At the bachelorette's party before the wedding, Juliet Stone's best friend speaks with her in their hometown's dialect.

"The video that's posted in our group chat was taken in your and Hugo's new home, right? Doesn't that mean you've been cheating on him blatantly this whole time? You go, girl!"

Juliet shoots her a mysterious smile. "Yeah. You know that I've always had a bad heart, so I couldn't carry out strenuous exercises. After undergoing the heart transplant surgery, I think that if I only get to sleep with one man for the rest of my life, it'll be dull and boring."

A pause later, she adds, "I plan on unlocking 100 locations with my lover before the wedding starts. But once I've gone through the wedding, I won't sleep around anymore and choose to stay devoted to Hugo instead."

I can only clutch my chest tightly, where an artificial heart beats silently.

Juliet has no idea that I've specifically learned her dialect in order to bond with her family even better. Of course, I've already discovered the fact that she has been cheating on me with our wedding planner for a very long time.

That's why I decide to hide something from her as well. I've already booked the euthanizing service that's provided overseas.

On the wedding day that Juliet has been greatly anticipating, I'll have disappeared beyond the ocean.

Later on, even if Juliet does track me down using all of her resources, all she can find is nothing but my ashes.

Noticing what I'd done, Juliet Stone grew tense and dropped into a half-kneel before me. "Is your heart acting up? You've got an artificial heart, and you shouldn't stay up late. Come on, let's go home."

Just as she got up to leave, a few of her girlfriends banded together to stop her.

"Hugo's heart isn't great—sure, he should rest. But yours is perfectly healthy! Once you're married, you'll have all the time in the world to be all lovey-dovey. Shouldn't you be spending more time with us tonight?"

I slipped my hand out of Juliet's tight grip. "It's fine. I'll have the driver take me home. Since this is your bachelorette party, you should stay."

With that, I turned and left, not giving her any chance to follow.

Not long after the car pulled away, I felt around inside my coat and found Juliet's phone. I frowned and told the driver to turn around.

The car had just come to a stop outside the bar when I saw Luke Anderson getting out of a cab. Without thinking, I followed him inside.

At the corner of the hallway, Juliet threw herself into Luke's arms. He pulled her in easily, one arm circling her waist before sliding down to squeeze her butt, drawing a breathy protest from her.

He wrapped both arms around her. "Guess what I prepared as a wedding gift for you?"

Juliet's face stiffened for a second, but just as quickly, something heated flickered in her eyes. She let him guide her hand lower.

"It's your favorite little bondage game," he said, tapping the tip of her nose.

Her fingers brushed over his lips as she said huskily, "Looking forward to it."

When Juliet finally pulled away and walked into the private room, there was still a sheen of moisture on her lips, hinting at how intense the kiss had been.

"Hey, Juliet! Now that Luke's here, we can finally talk about some juicy topics, right?"

"Where was the most unforgettable spot you two hooked up? If you don't answer, bottoms up!"

The crowd egged her on, and the mood quickly hit its peak.

Juliet raised an eyebrow and answered calmly, "At my marital home… with cheese-flavored popping candy."

Immediately, the room erupted with cheers and laughter.

"Juliet, you've really stepped up your game! I've got to say, you're creative!"

"No, that's not it! It's Luke who was being creative!"

Their laughter spilled out nonstop, but all that I felt was a deep, creeping chill.

Back then, to repay the Stone family for raising me, I gave Juliet my heart.

"Hugo, your heart is the most precious thing in my life," she had said. "For all the years to come, I'll give you all my love in return for this sacrifice."

For three years, she kept proposing to me, yet in the end, this is how she chose to repay me—by sharing a passionate relationship with another man and leaving our bed in a mess.

I handed Juliet's phone to the driver and told him not to let her know I'd been there.

After I got home, I dug out the property deed to the villa Julia had spent over a billion dollars building—our marital home.

"Hello, is this Ms. Smith, the real estate agent? Yeah, I'd like to list a property for sale."

The next morning, I was still asleep when Juliet suddenly returned. She rushed in like a storm, damp and chilled, not even bothering to change out of her wet clothes.

Instead, she hurried over to me and, while shaking, asked, "Hugo, did you put our villa up for sale?"

The villa was in my name. Juliet had arranged it that way, so any listing wouldn't notify her. That was, unless she had gone to the real estate office herself.

I didn't answer right away. Instead, I questioned, "You went to the real estate office?"

She froze for a moment, her gaze flickering. After a few seconds, she replied, "A friend wanted to buy a villa, so I went with them to give some advice…"

Was it a friend, or was it Luke?

It seemed she really liked that "wedding gift" he had prepared, enough to bring him along first thing in the morning to look at villas.

I did my best to keep my emotions in check, my voice steady. "Yeah. I've needed some money lately."

The assisted dying service required a huge payment, and besides, I figured my heart was worth that much.

Juliet's expression visibly relaxed. "I was just worried you didn't like it. I didn't sleep all night because of that."

The dark circles under her eyes and the faint red veins in them proved she hadn't rested. When she moved, however, the dense hickeys scattered across her skin stood out far more, jarring against everything else.

