A month before Wendy Johnson and I are set to marry, she tells me she wants to have another man's baby. Following my refusal, she keeps bringing it up daily.

Half a month till the wedding, I see her pregnancy report. Just like that, I find out she is almost a month pregnant. It turns out she has no intention of seeking my agreement on this matter.

At that very moment, my love for her for so many years dissipates for good.

I'm calling off the wedding and destroying all our shared memories.

On the day we are supposed to get married, I join a sealed-off research lab without a second thought.

From now on, Wendy and I no longer have anything to do with each other!

"I've explained this to you countless times already!" Wendy Johnson, my fiancee, huffed. "Harvey has cancer! He only has a year left to live, and his biggest wish is to give his family a child who can carry on the family name. He saved my life before, so I must help him fulfill this wish!"

I'd heard this argument at least 100 times in the past month. The first time Wendy brought it up, I swiftly and adamantly expressed my refusal to give her my permission. However, she didn't give up there. She kept talking about it every day.

Initially, she broached the subject carefully to seek my approval, but it slowly evolved into her righteously arguing with me over the subject. It was as if I'd be the most heartless man in the world if I didn't agree to go along with her demand.

But who repaid a debt of gratitude by carrying a person's child?

Nevertheless, the month-long fighting exhausted me both physically and mentally. I no longer had the energy to attempt to change Wendy's mind.

Staring at the woman I loved and had been in a relationship with for five years, I asked hoarsely, "Wendy, we're getting married next month, but you want to conceive another man's child. What about me? What do you take me for?"

It was Wendy's first time seeing me look this worn and defeated. It looked as though storm clouds had gathered over my head.

Her attitude eased up a little.

"I know you feel bad about this, Nathan, but I'm the only one who can help Harvey now. I can't just watch him pass away with regrets without doing anything. And anyway, it's only going to be through artificial insemination. Nothing will happen between Harvey and me. Since you love me, surely you can understand why I have to do this, right?"

Hearing this, I realized Wendy had already made up her mind. She was going to give birth to Harvey Snider's baby no matter what. My opinion didn't matter.

Wendy had more to say, but she was interrupted by her phone ringing. After checking the screen, she stepped out onto the balcony with her phone.

My lips curved into a bitter smile as I watched her from behind. She and I were childhood friends. We'd been in the same class since elementary school, and we even attended the same college.

Ever since we were children, I knew I liked her. I'd silently accompanied her all those years, but she never reciprocated my feelings. It was only after our college graduation that she finally acknowledged my efforts and agreed to be my girlfriend.

Technically speaking, we'd known each other for over two decades. Once we became a couple, we should've been the person the other trusted the most.

However, in the five years since we started dating, I never once touched her phone, and she continued to take her calls away from me. Once, she was resting in bed with a high fever, but her phone kept pinging with notifications. Worried it would disturb her rest, I simply tried to put it on silent mode.

I'd only just touched her phone when she opened her eyes and saw me. She immediately confronted me accusingly without even asking me what I was trying to do. She refused to listen to my explanation, either.

That night, I spent the night on the couch alone.

All along, I simply thought that was just the way she was. I had faith that one day, I would win her over. Yet, even after five years, nothing had changed.

Now, she was even insisting on having another man's baby without once considering my feelings as her fiance and future husband.

Wendy looked visibly pleased when she returned. She grabbed her jacket and started heading for the door.

"I need to step out for something. Take the time to think it over."

My heart stilled as I listened to the sound of her footsteps as she rushed off. Harvey was probably the only person she'd leave in such a hurry for.

Unexpectedly, Harvey sent me a photo soon after. However, once I zoomed in on the photo, I could barely stay on my feet.

Harvey sent me a photo of a pregnancy report—the name on the report was Wendy Johnson!

Once I saw the gestational age, my mind started spinning. The report clearly stated that she was three weeks pregnant.

In other words, Wendy had already gotten herself artificially inseminated a month ago in order to conceive Harvey's baby. From the very beginning, she never actually considered seeking my approval first.

Since that was the case, why had she stubbornly continued to ask me about it for the past month? Was she just trying to ensure she could do it with a clear conscience?

Feeling as though all my strength had been sapped out of me, I crumpled onto the floor. It felt like my heart was being crushed. I could scarcely breathe.

This explained why Wendy couldn't keep the smile off her face just now, and why she had rushed off after the call. She must've found out that the procedure had been a success. She was now pregnant.

She was probably hurrying to the hospital to celebrate with Harvey right now.

I closed my eyes. An overwhelming sense of sorrow filled me. I couldn't believe that the woman I'd loved for so many years was now pregnant with another man's child.

Just two months ago, I proposed to her, and she accepted. The wedding ceremony had been set for next month. I'd already prepared our outfits and booked a hotel ballroom for the ceremony.

All this while, I eagerly anticipated our wedding day. I looked forward to finally taking Wendy by the hand and making her my wife. All of my hopes and expectations just vanished into thin air.

My phone started buzzing, pulling me out of my thoughts. I instinctively took the call. The voice that came through belonged to my college senior, Gemma Chambers.

"Nathan, I know you're about to get married, but I just have to ask you one more time. Are you sure you don't want to consider joining our research lab?" Gemma queried. "You were always Professor Kelley's most gifted student. He still hopes you can help him out with his research.

