Chapter 5: The Things I Was Leaving Behind

Dante didn't come back for a whole week, but I was aware of his whereabouts at all times. After all, considering how much Isobel loved posting social media updates, it was impossible for me not to.

I saw photos of them soaking in the hot springs, strolling by the beach, and watching the sunrise together. Through social media, I was constantly barraged with sides of Dante I had never seen before.

It turned out that he could indeed do all the things other men did when they were dating someone.

I didn't idle my days away either. The house was filled with too many things. It took me several days to clear everything out.

I also took the time to visit my parents and inform them of my decision to do medical research in Laran. I wouldn't be able to stay in touch with them for a while.

Dad was shocked. "Aren't you and Dante getting married soon? Wouldn't this mean you two will have to live separately?"

Concerned, Mom took my hand and advised me, "You need to give this some more thought, Nina. It wasn't easy for you and Dante to come this far. I'm worried that he won't agree to let you leave to conduct your medical research work. He might just choose to call off the wedding and break up with you…"

I understood my parents' concern. They had seen how adamant I'd been about being with Dante all these years, and they'd long since sensed his attitude toward me.

In the past, they'd subtly tried to warn me. They didn't think I was of much importance to him, so they wanted me to give the relationship some careful consideration. But at the time, I was fully confident and firmly believed that I could change him—that I could get him to accept me completely.

Thus, they decided not to convince me otherwise.

Yet, I was now the one choosing not to have the wedding. After informing my parents of this decision, they remained silent for some time.

I didn't tell them that Dante had gotten Isobel pregnant. I was worried that they wouldn't be able to take the blow. Instead, I told them I wanted to continue pursuing my work in medicine and make a contribution to the industry.

In the end, Dad simply sighed and patted my shoulder, saying, "As long as you don't regret this."

When I got back to the house, I invited my friend, Linda Gardner, over to help me get rid of the items I'd packed. The boxes took up a lot of space in the living room. We had to make several trips to get everything out. Once we tossed all of the boxes into the trash, the house immediately looked rather empty.

Linda took it all in with mixed feelings. She still remembered how excited I'd been when Dante said yes after I proposed to him two months ago. In my exhilaration, I made her spend an entire night drinking with me. I kept going on and on about how my dreams were finally coming true.

Who would've thought that just two months later, I'd decide to call off the wedding?

"I can't believe you're serious about it. I thought you were joking when you mentioned it the other day," Linda said with a look of disbelief. "I saw the way you spent all these years going after Dante. What on earth happened? Why have you suddenly decided to let him go?"

Perhaps the fact that I was leaving in a few days stirred up my urge to confide in someone. I told Linda about everything that happened recently, including Dante's relationship with Isobel, as well as the baby.

Once she heard the whole story, she let out a bunch of expletives, snarling, "To think of all the things you've done for him, only for him to get another woman pregnant before the wedding! And he even expected you to give your permission? What the hell is he thinking?"

I lowered my head and quietened the surge of sorrow I felt.

"Who knows? He said that Isobel saved his life, so he wanted to fulfill her wish."

Linda looked positively outraged. "You saved his life, too! How dare he treat you like that!"

I said nothing in response.