When news got to my mother that I called the wedding off with the intention to break up with Lorenzo, she looked at me and sighed. “It’s for the best. You aren’t right for each other.”

Fighting back the tears, I nodded. “That’s true, Mom. We are not a good fit.”

Once my mother was gone, my phone lit up.

Gianna sent me a brief video clip.

In the video, Lorenzo lay in a hospital bed, his right arm bandaged up and his face pale.

He pulled a smile, his voice raspy. “Why are you crying? When have I broken a promise about getting you anything?”

Then came a text from Gianna. “He’s awake. He said he’s going to figure something out about the penthouse. Don’t be mad at him. There’s nothing to worry about.”

She even attached a tongue-out emoji at the end of the message.

I didn’t respond to her text.

Half an hour later, I returned to the apartment I shared with Lorenzo.

I dug out a suitcase and started packing my things.

My hand paused when I pulled out the bottom drawer of the closet.

A blood-stained shirt was tucked away at the very bottom.

Lorenzo had taken off the shirt after coming back from a business trip last month. He hadn’t had time to toss it away, so I had kept it for him.

My mind wandered back to the incident two years ago.

That was when I discovered the dirty work he was doing for the family. I walked in on a phone call between Lorenzo and Matteo.

Matteo said, “Get rid of the cargo in Queens. Keep the made men out of this. Do it yourself. Make sure Dad doesn’t find out.”

At the time, I had no idea what that cargo would come to mean.

The next day, Lorenzo came home with scraped-up knuckles and blood splatters on his shirt.

I snapped and told him we were done.

It rained heavily that night.

He blocked my front door, and I couldn’t get him to leave.

Rain and blood ran together, dripping from his pant legs.

I told him that I would never forgive him.

Lorenzo, his eyes red with desperation, collapsed at my feet.

Shuddering in fear, I cradled his limp body and sobbed uncontrollably.

Gripped by the terror of losing him, I threw in the towel.

It came a cycle, happening the second, third, fourth, and fifth time.

“Buzz…”

My phone vibrated.

It was a call from Lorenzo.

“You must have gotten quite a scare, Naomi. I’m alright. It’s just a scratch. The doctor patched me up with a few stitches.

“I’m sorry about today. I didn’t get to see you in a wedding dress.”

I gave him a flat, hollow response.

Lorenzo sounded relieved. “I need to run something by you. Can we push back the wedding by two years?

“Gianna fell in love with this penthouse in Tribeca. We don’t get it now, it will be taken off the market next week. I went ahead and gave her our wedding funds.”

Met with my silence, he had been a great help to the family. Dad always said that we owed them. Now that her father is gone, I should help her in any way I can…”

Lorenzo rambled on.

In the past, I would have been hysterical to question what I meant to him.

Yet now, I lost the will to even fight.

“Do whatever you want.”

He could barely contain the joy in his voice. “You’re the best, Naomi. I thought you were going to break up with me since you went quiet earlier.”

I smiled. “I won’t. Never again.”

His tone turned serious. “Trust me, Naomi. This is the last time I’m doing this for Gianna. I swear. The wedding is postponed, but I promise to give you the wedding of the century. We’ll invite the family…”

I listened in silence.

It was the same story in the last five years.

I was moved to tears when he said it the first time.

Now, my chest felt like an empty void. Not even an echo bounced back.

Just then, the sound of a door opening came from his end, followed by Gianna’s voice, filled with thrill. “Lorenzo! Marco said that the seller for the Tribeca penthouse is going to give us two more weeks. Can we check out the place tomorrow?”

His heartfelt confession came to an abrupt stop, his voice dripping with doting affection. “I just got stitches, sweetheart. Alright, alright, don’t get upset. It’s my fault. I’ll go with you tomorrow.”

Not having any of it, I hung up on Lorenzo.

In truth, things between Lorenzo and me weren’t always like this.

Back when we started dating, Lorenzo was just an analyst at a firm in Manhattan.

More than anyone, Loren was dying to prove that he could make VP before the age of thirty without his family’s shadow.

The first thing he did when his bonus cleared was take me to look at the townhouses in Williamsburg, mapping out our future on the blueprints.

At the time, his eyes were full of hope for our future.

That changed when Gianna’s father passed away three years ago.

Though Gianna’s brother had blown off the family’s entire fortune, Gianna kept up with her lavish lifestyle.

Spoiled rotten, Gianna had properties across the globe, endless designer bags, the latest sports cars, and millions in fine jewelry.

Gianna would go to Lorenzo for whatever she wanted.

No matter how much Lorenzo made, it was never enough to meet Gianna’s endless demands.

Eventually, he started helping Matteo deal with the family’s more unsavory business.

Each time Lorenzo returned home injured, I knew that he had taken up another job for Gianna.

Drawing a deep breath, I dialed my old college professor’s number.

“Professor Green, do you still have an opening at the polar observatory in Iceland?”

Tyler Green sounded grim. “Yes, but the security clearance is high. Once you’re in, it’ll be at least three years before you can leave. You’ll be off the grid the whole time. Are you ready for that?”

“I am.”

Tyler paused for a bit. “You were against going before. Are you going because you dumped the kid?”

My tears well up. “Yes.”

While I dragged my suitcase out of the apartment building, a sports car pulled up by the road.

The car window wound down.

Gianna sat there. She was supposed to meet the broker tonight to raise the bid on the Tribeca penthouse, but the meeting was moved to tomorrow morning out of the blue. Annoyed, Gianna came by Lorenzo’s apartment to pick up a bottle of red wine promised to her. To her surprise, she ran into me walking out with my suitcase.

With her gaze shifting to my luggage, Gianna raised a brow and chuckled.

“What’s this? Leaving in the middle of the night?”

