Eugene waited until Cassandra's condition had stabilized before leaving the hospital. As he walked, he texted Nerissa and asked her whether everything had been prepared for the wedding. He also told her he was on the way to the hotel.

However, he didn't receive a reply even after getting into the car. He unlocked his phone to ask her again when he suddenly realized it had been two weeks since their last text conversation. He scrolled upward to see that most of the messages were from Nerissa.

Sometimes, she'd ask him what he'd eaten or what he wanted to eat. Sometimes, it was a question about the wedding. In response, he'd answered with a "Whatever", "You decide", or "Anything's fine".

That hadn't deterred Nerissa, though. She'd continued to text him daily. However, they hadn't texted each other for the past two weeks.

That struck Eugene as odd. Why hadn't Nerissa texted him in so lon

Eugene staggered back, shaking his head in disbelief. How could the wedding be off?

Nerissa's joy had been unmissable when he'd accepted her proposal two months ago. How could she cancel the wedding?

His friends and family were baffled. They hadn't gotten the date wrong. Why had the staff member said that the wedding was off?

Mildred asked the staff member again to be sure that Nerissa was the one who'd canceled the wedding. Then, she pulled Eugene aside, trying hard to suppress her anger. "What the hell is wrong with her? You guys set the wedding date a long time ago, didn't you? Why isn't she here, and why did she call everything off? What's she playing at?"

Her anger surged when she saw that it was clear all of this was news to Eugene. She knew he and Nerissa had known each other for over two decades, and she could tell how much Nerissa loved him. That was why she'd been relativel

I barked out an irritated, clipped laugh at Eugene, accusing me despite not even finding out what the truth was. "You want me to apologize? Go check the surveillance footage and see whether I even need to do it!"

I never would've thought that he would peg me as someone who'd push Cassandra down the stairs without even bothering to check the surveillance cameras.

"Cassie is a patient, and a pregnant one at that! Are you trying to say that she would hurt herself?" Eugene snapped.

A trace of panic flashed in Cassandra's eyes. "Forget it, Gene. It's perfectly normal for Nerissa to treat me like this because she's mad. Let's go."

He didn't budge. "No way. She has to apologize to you!"

I refused, and I wasn't backing down. I wouldn't own up to a mistake I hadn't made.

Cassandra was worried Eugene would actually check the surveillance footage and find out what she'd done, so she clutched her belly and said she didn't feel well.

Eugene's anger immediately morphed into concern, and he lifted her into his arms. He hurried off, taking her to see a doctor.

Bitterness spread through me as I watched them leave. Eugene and I had known each other for over two decades, and we'd spent the past five years together. Yet none of that had won me even a smidgeon of his trust.

Thankfully, I'd woken up from my pipe dream. It wasn't too late for me to cut my losses and back out.

Eugene didn't come home that night. He was probably busy caring for Cassandra.

…

The day before I was due to leave, I sent most of my packed luggage to the lab, leaving only a suitcase behind.

That night, Eugene came home, still looking angry. "Cassie's still at the hospital. She's a patient, and the baby's not stable, either. Even if you didn't mean to hurt her, couldn't you have been the bigger person and given in to her? Why do you have to be so petty?"

The bigger person? I felt like I'd already been generous enough.

I'd given up my wedding dress and photographer to Cassandra so she could take my pre-wedding shoot; I'd also given up the man who was supposed to be my husband so he could have a child with her. I was even going to let her take my spot by Eugene's side.

Suddenly, Eugene noticed the large red circle on the calendar. His expression softened. "Look, we're getting married, so I don't want to argue with you. Apologize to Cassie once we're done. We can go on our honeymoon after that. Have you planned it yet?"

I didn't answer. If he paid just a bit more attention, he would notice that the apartment held no traces of having been decorated for the big day.

I started, "Let's—"

However, I was interrupted by Eugene's phone ringing. I heard Cassandra's voice on the other end of the line, and I saw Eugene's expression turn anxious. He said, "Wait for me. I'll be right there."

After hanging up, he immediately got up and headed to the door. "Cassie's not feeling well, so I'm going to check on her. I'll be back before the wedding—you can head over to the hotel and wait for me there."

Once the door swung shut behind him, I finally uttered the words that were on the tip of my tongue. "Let's break up, Eugene. The wedding is off."

My voice faded in the empty apartment. The only other sound was the ticking hands of the clock on the wall.

I sat in the living room from nighttime to dawn. I watched the sky go from darkness to light. Then, my phone buzzed with a reminder—I had two hours to go before I could board my flight.

I headed to the bedroom to get my packed suitcase. After that, I grabbed a marker and drew a huge cross over the date on the calendar that had been circled. Finally, I wrote, "We're over, Eugene."

I put the calendar where it wouldn't be missed and grabbed my suitcase. After one last look at the place I'd lived in for five years, I left and took a cab to the airport.

Goodbye, Eugene.

Eugene waited until Cassandra's condition had stabilized before leaving the hospital. As he walked, he texted Nerissa and asked her whether everything had been prepared for the wedding. He also told her he was on the way to the hotel.

However, he didn't receive a reply even after getting into the car. He unlocked his phone to ask her again when he suddenly realized it had been two weeks since their last text conversation. He scrolled upward to see that most of the messages were from Nerissa.

Sometimes, she'd ask him what he'd eaten or what he wanted to eat. Sometimes, it was a question about the wedding. In response, he'd answered with a "Whatever", "You decide", or "Anything's fine".

That hadn't deterred Nerissa, though. She'd continued to text him daily. However, they hadn't texted each other for the past two weeks.

That struck Eugene as odd. Why hadn't Nerissa texted him in so long?

He couldn't help thinking of the utter disbelief in Nerissa's eyes when he'd told her a month ag

Chapter 9