Chapter 2

The gentle voice of a staff member came from the other end of the phone: "We only accept applications from terminally ill patients." "I have been diagnosed with late-stage cancer." The other party was silent for a few seconds, and his tone became soft: "I am sorry to hear this news. We will accept your application and give you two weeks to deal with your affairs after death. When the time is up, please come directly to Switzerland and we will accompany you on your final journey." "Thank you." After hanging up the phone, Iris suddenly coughed violently, and metallic taste rising in her throat. She staggered to the bathroom and spit out a mouthful of blood. She swallowed three painkillers to barely suppress the pain, then mustered her last ounce of strength to hail a taxi home, curling up in bed and drifting off into a dazed sleep. The next morning, Iris forced herself out of bed and wrote down the tasks she needed to handle on a piece of paper: 1. Buy a grave for herself 2. Sort out her belongings 3. Deactivate all social media accounts … Due to the unbearable pain, it took her a long time to write just one page. After an unknown amount of time, she finally finished writing. Just as she reached for her phone to check the time, she accidentally came across Charlotte’s Instagram update. Darius was carefully feeding her porridge by her hospital bed, with the caption “A blessing in disguise.” Her fingertips trembled, and she accidentally clicked on it. She then realized that Charlotte’s privacy settings were completely open, and all her posts from the past three years were visible. The sweet daily moments she had previously blocked were now laid bare before her eyes. 【Darius made breakfast for me . He said he would pamper me like this every day】—the photo showed his profile as he bent down to fry an egg, his tender expression hurt her eyes. 【He carried me on his back down the entire street, saying I was lighter than cotton candy】—in the photo, she was lying on his back, smiling brightly. 【I secretly kissed him, and he caught me】—In the video, she tiptoes to kiss him, and he leans down to respond, their embrace made her heart broken. As she scrolls through each post, Iris’s fingers tremble, and tears fall onto the screen, blurring her vision. On the days she was on the brink of suicide, Darius and Charlotte were laughing while cooking in the kitchen; on the nights she couldn't sleep, they were traveling by the sea; on the day she overdosed on sleeping pills and was rushed to the hospital, they were setting off fireworks at the amusement park... It turned out that while she was struggling to survive, they were living such a happy life. The phone screen was soaked with tears, and the pain in her chest felt like a tidal wave, crashing in wave after wave, nearly overwhelming her. She couldn’t bear to look anymore and shut the interface with a swift motion. In the afternoon, she visited a suburban cemetery. “This plot has the best location, facing south, with a view of the entire maple forest,” the staff member enthusiastically explained. “In the fall, the red leaves will cover the entire hillside.” Iris nodded and signed her name neatly before paying. Just as she was about to turn and leave, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind her: “Can’t this plot be released?” “I’m sorry, sir, but this lady has already purchased this grave site. You can discuss it with her.” Iris slowly turned around and unexpectedly met Darius’s surprised gaze: “Iris? Who are you buying a grave site for?”