Chapter 1

"I've explained this to you countless times—Cassie has cancer, and she only has a year to live. Her biggest wish is to leave a child for her family! She saved my life back then, so I have to help her make this wish come true!" Eugene Ford said.

I'd heard this too many times over the past month. The first time Eugene brought it up to me, I'd immediately told him that I couldn't accept it… not that it had deterred him. He'd brought it up almost daily after that.

His attitude had gone from tentatively seeking consent to arguing with me as if I were the unreasonable one. It was as if I were committing an unforgivable sin by disagreeing.

How was there any sense in giving Cassandra Johnson a child to repay her for saving his life?

Still, I was mentally and physically exhausted from arguing about this for a whole month. I'd lost the strength to talk Eugene out of this ridiculous idea. I could only look at him and say shakily, "We're getting married next month, yet now you want to have a child with another woman. What about me? What am I to you?"

This was Eugene's first time seeing me so downtrodden. It was like I had a deluge of storm clouds looming over me. His attitude softened, and he said, "I know it's hard for you to accept, Riss. But this is all I can do to help Cassie. I can't watch her leave this world with regrets.

"Besides, it's just artificial insemination. Nothing will happen between us. I'm sure you can understand why I'm doing this if you truly love me."

My heart sank into an abyss at his words. I knew that this meant Eugene had already made up his mind. He and Cassandra would have a child, no matter what I said. My opinion didn't matter.

Eugene wanted to continue saying something, but a phone call interrupted him. He glanced at the screen before heading to the balcony to answer the call.

I watched him, and a bitter smile curved my lips. He and I could be considered childhood sweethearts—we'd been in the same class since elementary school, and we'd even gone to the same college.

I'd always known that I liked him, and I'd stayed by his side over the years, only wanting to accompany him quietly. He'd never responded to me, though. But just as we were about to graduate, he'd seen my contributions and agreed to be my boyfriend.

Logically speaking, we should've been each other's confidantes and the most intimate of lovers after being acquainted for so long. However, I'd never touched his phone in the five years we were together. Even when he answered calls, he did it without letting me know.

I remembered his phone pinging incessantly when he was down with a fever once. I'd worried the noise would disturb him, so I'd reached out to put the phone on silent mode.

He happened to open his eyes the moment I touched his phone, and he started accusing me of invading his privacy without even asking what I was doing. He refused to listen to my explanation.

That night, I'd curled up alone on the couch.

I always thought that was just what Eugene was like. I was confident I would one day earn a spot in his heart. But five years had passed, and nothing had changed.

No, things had become worse—he now wanted to have a child with another woman, and he didn't care how it would make me, his girlfriend and wife-to-be, feel.

Eugene looked happy when he came back into the room. He grabbed his coat and put it on while heading to the door. "I'm going out to do something. You stay here and think about what I said."

My heart sank as I listened to him hurry off. Cassandra was probably the only one who could make him so anxious to leave.

Sure enough, she sent me a photo shortly after. My knees almost gave out when I zoomed in on it and saw what it said.

Chapter 2

It was a prenatal test report, and it clearly stated that Cassandra was the mother!

My head spun when I saw how far along she was—three weeks. This meant she and Eugene had already undergone artificial insemination a month ago. He'd never once thought of getting my permission before proceeding with the plan!

Why had he spent the past month pestering me about this, then? To alleviate his guilt? What did he take me for?

My strength left me, and I collapsed on the floor. I felt like a fist was clenched so tightly around my heart that I couldn't breathe.

No wonder Eugene had looked so happy earlier; no wonder he'd been in such a rush to leave after answering that phone call—he'd learned that the artificial insemination was a success and that Cassandra was pregnant.

Maybe he was already at the hospital to celebrate with her.

I shut my eyes, feeling anguished. Despair filled my heart.

I couldn't believe the man I'd loved for years was now the father of another woman's child. I'd proposed to him a mere two months earlier, and our wedding was planned for next month. I'd already reserved the hotel for the big day and picked out my wedding dress.

I'd looked forward to the wedding day, when I would walk down the aisle with my arm in Eugene's. But now, all my plans had gone down the drain. My expectations had dissipated.

Just then, my phone buzzed. It pulled me back to my senses, and I reflexively answered the call. It was from my senior, Jessica Chapman.