"Luckily, you'd only just listed it. I bought it back right away!" she said. "I poured everything I had into building that villa for us. It's proof of how much I love you. Hugo, if you need money, just go straight to the company's finance department."

As she spoke, Juliet called her assistant. "From now on, any expenses my fiance makes are not to be questioned. No need to report them to me either."

She looked back at me, her voice softening. "Do you have any idea how scared I was when I saw the listing? I thought you were selling it because you didn't want to marry me anymore."

She took my hand and pressed a light kiss to my fingers.

Oh, Juliet. I wondered how she could act so convincingly.

Just moments ago, she had rushed back from another man's side. Now, she was playing the part of my devoted fiancee.

"I needed money because… I wanted to prepare a wedding gift for you," I said.

Juliet's eyes lit up immediately. "Really? I'll look forward to your surprise, honey."

I hoped she would like it when the time came.

In the following days, Juliet didn't come home. Luke's messages to me, however, never stopped.

In a Maybach that had been chosen as our wedding car, the leather seat was stained with large, damp patches. A video showed the area beneath the seat was littered with torn condom wrappers.

Luke's tone was smug. "I honestly didn't expect her to be that insatiable. We tried over ten different positions in the car alone."

I didn't reply. I was busy clearing out everything in the villa that had anything to do with me. If I were going to disappear, I would do it cleanly.

Three days before the wedding, I received the bill for the assisted dying service. It was expensive, but the company offered strict confidentiality agreements.

If Juliet ever found out I was using assisted dying as a way to fake my death and disappear, knowing her, she would never let it go.

The payment from the villa sale hadn't come through, so I had no choice but to go to Juliet's assistant, Bailey Henderson. When she saw the payee's name, Dignity in Passing, she looked up at me in surprise.

Perhaps remembering Juliet's order, Bailey said nothing in the end.

When I arrived at the lobby, my phone rang. It was the assisted dying service calling.

"Mr. Jackson, your booking has been successfully confirmed. After death, your body will be cremated and, according to your request, scattered in the Pacifica Sea. Please provide your flight number, as we offer pick-up service."

I was just about to give them a flight number when a familiar voice sounded behind me. "What flight? Honey, where are you going?"

I turned and saw Juliet standing there, her expression a mix of every negative emotion. The moment I ended the call, she rushed over and grabbed my hand.

"Honey, who's booking a flight?"

"I was just planning our honeymoon and checking flight schedules," I replied.

Maybe my expression was too calm, because Juliet didn't doubt me. Instead, she visibly relaxed.

"Honey, is this the surprise you mentioned? Silly you. Your heart isn't in great shape, and the doctor told you to rest more. Leave the wedding prep to me, okay? You just focus on being the handsome groom."

She paused, her tone turning more serious. "If there's anything you're not happy with, tell me anytime. But please, never leave me. If I can't find you, it'd hurt worse than death."

Perhaps sensing something was off, Juliet insisted on canceling all her meetings just to stay with me.

At the restaurant, her attention never left me. The moment I lightly pressed my lips together, she was already lifting a glass of water to my mouth.

If I lingered on a dish on the menu for more than three seconds, she would have the waiter note it down.

"What a coincidence!"

A voice suddenly broke the calm. Luke walked over with an easy smile, a beautiful woman on his arm.

Juliet stiffened. The next second, she frowned. "Who's that?"

Her tone sounded almost like a woman jealous of her own man.

She seemed to realize her reaction was inappropriate, so she cleared her throat and forced a more composed expression. "Is she your girlfriend, Mr. Anderson?"

Hearing the faint edge in her voice, Luke smiled with obvious satisfaction. "Soon to be."

At that, Juliet's expression darkened instantly. Luke gave a polite farewell and walked toward an empty seat nearby. She looked increasingly unsettled, glancing at her phone several times.

"Honey, there's something urgent at the company I need to handle. Go ahead and eat. I need to step out to make a call. I'll be right back."

She got up and walked toward the restaurant exit. A moment later, Luke stood up as well and followed her out. I quietly opened the audio message he later sent me.

"You said you'd end things with me after the wedding," Luke muttered, breathing heavily, clearly dissatisfied.

Then came the sound of fabric tearing.

"Shut up. From now on, you're not going on any more blind dates."

"Okay, my lady. I'll forever be yours, you jealous little tease."

…

Two days before the wedding, Luke sent me another message.

"Juliet and I are only one spot away from hitting 100 hookup spots. Guess where the 100th spot she chose is? Your wedding venue."

A day before the wedding, I did three things.

First, I recorded a farewell blessing as per Juliet's family tradition. Second, I copied all of Luke's messages. Third, I packed everything into a gift box and placed it together with the wedding bouquet.

When I landed in the foreign country, my phone was flooded with hundreds of messages and missed calls. Some were from Juliet, the rest from unknown numbers.

Without a second thought, I removed the SIM card, snapped it in half, and tossed it into a trash can.

"Goodbye, Juliet. May we never meet again."