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?

"Let's skip the wedding photoshoot tomorrow," Wendy said.

I checked the calendar on the table. Below tomorrow's date were the words "wedding photoshoot".

I didn't know why Wendy wanted to call off the wedding photoshoot. That being said, I wasn't planning on going through with the wedding anyway. Even if she hadn't said anything, I would've found an excuse to cancel the photoshoot myself. She was making it easier for me by bringing it up herself.

Nodding, I replied, "Fine. I'll call the photographer and cancel the photoshoot."

Wendy was startled. She didn't expect me to agree to it so readily.

She thought I would demand a reason for her request. After all, I'd put a lot of effort into preparing our wedding. I even had to pay far above the photographer's usual rate to get him to squeeze us into his schedule, all because I wanted us to have the most perfect wedding photos.

Yet, I'd calmly agreed to Wendy's request immediately after she made it.

Wendy looked at me with a complicated expression and said, "You don't need to cancel it. Harvey says that since he won't have a chance to get married, he wants to have a wedding photoshoot with me. That way, it'll feel like he got a chance to experience marriage and won't have any regrets.

"Harvey and I can do the photoshoot tomorrow. We can organize another one for us in the future."

Her tone was light and nonchalant, as if she were merely talking about the weather. It was the same tone she used when she approached me a month ago and said she wanted to have Harvey's sperm artificially inseminated into her.

While it appeared as though she was discussing the matter with me, the manner in which she spoke made it clear her mind was made up. She was just informing me of her decision.

I lowered my eyes to hide the scorn in them.

In the future, she said?

She didn't know I was only going to be in Rockshire for another 13 days. She had no clue that there wasn't going to be a future for us.

I hummed in acknowledgment before heading to the bedroom to get some rest. I wasn't marrying Wendy, so it didn't matter who she had a wedding photoshoot with.

Wendy watched as I left. For some reason, she felt a little uneasy.

I was too calm. I didn't even confront her about it, giving her no chance to use all the arguments she'd prepared for this very moment.

Just then, Harvey called, and she pushed aside all the questions she had about my reaction as she went to the balcony to take his call.

When I woke up, Wendy was getting ready to leave.

As she put her shoes on, she said to me, "After the photoshoot, Harvey and I plan on going on a trip for a few days. He has always wanted to see Beaudoir Isle, so I'll go with him.

"Keep the wedding simple. I won't have time to attend the rehearsal, so you can make all the decisions without asking for my opinion."

I swallowed my mouthful of toast before replying, "Got it."

It was going to be simple, alright. There wouldn't be any wedding photos, guests, or an officiant. Most importantly, there wouldn't be a groom.

Seeing that I was merely munching my breakfast in silence, Wendy added, "After the wedding, let's go to Ardova for our honeymoon. I know you've always wanted to go."

If the old me had heard Wendy initiating the subject of a honeymoon, I would've leaped out of the chair in excitement and started preparing for it.

I'd asked Wendy to take a trip with me before, but she never once agreed to do it. She kept saying she didn't like taking trips and found them exhausting.

But now, I simply focused on my toast without saying anything, which seemed to leave Wendy feeling rather taken aback. She looked at me as if she had more to say, but when she spotted the clock on the wall, she hastily opened the door and dashed off after saying, "Let's talk about it when I get back."

I picked up the calendar and crossed out the words "wedding photoshoot".

There were now 12 days to go.

After breakfast, I started packing up my belongings. I also cleared out everything unnecessary from the house. This included a photo album with fewer than five photos, a projector that had been gathering dust in the corner, and the couple-themed pajamas that had never been worn before.

Throughout our five-year relationship, I was the one who put a great deal of thought into selecting every single item in this house, slowly filling the space and turning it into the cozy home it was now.

However, upon closer inspection, it was clear that Wendy had never touched most of the things. She said that despite our relationship, she was still an individual in her own right. She didn't like using couple-themed items. They made her feel as though she was being constrained.

Once I was gone, these things would only be a nuisance to her anyway, so I might as well get rid of them now, destroying all of the memories we shared as well.

Wendy was gone for the entire week, but I knew what she was up to at all times. It was hard not to when Harvey was such a fan of posting his entire life on social media. The two enjoyed the hot springs, visited the beach, and took sunrise photos together.

Thanks to his social media postings, I saw many different sides of Wendy. It turned out that she had it in her to behave the way ordinary women did when they were in a relationship. It only seemed impossible when she was with me.

I wasn't paying specific attention to what Wendy and Harvey were doing. It was always a fleeting glance as I was scrolling past.

Well, my days weren't idle either. There were far too many things in the house, and it took me several days to sort out everything.

I also made the time to drop by at home and inform my parents that I was joining Professor Kelley's research lab. Once I did, it would be some time before I could have any contact with the outside world again.

Dad was taken aback.

"But you and Wendy are about to get married. Won't this mean you two will have to live separately after marriage?"

Mom's eyes were filled with concern as she took my hand and advised, "You should reconsider this decision, Nathan. It wasn't easy for you and Wendy to get to this point in your relationship. I'm afraid she might not agree with your choice to join the research lab, and your wedding…"

I knew what my parents were implying. They had witnessed just how smitten I'd been with Wendy all these years, and they were fully aware of the way she treated me.

Even before I decided to propose, they'd gently tried to reason with me. They didn't think she cared much about me, so they said I should give marriage some more thought. But at the time, I had faith I could win her over and have her fully accept me. Thus, they agreed with my decision to propose to her.

Now that the wedding was around the corner, they were worried that Wendy would object to my joining the research lab. She might even cancel the wedding and break up with me. They wanted me to reconsider because they were afraid I'd be hurt.

However, I was the one who was canceling the wedding.

After breaking the news to my parents, I stayed quiet for a while. Worried that they wouldn't be able to handle such shocking news, I didn't tell them that Wendy was pregnant with another man's child. Instead, I simply said I wanted to make my share of contributions to the field of scientific study.

After a sigh, Dad patted my shoulder and told me all that mattered was making sure I wouldn't regret this in the future. I nodded my head.

Once I headed back to the house, I reached out to Ian Walsh, a childhood friend of mine. I asked him to help me get rid of everything I'd packed up. The boxes were taking up quite a bit of space in the living room.

By the time we tossed everything, the house started looking rather empty. Taking it all in, Ian commented with a sigh, "I didn't think you actually meant it. I thought you were just kidding around the other day when you said you were canceling the wedding. I saw the way you stuck by Wendy's side all these years. What on earth happened?"

He passed me a can of beer before opening one for himself.

Perhaps driven by my impending departure, I felt the urge to vent to someone too. I told Ian about everything that happened in the past month, including the fact that Wendy was now pregnant with Harvey's child.

Ian was one of the ones who knew everything about my relationship with Wendy. Thus, after hearing what she'd done, he cursed and started ranting.

"To think you've been so good to her all this while, only for her to cheat on you before the wedding. And she even wanted you to give your permission! What is she thinking?"

I shook my head and chuckled sardonically, saying, "Who knows? She says Harvey is her savior, so she wants to fulfill his wishes for him."

"But you saved her life, too! How could she treat you like this?" Ian protested indignantly.

I took a swig of beer and said nothing. Perhaps she simply didn't love me, but it didn't matter. I would soon be leaving her.