She said, "Riss, I know you're getting married, but I have to ask once more. Are you sure you won't consider joining our lab? You're Professor Watts' most talented student, and he's always wanted you to help him.

"He said he's even willing to make a special arrangement since you're settling down—he'll give you half a month off for every two months you spend at the lab. That way, you'll have time to be with your husband."

Professor Watts had set up a new research lab in Joransen. I'd known about it for half a year because he'd called me and invited me to join him. However, all researchers would be cut off from the outside world upon setting foot in the lab. We would only be able to leave after completing one round of research.

At best, we would only be there for a few months. Some research could take up to a year or two.

I hadn't wanted to be away from Eugene for that long, nor could I stand the thought of not being in contact with him. So, I'd rejected Professor Watts' offer.

But now, I couldn't help thinking of Cassandra's prenatal test report. Eugene was already someone else's father. Since he'd never stopped to consider our relationship and imminent marriage, I didn't see any point in proceeding with it.

I tightened my hold on my phone as I said, "Jessica, I'll join the lab. I won't even need the break Professor Watts has offered—give me the same treatment as all the other researchers."

Jessica was delighted to hear that. "That's great! Professor Watts will be so happy! How long do you think it'll take for you to get here? How about a week after the wedding? At least you'll be able to go on your honeymoon."

I said, "That's not necessary. I'll go over on the wedding day itself."

I looked at a calendar placed on a table. I'd circled the tenth of next month with a red marker. It was initially to remind myself of the wedding date so that I'd be able to make the necessary arrangements, but it was now a countdown to my departure from Eugene's life.

I had 15 days to go. I would think of it as a buffer for me to leave behind the feelings that I'd harbored for over two decades.

Once the 15 days were over, Eugene and I would never see each other again.

Chapter 3

Eugene didn't come home that night, and I didn't call to ask him where he was. I already had my answer from Cassandra's social media.

After leaving the hospital in the afternoon, they'd hurried back to Cassandra's home to tell her family about her pregnancy. In the photos she'd shared, her grandmother had held Eugene's hand while affectionately talking to him about something. His other hand, meanwhile, had rested gently on Cassandra's belly as he'd smiled warmly.

Eugene had only ever gone home with me once throughout our five years together—after he'd accepted my proposal.

Our homes were less than half an hour apart by car, but he'd never once taken the initiative to drop by. He'd told me it was because he didn't like being around elders—it made him feel ill at ease.

Even that one time he'd gone home with me, he'd only been polite. There hadn't been any sign of the affection he'd shown the Johnsons.

I turned off my phone, my gaze bitter.

…

The following day, I met up with a few friends to tell them the wedding was off. Back in the day, Eugene had made it clear that he didn't like weddings—he felt they were just worthless ceremonial procedures.

He'd only begrudgingly agreed to a small wedding at my insistence, and only our closest friends and family were invited.

Everyone in my life knew how I felt about Eugene, so my friends were astonished to hear the wedding was canceled.

"Haven't you been head over heels for him for years? Can you actually bear to let him go now that you're almost about to get him?"

Bitterness surged in me. Could I bear to let him go? Of course not. I'd pursued Eugene for 20 years before finally getting him to agree to marry me. How could it be easy for me to let go of this relationship?

But in reality, our relationship had never been equal from day one. Right from the start, I was always the one running after him. He'd never stopped for me.

It hadn't bothered me in the past. Since I could spend 20 years making Eugene agree to marry me, I could eventually make a spot for myself in his heart. It was just a matter of time. We would have plenty of that after getting married, and I could wait. I could wait until he truly opened his heart to me.

However, everything had changed after Cassandra, Eugene's so-called savior, had appeared half a year earlier. That was when I'd discovered he wasn't cold and aloof to everyone. With Cassandra, he was always gentle and tender, yet he couldn't even be bothered to spare me a smile.

At the time, I'd comforted myself, saying it was because Cassandra had saved his life. He was only acting like that to repay her. But I never would've expected him to agree to have a child with her after she was diagnosed with cancer!

Worse still, he'd pretended to want to get my permission despite already secretly undergoing artificial insemination with her.

The moment I'd found out the truth was the moment it had truly hit me that my relationship with Eugene had come to an end. No matter how hard it was to give up on a 20-year-long relationship, I still had to harden my heart and cut my losses.

I didn't tell my friends the true reason for calling off the wedding. I just said that I would be joining Professor Watts' lab soon and that I would only be able to speak to anyone outside of the lab after a long time.

