.
she asked him. “Are you only doing this because of my dad? You really don’t have to…-]]
J
He looked at her and said “No. I want to marry you.“]]
Iliana thought she’d finally won his heart
Until one nicht when he got drunk at some bar in Midtown and the went to pick him up, uverhearing Jake and Ryan talking
“Foor China’s a chirless,” Jake had said. “She thinks Milo actually loves her treat him like he’s everything, but he only married her to get over the pain of his ex getting married to someone else”
That moment felt or falling through ice.]]
All these years, he hadn’t been rejecting other women because he was naturally gold. His heart was already taken by someone
one who’d
ho’d walked aw
Lavay
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.
bestead, he got news of her wedding.
Harper Dennus–that name carved into his soul, along with all those years of restrami and waiting–became a constant ache in Eliana’s chest.
hut she loved Mils too much to let go
to aho made the scorecard in secret, planning to leave once she hit 100 posts
died deduct points here and diere]
was her birthday, but he fly off to see Harper because of some Instagram post ||
Sometimes washer
Sometimes it soad their admiversary,
he’d spend the whole night texting Harper katrai ||
And after Harpers divorce and move back to New York
The deductions came faster and faster.Į,
Clans i heart was slowly freezing over ||
After surgery, the doctor came out with a Milan con
a condition ||
Your husband has multiple burns on his arm shoubters, neck, and back from the rescue. There wit be scarring, but the woman he sound is time–just uncensores İnven aback. Nothing in worry about there |
Jake and Hyan exchanged books, trying to play damage centrul ||
“Well, ut konit everyone’s okay,” Jake said carefully “batters shout a Luna Even if he cant fly anymore, not the end of the world. The Bike family’s been waiting him to come back and the business anyway, should we go see him~||
Ellama looked downs, biting the pain in her eyes!]
“Ter got some things to handle. You guys go abrat.“||
ack to their apartment on the
the Upper East Side and picked up the secercard.
it Side
Ader deducting another 5 points, she stared at what was left and smiled bitterly.]
full 20 nemer points, and the and Milo would be done for good |
