Chapter 1
“Ms. Foxglove, this is the full fake death package that you have signed with us. The time of death will be at the wedding half a month later, and the cause of death is by jumping into the sea and drowning. The person whose death will be faked is yourself. If the details are correct, please sign your name here.”
Melody Foxglove nodded and scrawled her signature on the line at the back of the document pages.
…
The streets were lively as Melody walked home. As soon as she lifted her gaze, she could see a video of Joshua Gretchen proposing to her being played in a continuous loop on one of the huge billboards in the sky.
He was kneeling on the ground on one knee, holding out a ring to her while his hands shook. He used to always be a calm and collected person, but he was visibly anxious while waiting for her response.
As soon as he heard her saying “I do”, the tears he had been holding finally flowed down his cheeks in relief.
The video looked so beautiful that the two young ladies next to Melody couldn’t help holding on to each other as they sighed in envy.
“Oh my God, Joshua really loved Melody so much!”
“I know, right? He’s such a romantic guy. I heard that he grew up with her! He confessed to her when she was 15 years old and gifted her an expensive crown made of priceless pink diamonds when she was 20, saying she was his forever princess.
“And when Melody got into an accident when she was 23 and was in dire need of blood transfusions because of her rare blood type, he immediately donated as much blood as he could to save her life. He nearly died from giving too much of his blood!
“And now, when she’s 26, he globally streamed his proposal to her and finally won the heart of the woman of his dreams. How could there be such a perfect man in the world who loves his fiancée so much?”
Melody didn’t bother staying to continue listening to the two young ladies. She just lowered her eyes to hide the self-mockery in her eyes.
Everyone was envious of her relationship with Joshua. Everyone always said that Joshua was deeply, madly, and hopelessly in love with her.
That was why nobody would ever think that a man like him would actually be seeing someone else behind her back for three whole years, and with an influencer at that.
She’d found out multiple times that whenever he told her that he was busy with overtime work at the company, he was actually busy rolling in the sheets with his side chick, Angel Saddler. And each time, Melody would feel as though her heart was being ripped to shreds, leaving her with a bloody, mangled mess.
Melody browsed through the lewd, obscene photos in her gallery and suddenly recalled the time when her parents divorced when she was 15 years old. Neither side wanted to keep her and argued fiercely with each other.
Joshua had pushed the door wide open and grabbed Melody by her hand, telling her parents, “If you don’t want her, I do!”
It was also since then that Joshua had given all of his heart to her.
He’d gotten into fights for her and broken three of his ribs before. He always remembered when she was starting her period, and he also often showed her off on his social media platform. Even Joshua’s friends teased him for being such a helpless romantic and called him “Melody’s No.1 Fan”.
While sliding the engagement ring onto her finger, he’d kissed her with tears flowing down his cheeks, pleading with her that she would love him forever and never leave him. He told her that he would go crazy if she were to leave him.
He was the first to say he couldn’t live without her, yet he was also the first to shatter her trust.
Since this was the case, she planned to fake her death and disappear from his life forever. She would change her name so that he would never be able to find her again.
Melody reached up to wipe away the tear tracks on her face. Just as she was about to leave, a Maybach suddenly screeched to a halt right in front of her. A large figure then opened the backseat door and exited the car, rushing toward her.
“Mel! Didn’t I ask you to wait for me at home while I finished up some work before taking you to try on your wedding gown? Why did you come out here by yourself?”
It was Joshua. While talking to her, he held her hand and realized that her fingers were as cold as ice. Without hesitation, he immediately removed his coat and put it around her shoulders.
“Your hands are literally frozen, and you haven’t got a coat on you either. Are you trying to get yourself sick so that I’d die worrying about you?”
Melody didn’t answer him. She just looked up at him in silence. He didn’t seem to be faking the worried, loving look in his eyes. However, it just made her even more confused. How could he be in love with two people at once?
Joshua zipped her up in his coat and was just about to lead her back into the car when the two young ladies from earlier heard them both and spun around instinctively in surprise. When they saw it was indeed Joshua and Melody, their eyes lit up.
They approached the couple with red faces and stammered, “H-Hello. Are you Mr. Joshua Gretchen and Ms. Melody Foxglove? W-We’re both your fans. Can we please get a photo with you?”
Melody didn’t want to disappoint them, so she nodded after hesitating briefly.
As soon as they got permission, the two fangirls stood on each side of Joshua and Melody before looking into the camera.
Joshua wasn’t a fan of having his photo taken, but he just pulled Melody closer to him and looked into the camera with her as well.
After taking the photo, the fangirls thanked Joshua and Melody profusely, wishing them a happy marriage for the rest of their lives.
A happy marriage for the rest of their lives?
Melody turned to look up at Joshua next to her. As soon as their gazes met, Joshua’s eyes were filled with a sweet gentleness again, as if he happily agreed with what the two fangirls said.
However, Melody knew that they wouldn’t be spending the rest of their lives together in marriage forever.
…
They arrived at the wedding gown boutique for Melody’s fitting. As soon as Melody stepped out of the car, the sales assistant immediately went up to her to welcome her.
There was a hint of slight envy in her tone as she said, “Ms. Foxglove, all 1,000 wedding gowns that Mr. Gretchen had customized for you have arrived. You may try whichever styles you want to see which ones you like.”
Melody said nothing. She just turned to look behind her and saw Joshua looking at something on his phone. The lustful look in his eyes was undeniable. Melody had only seen such a lustful gaze in his eyes in the lewd photos when he was with Angel.
After realizing that Melody’s eyes were on him, Joshua immediately put his phone away and looked at her apologetically.
“I’m sorry, Mel, but something urgent just came up at the company, and I need to rush back to settle it. I’ll get Sean to wait here with you. He’ll send you back home once you’re done trying on the gowns.”
He was talking about Sean Jenson, his personal driver.
With that, Joshua kissed Melody on the forehead and rushed to another car of his before leaving her alone in the boutique.
The sales assistant immediately approached Melody and asked, “Ms. Foxglove, would you like to try on the gowns now?”
Melody shifted her gaze and shook her head.
“No. I don’t want them anymore.”
After all, there would only be a “dead” bride on their wedding day.