"Since you're about to start a family, Professor Kelley has said he can grant you a special leave of absence for two weeks off after working in the research lab every month. That way, you can still spend quality time with your wife."

Six months ago, I heard that my old professor, Lawrence Kelley, had set up a new research lab. Professor Kelley called me and personally invited me to join his team. However, taking the job meant no contact with the outside world. I could only leave once the research work had been completed.

That would take a few months, at least, if not a couple of years.

I didn't want to spend so much time away from Wendy, and I couldn't bear not being able to get in touch with her. Thus, I declined Professor Kelley's invitation.

But right now, what came to mind was the pregnancy report I saw.

Wendy was already pregnant with Harvey's baby. Since she made her decision without giving any consideration to our relationship or our impending marriage, there was no reason to continue with the wedding.

I subconsciously tightened my grip on the phone as I replied, "I'll join the research lab, Gemma, and I don't need the special leave of absence. We can just stick to the research schedule."

"That's wonderful news! Professor Kelley will be delighted," Gemma exclaimed in joy. "When do you plan on coming over? Why don't you join us a week after the wedding? That way, you can still go on your honeymoon first."

"That won't be necessary," I replied quietly. "I'll come over on the day of the wedding."

My eyes fell on the calendar on the table. I'd circled the 15th of the following month with a red marker. At the time, I did it so that I had a constant reminder of how many days I had left till the wedding. That made it easier for me to make all the arrangements.

It was now a countdown to the day I left Wendy. These last 15 days served as an adjustment period for me to get used to leaving someone I'd known and loved for over two decades.

After 15 days, Wendy and I would never see each other again.

Wendy didn't return that night. I didn't call to ask where she was, either. I'd already gotten my update from Harvey's Instagram story.

After leaving the hospital that afternoon, they went straight to Harvey's home and informed his parents about the pregnancy. I saw the photo of Harvey's grandmother saying something to Wendy while holding her hand affectionately. Wendy was smiling gently as she stroked her abdomen with her other hand.

Throughout my five-year relationship with Wendy, she'd only once agreed to visit my family with me, and that was after I had proposed to her. Even though it was less than half an hour's drive to my family's home, she never once initiated a visit.

She claimed she didn't like spending time around older people. It made her feel uncomfortable.

During that sole visit, she simply maintained a polite attitude with my family. There was none of the warmth and friendliness she showed the Sniders in the photo.

I blinked to clear the bitterness from my eyes before turning my phone off.

…

The next day, I invited a few friends out and told them the wedding was canceled.

Wendy said she didn't like weddings. They were nothing more than a meaningless formality to her. At my insistence, she begrudgingly agreed to hold a small-scale wedding. Only a few of our closest friends were invited.

Everyone around us knew how I felt about her. Unsurprisingly, my friends were shocked to hear that the wedding wasn't going to happen.

"Haven't you been in love with Wendy for decades now? Can you seriously bear to let her go when you're just a step away from marrying her at last?"

My heart stung. Could I bear to do it? Obviously not.

I'd dedicated myself to staying by Wendy's side for over two decades before she finally agreed to marry me. How could I move on from over two decades of love so easily?

But as it was, our relationship had been unequal from the start. This whole time, I was the one doggedly trying to keep up with Wendy, and she had never stopped for me.

I didn't care at first. I figured that since I could spend two decades or so convincing her to marry me, I could also win her heart one day. It was only a matter of time. We had the rest of our lives to live after marriage. I was willing to wait until the day she opened her heart to me.

Alas, everything changed when Harvey, Wendy's so-called savior, showed up six months ago. Only then did I realize that she wasn't cold and aloof with everyone.

She would always have a smile on her face when she was with Harvey, even though she was incredibly stingy with her smiles around me. At the time, I tried to console myself by reminding myself that Harvey had saved her life before. She was only acting that way to repay her debt of gratitude.

Nevertheless, it never occurred to me that when Harvey got diagnosed with cancer, Wendy would actually agree to bear his child so that he had someone to carry on his family name! Moreover, she only pretended to seek my permission. In reality, she'd secretly undergone the artificial insemination procedure to get pregnant.

It was then that it hit me. There was no future between Wendy and me. No matter how painful and difficult it was for me to rid myself of my feelings for her, I had to steel myself and do it anyway.

I didn't tell my friends the real reason why the wedding was canceled. I simply said I'd be joining a research lab soon, and that it would be a long while before I could have contact with the outside world again.

Feeling apologetic for springing this on my friends, I stayed out with them until late at night before heading back to the house. When I got back, Wendy had just returned as well.

After smelling alcohol on me, she frowned and took a few steps back. Covering her nose, she said, "Stay away from me. The stench makes me want to puke."

My eyes fell on her other hand, which she had subconsciously placed defensively on her abdomen, and I snorted self-deprecatingly. It was such a noticeable reaction. It seemed like she had no intention of hiding her pregnancy from me.

Still, since she didn't plan on telling me, I wasn't going to bring it up myself. Without speaking, I went off to take a shower.

When I came back out, Wendy was tapping away on her phone with a smile on her face. I merely glanced at her before heading toward the bedroom to get some sleep. However, she stopped me, saying, "I've got something to discuss with you."

I paused. She last said that to me a month ago, when she told me she wanted to give Harvey a baby. We'd been arguing over that since then.

Well, she was already pregnant now, so what else could she possibly have to discuss with me this time?