The wind in Brooklyn at one in the morning whipped my hair around my face.

I smiled. “How am I supposed to make room for you if I don’t go?”

She pushed the car door open and stepped out, her arms folded. “Don’t go around, saying that I come between you two. It’s ridiculous. Lorenzo wants to spend money on me. How is that my fault?”

Gianna paused, her tone flippant. “You’re just a sad little thing. Once, he got drunk and told me that he would have never settled for you if I hadn’t turned him down. Stop acting as if I stole him from you. You wouldn’t stand a chance if I were game.”

The night breeze dried out my eyes.

I wasn’t upset in the slightest.

All I could think of was how absurd the last five years had been.

I smiled indifferently. “Cheers to the happy couple. I hope you stay together forever.”

My response caught Gianna off guard.

She was probably used to my tears, accusations, and hysterics. My composure only frustrated her to no end.

As I turned on my heel, Gianna grabbed the strap of my suitcase. “Hang on there. Who gave you permission to leave? Lorenzo is lying in a hospital bed, and I’m not tending to him. You need to take care of him.”

“Let go.”

Instead of releasing her grip, Gianna pulled out her phone and got Lorenzo on a video call.

She put on teary eyes the moment the screen lit up, her voice shaking. “Lorenzo… Did I upset Naomi again? I was going to invite her to check out the penthouse you bought me, but she packed her bags to leave. She won’t visit you, and I can’t hold her back…”

Lorenzo’s face was discolored on the screen, his arm wrapped in bandages.

He didn’t even bother to ask why I was on the streets of Brooklyn with my bags in the dead of the night or whether I was freezing.

Lorenzo furrowed his brows, his voice resigned. “Naomi, what’s this now? Didn’t we sort things out on the phone? Don’t give Gianna a hard time and come to the hospital now.”

I stood in the biting wind.

Tyler’s words came to mind. “The security clearance for Iceland is tight. Hand me your passport first thing in the morning so I can start the paperwork.”

All my vital documents were with Lorenzo.

Today was the day we would set our wedding date.

We were supposed to head to city hall to file for marriage, so my document holder was with him last night.

The holder was sitting right on his nightstand beside his hospital bed.

I stared at him through the screen, my tone light. “Fine. I’ll be right there.”

Half an hour later, I arrived at the in-patient ward on the third floor.

Before I could open the door and enter, Marco’s voice drifted from the other side of the wooden frame.

“Lorenzo, you went too far this time. The money was set aside for your wedding with Naomi. It’s a million bucks. Did you give every last penny to Gianna to get the penthouse? Aren’t you terrified that Naomi’s going to dump you for standing her up today, too?

“Everybody knows how much Naomi has done for you over the last five years. She doesn’t earn much as a researcher, but she’s been pinching pennies and saving for you. Don’t you think you’re not fair to her?”

Through the crack of the door, Lorenzo fell silent for a bit before answering firmly, “She won’t. We’ve been together for five years. You don’t just throw that sort of history away. You know Naomi. She’s too soft for her own good. Every time we fight, all I have to do is give in, and she’ll forgive me. Once I’m out of the hospital in a couple of days, I’ll get her a gift, say a few nice things, and the whole thing will be behind us.”

Marco sighed. “But aren’t you spoiling Gianna a little too much? No woman in her right mind can stand her partner treating another woman like a queen.”

Lorenzo’s voice turned grim. “Don’t mix the two up. I grew up with Gianna, and she’s used to having the absolute best in life. Now that her father has passed away, I’m the only one she can rely on. Of course, I’m going to look after her.”

He paused, taking the edge off his tone. “Naomi is sensible and rational. Once we tie the knot, I’ll shower her with attention, but I can never leave Gianna to her devices. Naomi is going to have to get used to it.”

Just then, Gianna’s entitled voice came up from behind me. “Hey! Why are you just standing there?”

The conversation halted abruptly.

Lorenzo snapped his head up from the hospital bed, his expression flustered. “Naomi? How long have you been there? Hear me out—”

I cut him off. “Save me the explanation. I’ve heard your side of the story one too many times, and I’m sick of it.”

Color drained from his face. “Naomi, stop this. I was just making conversation with Marco.

“Didn’t I promise you? This is the last time. I’ll definitely—”

“The last time?” I smirked. “How many last times are there? You never intend to cut her off. You’re only testing how far you can push me to accept this sick and twisted relationship between you two, right?”

His lips quivered. He couldn’t find the words to refute me.

My eyes welled up. “Lorenzo, every time you were out running errands for Matteo, I couldn’t sleep a wink. I would stay by my phone, terrified of getting a call from the hospital, the police, or the morgue.

“Did you ever think of me? Even once? Did you ever stop to think about the fact I was sitting at home, waiting for you?”

Lorenzo raised his voice in desperation. “Nothing was going to happen to me. I know what I’m doing. Look at me. Aren’t I perfectly fine?”

“Perfectly fine?” I chuckled. “Here’s a question for you. When we get married and have kids, are you going to go behind my back and steal from your old man to fix Gianna’s problem at the snap of her fingers?”

Lorenzo fell silent, his head hung low. He couldn’t even look at me.

“Hand me the pouch on your nightstand.”

Lorenzo was taken aback. “What do you need the bag for?”

“Hand it over.”

Marco was quick to grab the bag for me.

I unzipped the pouch, finding my driver’s license and passport inside.

Slinging the bag over my shoulder, I turned on my heel and walked off.

The next morning, I showed up in Tyler’s office at nine on the dot.

“Have you thought things through? Once you submit your document and start the process, there’s no turning back. The contract with the polar observatory is legally binding. You will be penalized for backing out ahead of time.”

“I am certain. I won’t change my mind.”

Tyler stared long and hard at me before letting out a sigh. He signed off on the application form.