All Chapters of The Dream of a Dying Swan: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Staring at the two moles, identical in both shape and placement to Julius Carter’s, my breathing hitched. My fingers trembled uncontrollably as I zoomed in on the photo.“No… That’s impossible…”How could Julius be cheating on me?I widened my eyes and examined every detail in the picture, desperately searching for something different. I kept telling myself I had made a mistake and that it couldn’t be him.Three years ago, his mother had looked down on me because I was an orphan, so she hired someone to kidnap me. When I was moments away from losing my virginity, Julius charged in without a second thought and saved me.While the kidnappers chased us down the highway, our car lost control and slammed into a massive tree. In that split second between life and death, I shielded him from the fatal impact and fell into a coma. After that, Julius personally sent his own mother to prison and nearly cut ties with the entire Carter family.In fact, when I finally woke up, the first thing

Chapter 2

Julius froze mid-motion. For a split second, panic flashed across his deep, dark eyes.“That’s ridiculous. We work at the same company. It's impossible not to run into each other. If you don’t like her, I’ll have her transferred. Okay?”I took a deep breath, ready to throw the photo in front of him and demand an explanation. However, before I could speak, a shrill scream suddenly came from outside.“Mr. Carter! I'm scared! Please don't leave me alone!”A flicker of concern appeared in Julius's eyes. Yet, just as quickly, he lowered his gaze. When he looked at me again, he was once more the gentle, attentive fiancé everyone admired.“You weren’t frightened, were you? Don’t worry about her. You don’t look well. You should go back to the room and get some rest.”As he spoke, he guided me toward the bedroom, but his eyes kept drifting toward the door. Watching his distracted expression, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.“Go check on her. A young woman came all this way at night be

Chapter 3

“Clara!”I instinctively walked away, but in the next second, Julius rushed in front of me and grabbed my wrist. His voice was filled with panic and desperation.“Clara, listen to me. It's not what it looks like. I just had something in my eye. Don't misunderstand.”At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to throw the video in his face and see how he could explain his way out of it.However, before I could speak, Lea cut in with a gentle voice. “Clara, please don’t be upset. There’s really nothing going on between Julius and me…”Watching them play their parts so perfectly, I suddenly lost all interest in exposing them. Instead, I flashed Julius a bright smile.“You don’t need to explain. I trust you.”Relief flickered across his eyes the moment he saw I wasn’t making a scene. Then, he turned to Lea and spoke firmly.“That’s enough. You should go.”Lea looked unwilling to leave but eventually turned around and walked away. Only then did Julius's gaze fall to my soaked pant

Chapter 4

“It’s nothing,” I said calmly. “She just congratulated us. She said she’ll attend in person.”The moment Julius heard that, he visibly relaxed, and a relieved smile returned to his face.“That’s good. It means she’s finally moved on. I can’t wait to see you in your wedding dress.”Looking at the anticipation in his eyes, I couldn’t help but smile back.Over the next few days, Julius settled down and focused entirely on preparing for the wedding. Every detail, down to the flower bouquet and even the wedding music, he personally oversaw. At the same time, I quietly made a trip to the courthouse and obtained a divorce decree, waiting for the wedding day to arrive.That afternoon, while Julius was out handling some business, Lea’s social media was updated. In the corner of one of her photos, a man’s hand was visible, and I immediately recognized it as Julius’s hand. I stared at the image for a long moment, then calmly printed out all the previous posts I had saved and packed them ne

Chapter 5

The entire room fell into dead silence, and Julius’s face instantly drained of all color. He staggered backward, as if all the strength had been drained out of his body.“That’s impossible. What are you talking about? She said she had a surprise for me! How could she possibly be on a plane?”Mrs. Carter scoffed and said sarcastically, “You were going to marry her, but she’s taken the money and run!”Still refusing to believe it, Julius tore open the gift box in his arms. The next second, a stack of photos scattered to the floor. The sight of them turned Lea’s face pale.Julius screamed like a madman, his eyes bloodshot as he tried to rush out. However, his mother and Lea held him back firmly, one on each side.“Julius, calm down! She’s dead. What’s the point of going now?” Mrs. Carter’s sharp voice pierced through the room.Lea clung to his arm, tears streaming down her face. “Julius, calm down. Maybe there’s been a mistake. Maybe luck’s on her side, and she'll be fine–”Julius

