The Dream of a Dying Swan

“It’s nothing,” I said calmly. “She just congratulated us. She said she’ll attend in person.”

The moment Julius heard that, he visibly relaxed, and a relieved smile returned to his face.

“That’s good. It means she’s finally moved on. I can’t wait to see you in your wedding dress.”

Looking at the anticipation in his eyes, I couldn’t help but smile back.

Over the next few days, Julius settled down and focused entirely on preparing for the wedding. Every detail, down to the flower bouquet and even the wedding music, he personally oversaw. At the same time, I quietly made a trip to the courthouse and obtained a divorce decree, waiting for the wedding day to arrive.

That afternoon, while Julius was out handling some business, Lea’s social media was updated. In the corner of one of her photos, a man’s hand was visible, and I immediately recognized it as Julius’s hand.

I stared at the image for a long moment, then calmly printed out all the previous posts I had saved and packed them neatly into a box.

“What are you up to?”

Julius’s surprised voice suddenly came from behind me. His eyes fell on the box in my hands, and then he smiled.

“Is this another surprise?”

Looking at how seriously he believed in us, I smiled and asked quietly, “You’re that sure I’m going to marry you? Aren’t you afraid I’ll run away on the wedding day?”

His smile only deepened. He patted my head as he said, “Don’t be ridiculous. No matter where you go, I’ll find you.”

I said nothing. Instead, I handed him the box.

“Yes, it’s a surprise for you. Don’t forget to open it at the wedding.”

He held the box tightly with a warm smile on his face. He was completely unaware of anything unusual.

Soon, it was the day of the wedding. I was in the back room making final adjustments when Mrs. Carter walked in. Without a word, she pushed a bank card in front of me.

“Here’s your ten million dollars. Where’s the divorce decree?”

I handed her the divorce papers.

She flipped through it briefly, and a mocking smile curled on her lips. “Good. At least you know your place. When you’re done, get out.”

Outside, through the half-open door, I could see Julius speaking and laughing with the guests. Maybe this really was the last time we would ever cross paths like this.

As if sensing something, he suddenly turned around, and his eyes met mine. He walked toward me immediately.

“Clara,” he said gently. “Why do you look pale? Are you nervous?”

Before he could finish, his gaze landed on the documents in Mrs. Carter’s hands. The smile on his face froze.

“Mom, what is that?”

Before anyone could answer, a bright voice suddenly rang out from behind. “Congratulations, Mr. Carter!”

Seeing Lea enter gracefully, Mrs. Carter immediately grabbed the girl’s hand and glanced at me with a knowing smile.

When Julius saw Lea, he frowned, and his voice turned colder. “What are you doing here? I said I’m not handling business today.”

After that, he turned back to me and said, “Clara, wait for me.”

Struggling to contain his anger, he grabbed Lea and pulled her away.

I watched the two of them tugging at each other down the hallway until they finally stopped at the corner and started arguing about something. Then, I removed my wedding dress and, without looking back, left through the side exit.

Meanwhile, Julius walked back into the room with a relaxed expression. He had made it clear to Lea that he would send her abroad and that, from now on, they were even.

He hurried to the backroom, suddenly wondering if I would get the wrong idea since he’d been gone for half an hour. A slight unease crept into his chest as he pushed the door open. Inside were Mrs. Carter and the makeup artist, and I was nowhere to be found.

“Where’s Clara?” he asked immediately.

For some reason, he felt a sense of emptiness wash over him, and his face went pale.

Just as Mrs. Carter snickered and was about to say something, his assistant rushed in and said shakily, “Mr. Carter, something’s wrong. The airline just called. The plane Ms. Sink was on has crashed.”