The Dream of a Dying Swan

Staring at the two moles, identical in both shape and placement to Julius Carter’s, my breathing hitched. My fingers trembled uncontrollably as I zoomed in on the photo.

“No… That’s impossible…”

How could Julius be cheating on me?

I widened my eyes and examined every detail in the picture, desperately searching for something different. I kept telling myself I had made a mistake and that it couldn’t be him.

Three years ago, his mother had looked down on me because I was an orphan, so she hired someone to kidnap me. When I was moments away from losing my virginity, Julius charged in without a second thought and saved me.

While the kidnappers chased us down the highway, our car lost control and slammed into a massive tree. In that split second between life and death, I shielded him from the fatal impact and fell into a coma. After that, Julius personally sent his own mother to prison and nearly cut ties with the entire Carter family.

In fact, when I finally woke up, the first thing he did was propose. And with our wedding only seven days away now, how could a man like that possibly cheat on me?

I opened Lea Hart’s profile. As I scrolled further, my heart sank. Last month, Julius traveled to Franco on a business trip and took the opportunity to finalize the details for a custom jewelry set worth over a million dollars for me. Yet, on that same day, Lea had posted a photo collage tagged with a location in Franco.

I opened the images to see that she was wearing a jewelry set identical to mine and that a man’s hand was wrapped tightly around her waist. Even then, I refused to believe it.

Who knows? Maybe they just happened to own the same design.

The next second, however, when I saw the watch on that man’s wrist, I couldn’t stay calm anymore. The dial clearly displayed the initials J and C. It was the one-of-a-kind watch I had custom-made for Julius.

Now, I could no longer lie to myself. Julius had really cheated on me, and the thought of it made my stomach churn. Stumbling to my feet, I rushed into the bathroom, where I collapsed beside the toilet and retched so hard that even stomach acid came up.

Silent tears slid down my face. As I raised my head and looked at my reflection in the mirror, I suddenly recalled a conversation we’d had years ago.

Back then, I had asked him jokingly, “Julius, what would happen if one day one of us cheated?”

He had wrapped his arms around me, his gaze intense and almost obsessive. “Then that person shall never find love again. They’d have to spend the rest of their life alone.”

At the time, I had laughed and called him ruthless. Now, the memory felt like the cruelest joke imaginable.

After leaving the bathroom, I picked up my phone and searched for a professional disappearance service. Then, I dialed the number.

“I’d like to purchase your highest-level death simulation package. The date will be… seven days from now.”

It would be the day of our wedding.

Before I could finish speaking, a surprised voice sounded behind me. “Clara, who are you talking to at this hour of the night?"

My heart leaped out of my chest, and I immediately hung up.

Julius walked over and ruffled my hair, his eyes full of affection. “Being all mysterious, huh? Are you planning some kind of surprise for me?”

I fought the urge to pull away and forced a smile that looked more painful than tears. “Yeah. I’ve prepared a surprise for you. You'll find out when the time comes."

The moment he saw my pale face, his brows furrowed. Concern filled his eyes as he cupped my cheeks.

“Why do you look so pale? Are you feeling sick?”

Just as I was about to throw all the evidence in his face, the doorbell rang. Frowning, Julius walked over and opened the door.

Standing outside was a petite young woman who looked remarkably similar to me. It was Lea Hart.

“Mr. Carter, there’s an urgent document that needs your signature.”

The moment Julius saw her, his body stiffened. He quickly snatched the file from her hands and signed it, but Lea showed no intention of leaving.

Biting her lip, she looked up at him and said, “Mr. Carter, the rain is really heavy outside… Could you drive me home?”

Julius’s expression changed instantly. He glanced at me instinctively before his expression hardened.

He refused. “I’m sorry, Miss Hart. I need to stay with my fiancée. You’ll have to find another way home."

As soon as he closed the door, he explained to me as if nothing had happened. “She’s a new artist the company just signed. She doesn’t understand professional boundaries. I’ll have her manager talk to her tomorrow.”

With that, he stepped forward, intending to pull me into his arms, but I instinctively avoided his embrace. Under his confused gaze, I stared at the two red moles on the back of his hand and spoke.

“Julius, after spending three years looking at a face that resembles mine so closely, did you ever find yourself tempted?”