Wanting to show my friends that I was genuinely sorry, I stayed with them until the wee hours of the night before heading home. Eugene happened to arrive at the same time.

He frowned when he smelled the alcohol on me and backed away, covering his nose with one hand. The scorn in his tone was unmissable when he spoke. "Stay away from me. Don't get your stench on me."

I smiled self-deprecatingly. He was probably worried that Cassandra would be affected if he were to get the smell of alcohol on him. After all, she was pregnant.

He was being so blatant about it—I supposed he'd never even thought about keeping it from me. Well, since he didn't seem to want to come clean about the whole thing, I wouldn't bring it up.

I didn't respond to his scorn. Instead, I headed inside to shower. When I came out of the bathroom, Eugene was typing away on his phone with a smile on his face. I merely glanced at him before heading to the bedroom to sleep.

However, he stopped me. "I have something to discuss with you."

I stopped. The last time I'd heard that was a month ago, when he'd first brought up wanting to have a child with Cassandra. We'd argued for a whole month after that.

What else was there to discuss now that she was expecting?

Chapter 4

"Let's not get our wedding photos taken tomorrow," Eugene said.

I looked at the calendar on the table. I'd clearly indicated on it with a marker that we were scheduled for a wedding photoshoot the following day.

I didn't know why he wanted to call it off. Still, I no longer had the intention of proceeding with this marriage. Even if he hadn't brought it up, I would have made an excuse to cancel the photoshoot. He was saving me trouble by mentioning it.

I nodded. "Alright. I'll call the photographer and tell them it's off."

Eugene was taken aback as soon as the words were out of my mouth. He didn't expect me to agree so readily and thought I would demand an explanation. After all, I'd spent a long time carefully planning every detail of the wedding. Each step had been researched and chosen with care.

Even the photographer for our pre-wedding shoot was someone I'd managed to secure only after paying an extra sum to jump the line—all so we could have the perfect photos.

And so, it was a surprise to him that I'd calmly agreed to call everything off after he'd told me to.

Eugene gave me a conflicted look. He said, "You don't need to cancel it. Cassie said she wants to have a pre-wedding shoot with me since she knows there's no chance of her ever getting married in this lifetime. It'll be as if she did get married, and she won't have any more regrets.

"She can do the photoshoot with me tomorrow. We can just make an appointment and get our photos taken at some other time."

He sounded so calm that it was as if we were discussing what to eat. It was exactly how he'd sounded when bringing up the artificial insemination to me a month back.

On the surface, he was bringing it up for discussion. In reality, his tone and behavior made it clear that he'd already made the decision. He was just informing me of it.

I lowered my eyes, hiding the mockery in them. Some other time? Eugene had no idea I would only be spending another 13 days in Rogenvale. He didn't know there wouldn't be any more time for us.

I made a soft sound of agreement before heading to the bedroom to sleep. He and I weren't getting married anymore, so it no longer mattered with whom he had a pre-wedding shoot.

Eugene watched me. For some reason, he felt uneasy. I'd reacted too calmly—I hadn't even questioned him. He'd prepared an exhaustive explanation for me, but it was useless now.

Just then, Cassandra called him. He pushed whatever doubts he had out of his mind and headed to the balcony to answer the call.

…

When I woke up the following morning, Eugene was about to leave the house. As he put on his shoes, he said, "Cassie and I will be going on a short trip after the pre-wedding shoot. She's always wanted to go to Northo, so I'm going with her.

"Let's keep the wedding as simple as possible. I don't have time for rehearsals and whatnot, so you call the shots on everything. Don't bother asking me."

I swallowed my toast. "Alright."

The wedding would be kept as simple as possible, alright. There wouldn't be any photos, guests, or a host. There wouldn't even be a bride.

Eugene found it odd that I was eating breakfast so calmly. After some thought, he said, "Let's go to Iropa for our honeymoon. I remember you've always wanted to go there."

In the past, I would've excitedly started preparing for the trip, especially since he was the one who'd brought it up. After all, he'd never agreed to travel with me, no matter how I'd begged and pleaded. He'd always told me that he didn't like traveling because it was tiring.

Now, however, I focused on my food without saying anything. We weren't even having a wedding, let alone a honeymoon.

