Chapter 12: The Man Who Finally Came Looking

Three months passed in Laran.

My life had settled into a rhythm I had once thought impossible.

Research in the morning.

Clinical work in the afternoon.

Long hours in the laboratory at night.

I was exhausted almost every day, but it was a satisfying kind of exhaustion.

I was finally building something that belonged entirely to me.

Dante never contacted me.

At first, I wondered whether he had accepted my decision.

Eventually, I stopped wondering.

I had learned that peace came much easier when I stopped waiting for someone else to give me closure.

One afternoon, Professor Moore called me into his office.

"Nina, your latest results are excellent."

He handed me a thick research file.

"I'd like you to present the findings at the international medical conference in Laran next month."

I stared at him in surprise.

"Me?"

"Of course. You've earned it."

I smiled.

"Thank you, Professor."

For the first time in years, I felt proud of myself without needing anyone else to be proud of me.

That evening, Julia insisted on taking me out for dinner.

"You're celebrating tonight," she declared.

"I don't think I have the energy."

"That's exactly why we're going."

I laughed and followed her.

We had barely finished ordering when my phone vibrated.

It was an unfamiliar number.

I almost ignored it.

Then a message appeared.

"Nina, please meet me once. I won't disturb your life again."

I stared at the screen.

I didn't need to ask who it was.

Dante.

Julia noticed my expression.

"Him?"

I nodded.

"Are you going to answer?"

I locked my phone.

"No."

I thought that would be the end of it.

It wasn't.

The following morning, Professor Moore informed me that an international medical delegation had arrived in Laran for a joint research discussion.

I entered the conference room with my colleagues.

Then I stopped.

Dante was standing near the window.

He looked different.

His suit was still perfectly tailored, but the confidence I remembered was gone.

His eyes looked tired.

The moment he saw me, he went completely still.

I forced myself to remain calm.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you."

I frowned.

"This is a medical conference, Dante."

"I know."

He took a step toward me.

"I used my family's connections to join the delegation."

"You shouldn't have."

His expression tightened.

"I needed to speak to you."

"You already said everything you needed to say months ago."

He lowered his gaze.

"I was wrong."

Those three words should have meant something.

Once, they would have been enough to make me cry.

Now they only made me tired.

"You were wrong about many things," I replied.

"I know."

"And I'm not interested in discussing them anymore."

Dante looked at me with pain in his eyes.

"Nina, please. Just give me ten minutes."

I shook my head.

"I don't owe you ten minutes."

He flinched.

Before he could respond, Professor Moore entered the room.

"Nina, we're ready to begin."

"I'll be there."

I turned away from Dante.

But before I left, he quietly said, "Isobel lied to me."

I stopped.

For a moment, I didn't turn around.

"I know," I said.

Dante looked stunned.

"You knew?"

"I found out from the medical records your family submitted to the research center."

He stared at me.

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

I finally turned to face him.

"Because it wasn't my problem anymore."

His face went pale.

"Nina..."

"You chose her when you thought she was dying. You chose her when you thought your family demanded it. You chose her even after you knew how much it hurt me."

My voice remained calm.

"Whatever the truth was, you made your choice."

Dante's eyes reddened.

"I loved you."

I looked at him quietly.

"Maybe you did."

He swallowed.

"Then why can't you forgive me?"

"Because forgiveness doesn't mean I have to return to you."

He had no answer.

I walked into the conference room and closed the door behind me.

For the first time, I didn't feel guilty about leaving him behind.

Later that evening, I received another message.

This time, it wasn't from Dante.

It was from an unknown number.

"You should be careful about trusting the medical records you received."

My expression changed.

A second message appeared.

"There are people in your brother's family who still don't want you to know the complete truth about what happened."

I stared at the screen.

Dante's family had always seemed untouchable.

But someone was now warning me about them.

And beneath the message was a photograph.

It showed Dante standing outside a private hospital months before our wedding.

Beside him was a man I recognized immediately.

Dante's father.

The message continued.

"If you want to know why your wedding was never supposed to happen, come to the old harbor tomorrow night."

I read it twice.

My new life had finally become peaceful.

Yet once again, the past was knocking on my door.

This time, I wasn't sure whether I wanted to open it.