Chapter 6

National Performing Arts Centre was packed to capacity. It was the final night of a world-class international ballet company’s tour, and tickets had been nearly impossible to get. Under the spotlight at center stage, a dancer in a black tutu rose onto pointe. In that instant, the entire world seemed to fall silent. In the first row of the VIP section, a man rested his head on his hand. His expression was almost weary, as if nothing on stage could truly hold his attention. Carter Corporation was the main sponsor of this tour, so Julius had no choice but to attend.I could almost picture him there. Over the past three years, I had occasionally seen him in financial magazines looking more withdrawn and thinner than before, like a blade that had lost its edge.As the music reached its climax, I completed the iconic thirty-two fouettés. Each turn carried the power of a swan rising from the ashes, and the audience erupted into thunderous applause. During the curtain call, I looked up and

Chapter 7

The next day, I attended a charity gala. The moment I stepped into the venue, I saw Julius immediately, and beside him stood Lea. From her makeup, hairstyle, and down to her smile, she was deliberately imitating me.The moment Lea’s eyes met mine, her smug expression froze instantly. The champagne glass in her hand slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor with a sharp crash. For a split second, she looked like she had seen a ghost. Julius followed her gaze, and when his eyes landed on my face, he froze. It was like he had been struck head-on by lightning.Lea was the first to recover, but what replaced her shock was a twisted jealousy. She picked up a glass of red wine, adjusted her heels, and walked straight toward me with a forced smile.“Miss, you look unfamiliar. Are you new here?”The moment the words left her mouth, her wrist tilted, and the deep red liquid splattered toward my pure white dress.“Where did this impostor come from? You sure have the nerve to embarr

Chapter 8

Two forces tore through me at the same time. One was Julius’s madness, like he wanted to crush every bone in my body just to keep me from leaving. The other was Dean’s warm and unwavering protection.Julius’s sharp and dangerous gaze was fixed on the hand Dean had around my waist. It looked like he wanted to rip Dean apart alive.“Let go of her!” Julius roared, losing his mind.Dean let out a soft laugh. However, behind his glasses, his eyes were cold and sharp, and he pulled me closer instead.His voice wasn’t loud, but every word cut deep. “Mr. Carter, if you can’t handle being in a substitute-related relationship, don’t. It’s pathetic.”Julius’s raging anger simmered in an instant. The color drained from his face, and he staggered back half a step, staring at me in disbelief.“No… Clara, it’s not like that. Listen to me. Let me explain…”Looking at his desperate, broken expression, I felt sick to my stomach. As I couldn’t be bothered to look at him anymore, I linked my arm th

Chapter 9

Dean’s words landed like a slap across the face of Julius and shocked the entire upper-class circle of Cloud City. However, it never crossed my mind that a desperate person was capable of doing anything.Julius went insane. He mobilized every connection and resource the Carter family had to tear into Dean’s company like a rabid dog, setting one business trap after another. The pressure escalated so fast that Dean had no choice but to fly overseas immediately to handle the crisis.As for me, after a performance one night, I was forcibly invited back to the home I once shared with Julius. Everything inside was exactly as I had left it—the sofa cushions, the book I never finished reading, and even the dying plant on the balcony.“Clara.” Julius’s voice was hoarse.He dropped to his knees in front of me with a thud and grabbed my leg tightly.“I was wrong. I know I was wrong. I swear I’ll never see Lea again. My mother… I’ve cut ties with her, too. She won’t bother you anymore.”He l

Chapter 10

One year later, at the Parise Opera House, my solo performance of Giselle came to an end. The deafening applause was so intense that it felt like it might lift the entire dome.Backstage, flowers piled up like a mountain, and the air was thick with their fragrance. Yet, my eyes were fixed on a single bouquet of white roses in the corner. It didn’t come with a card or a signature, just like every year for the past three years. However, I knew who it was from.After the performance, Dean draped a soft cashmere coat over my shoulders, and we walked side by side along the river. The night wind lifted my hair, carrying the quiet romance unique to Parise.“Are you really not going back?” he asked softly.Behind his glasses, his eyes reflected the shimmering lights on the river.I looked toward the Grand Tower glowing in the distance and slowly shook my head. “There’s nothing left for me there anymore.”Everything from the past—the love, hatred, and obsession—had been buried with that p

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