Eugene looked at me in surprise. He wanted to say something else, but changed his mind when he glanced at the clock. He hurriedly opened the door to go, saying, "We can talk about this when I'm back."

I picked up the calendar and used a marker to cross out the words "pre-wedding photoshoot".

I had 12 days to go.

After breakfast, I started packing my things. I also took the opportunity to clean out the things at home that were no longer needed. They included a photo album that had only five photos, a dusty projector, a pair of matching pajamas that had never been worn…

I'd painstakingly selected every item in this apartment throughout the five years Eugene and I were together. The place had slowly gone from an empty space to the cozy nest that it was now.

But upon closer inspection, I realized Eugene had never used most of the things. He told me that he was his own person, even though we were dating, and that he didn't like using matching items. They made him feel like he was constantly tied down.

I pulled myself out of my reverie and continued cleaning and packing. These things would only be a bother to him once I left, so I was better off clearing them out now. It would also be a way for me to get rid of our memories.

Chapter 5

Eugene didn't come home for the following week, yet I was aware of what he was up to at all times. It would've been hard for me to miss, seeing as Cassandra updated her social media every chance she had.

They soaked in hot springs, enjoyed the sea view, took photos as the sun rose… Once again, I saw a different side of Eugene through social media. It turned out he could also act like every other guy who was in love. He just couldn't do it when he was with me.

I didn't pay too much attention to where he and Cassandra went and what they did; I always scrolled away after a perfunctory glance.

Anyway, I wasn't lounging around while he was gone. There were so many things at home that I spent a few days getting the place thoroughly cleaned.

I also made some time to go home so I could tell my parents that I would soon be leaving to join a research lab. I also informed them that I would only be in contact with the outside world after a long time.

Dad was surprised. "You and Eugene are getting married soon. Doesn't that mean you guys will be living apart?"

Mom looked worried. She held my hand and said, "Make sure you think this through, Riss. It wasn't easy for you and Eugene to reach this stage—I'm worried he'll object to you going to the lab. And your wedding…"

I knew what they meant. They'd seen how obsessed I was with Eugene, and they also knew how he treated me. Before I'd proposed to him, they'd indirectly told me to reconsider because they didn't think I meant much to him.

But at the time, I was confident I could change Eugene. I thought I could make him accept me. And so, Mom and Dad had given in to me.

Now that the wedding was close, Mom and Dad were worried Eugene was against me joining the research lab. Perhaps he would even call off the wedding and end things with me. They were worried I would get hurt, which was why they wanted me to think things through.

But now, I was the one who wanted to cancel the wedding. I told Mom and Dad about it, and they were silent for a long time. I didn't tell them about Eugene having a child with Cassandra, though. I was worried they wouldn't be able to handle it. All I did was say I wanted to continue contributing to scientific research.

They exchanged a look. Since I'd already made up my mind, they would support me. Ultimately, Dad sighed and patted my shoulder. He told me he was fine with it as long as I didn't regret my decision.

…

When I got home, I asked my best friend, Tara Lawson, to come over. I needed her help throwing out everything I'd packed. The boxes were taking up a lot of space in the living room.

We went up and down several times before getting rid of everything. Once they were gone, the apartment suddenly looked empty.

Tara looked wistful. She could still remember how excited I'd been after Eugene had accepted my proposal. I'd drunk the bar dry with her by my side while chattering on about how my wish had finally come true. Who would've known I'd call everything off just two months later?

"Are you serious about this, babe? I thought you were joking the other day when you mentioned calling off the wedding. I've seen how you've chased after Eugene all these years. Come on, tell me what happened," she said.

Perhaps it was because I was about to leave—I suddenly had the urge to pour my heart out. I told Tara everything that had happened over the past month, including the fact that Cassandra was carrying Eugene's child.

Tara had been there from day one, so she knew about everything between me and Eugene. After I told her what had happened, she swore like a sailor.

"How could he do that to you? You treat him so well, yet he decides to just father a child with another woman right before the wedding! The nerve of him, even wanting to force you to agree! What the hell is he thinking?" she snapped.

I shook my head, suppressing my bitterness. "Who knows? He said he has to fulfill all of Cassandra's wishes because she's his savior."

Tara looked indignant. "You're his savior, too! What makes him think he can treat you like this?"

I didn't say anything. Maybe it was purely because he didn't love me. Then again, it no longer mattered. I would soon be leaving him, anyway.