Chapter 1

I was the secret boyfriend of the famous novelist, Morgan Lowe.

We were together for ten years, but she never acknowledged me to the world.

On the day I was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, she finally posted her fiancé on social media. It wasn't me.

Her caption read: "You only show off the person you truly love."

I decided to let go and started a solo journey across the country.

Every time I reached a new destination, I used a voice-memo plushie to record what I wanted to say.

I visited six places and left behind six recording dolls.

After I died, those dolls were mailed to strangers at random.

The first one happened to reach Morgan's assistant.

The recording said, "By the time you receive this, I'm already gone. This is my final goodbye."

1.

My left hand held the cancer report, while my right hand gripped my phone. The screen displayed Morgan's post about her fiancé.

"You only show off the person you truly love."

In the photo, the perfect couple leaned against each other.

Weston Reed wore a sharp, tailored suit, and Morgan was in a stunning red silk gown.

They looked like they belonged together.

My tears hit the screen, and it went black.

I had been with Morgan for ten years, staying by her side from her days of poverty to her current fame.

She used to say, "Silas, you're the only one I love."

But she refused to go public with me. Now, she was doing it for someone else.

Weston was her childhood friend. They had stayed in touch all these years behind my back.

A nurse walking by whispered to her colleague, "My favorite author just announced her engagement!"

"I'm so jealous. I heard Morgan wrote a book two years ago just for him. It's their love story."

I knew that book. It was titled *The Origin*.

Morgan had spent two years working on it, often forgetting to eat or sleep.

It was published this year and became a massive hit.

The story was about a woman who started with nothing, and the man who stayed with her until she found success.

I always thought she was writing about us.

Now I realized how wrong I was.

In her heart, I was never the one who truly stood by her.