The 9999 Encounters That Broke Me

Maya can see exactly how many times she will meet each person. Then she meets Silas, the star quarterback—the number above his head reads 9999. She believes he's her forever. But his love was only revenge: he is heir to the mafia Voss Family, and he blames Maya's father, the lead surgeon, for his sister Lyra's coma. Silas films her, exposes her online, and destroys her family. Her mother dies of a brain bleed; her father loses his medical license, is crippled, and drowns in alcohol, blaming Maya for everything. In the aftermath she loses her unborn child and can never bear another. Eight years later, Silas inherits the Voss Family and becomes her boss. He torments her, humiliates her, and lets loan sharks drive her father to his death. Maya resigns and flees the city. Only then does Silas learn the truth of everything she suffered—the baby, the debts, the years of pain. He finds her and begs: "I can give you a home." Maya answers: "You destroyed the one I had." She walks away, returns