Chapter 2

2.

The next day, I slipped away to sign the contract with the faked-death agency.

The agent looked at me with a hint of surprise.

"Ms. Goodman, it's you. Your fiancé is famous for saving you."

"Everyone thinks he's a hero. Why are you doing this?"

The news of Beckett saving me had gone viral on social media.

The internet called him the last romantic man on earth.

I gave a small, hollow laugh.

"I want to give him a surprise he'll never forget."

The agent seemed to understand, giving me a knowing smirk.

After finishing the paperwork, I went to my office and handed in my resignation.

My boss was shocked. "Natalie, why so sudden?"

I hesitated, then told her I was volunteering for a medical trial.

I explained that it was the only way to save my fiancé.

My boss sighed and accepted the letter, but she urged me to think it over.

I smiled shyly.

"Beckett and I are getting married soon. Saving him is all I care about."

I packed my desk and went home to cook a nutritious meal for Beckett.

At the hospital, I told him I had quit my job.

Beckett wasn't expecting me to move so fast.

He put on a face full of guilt and heartbreak.

"Natalie, we should really talk about this more."

I shook my head firmly.

I opened the food containers, my smile sweet and unwavering.

"Beckett, you know my only wish is for you to be healthy."

When he tried to argue, I pressed my fingers against his lips.

"Don't say another word. Just eat."

A flash of genuine guilt flickered in his eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

I pretended not to notice.

I pulled out my phone and posted a message on social media.

"I'd do anything to save the man I love."

My account had become a diary of our life together.

After the accident, I had gained quite a following.

People started flooding the comments with questions.

I picked a regular follower and replied:

"I'm about to do something that might save my fiancé's life."

Then, I turned off my phone.

I looked at Beckett as he ate his dinner.

I smiled.

I really hope you enjoy the parting gift I've prepared for you.

Every day after that, I brought him meals.

Once, he saw me posting and asked what I was writing.

I just smiled.

"I just want to document our days. Just in case the trial... you know."

I trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.

That night, I overheard Beckett asking Seraphina if the trial was truly dangerous.

Seraphina paused for a long time.

"Every experiment carries some risk," she said coldly.

Beckett was silent for a few seconds before simply saying, "I understand."

On the day Beckett was discharged, I invited an insurance agent to our house.

Beckett watched as I took out a massive life insurance policy on myself.

After the agent left, I turned to Beckett.

"If anything happens to me, this money will pay for your ongoing treatments."

"It's my way of making sure you're taken care of, even if I'm not here."

Beckett looked at me, completely speechless.

He probably couldn't wrap his head around the fact that someone could love him this much.

I knew Seraphina was the love of his life―his 'White Moonlight.'

But the living can never compete with the dead.

If she was his moonlight, I would become the 'Cinnabar Mole' on his heart―a mark he could never erase.

Over the next few days, I acted like I was settling my final affairs.

Beckett followed me around, looking like he wanted to say something.

Each time, I just smiled and told him:

"Beckett, this is the only thing I can do for you."

A week after his discharge, Seraphina showed up at our door.

She was practically vibrating with impatience.

"My supervisor approved it. The trial starts in five days."

"But you have to sign this waiver, Natalie. It proves you're participating of your own free will."

She pulled a document from her bag and slapped it on the table.

Before signing, I gave Beckett a look of pure devotion.

I picked up the pen, but as I started the final stroke of my name, Beckett grabbed my wrist.

"Natalie, let's wait. Let's think about this."

Seraphina's face darkened instantly.

I wasn't surprised by his hesitation.

After everything I'd done, even a monster would feel something.

I smiled at him and finished my signature without a pause.

I handed the paper to Seraphina and turned back to Beckett.

"Beckett, marrying you is my biggest dream. Can we have a wedding before the trial?"

Seraphina looked like she wanted to scream.

But Beckett agreed immediately.

I looked at these two people, both wearing masks of their own.

I hope you two stay this close after I "die."