Chapter 2

Jeffrey didn't come home that night, and I didn't bother calling to ask where he was.

I'd already seen everything on Thelma's Instagram.

After leaving the hospital that afternoon, they headed straight to Thelma's upscale place in Dalethyr's Upper East Side to break the pregnancy news to the Taylor family.

In the photo, Thelma's grandmother was warmly holding Jeffrey's hand, chatting with him, while his other hand was resting on Thelma's belly, smiling softly.

After five years together, Jeffrey had only come home with me to my family's place in Dalethyr's Upper West Side once, and that was right after I proposed.

Even though our homes were less than a twenty-minute drive apart, he'd never bothered to drop by before that.

He always claimed he didn't know how to deal with elders and felt out of place.

Even that one time, he was polite but aloof, nothing like the warmth he showed with the Taylor family in those pictures.

I tried to hide the bitterness in my eyes and switched off my phone.

The next day, I met up with a few friends and told them the wedding was off.

Jeffrey always said he wasn't a fan of weddings, claiming they were nothing but pointless ceremonies.

He only gave in because I kept pushing, and finally agreed to a small ceremony with just our closest friends and family.

Everyone knew how much I cared about Jeffrey, so news that the wedding was canceled really took them by surprise.

"You've loved Jeffrey for years, haven't you? After all this time, you were finally about to marry him. How could you just let go?" one of them asked.

A dull, persistent sting spread through my heart.

Of course, I couldn't let go.

I'd been chasing after Jeffrey for over a decade, just to hear him say yes to marrying me.

Letting go of all that was never going to be easy.

But honestly, this relationship was never equal from the very beginning.

All along, I was the one coming after Jeffrey.

He never once paused for me.

I didn't care at first. I thought, if I could spend over ten years just to get him to say yes to marrying me, then I could find a way into his heart eventually. It was just a matter of time.

There'd be a lifetime ahead of us after the wedding, I could wait as long as it took.

But ever since Thelma, his so-called "savior," entered our lives six months ago, everything turned upside down.

That was when it hit me that Jeffrey wasn't cold to everyone after all.

He was endlessly gentle with Thelma, yet he couldn't even spare me a single smile.

Back then, I kept telling myself that Thelma had saved his life.

I told myself he was just trying to return the favor.

But after Thelma was diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer, Jeffrey actually agreed to donate his sperm so she could have an heir.

He even pretended to ask for my permission, but he'd already arranged the surrogacy behind my back, Thelma was pregnant before I even knew it.

That was the moment I realized there was no future for Jeffrey and me.

No matter how much it hurt to let go after more than ten years, I had to be ruthless and end it.

I didn't tell my friends the real reason. I just said I was heading to Phalruar for a research project and wouldn't be reachable for quite a long time.

To make it up to them, I stayed out with my friends until late at night before finally heading home.

When I got home, Jeffrey had just come back too.

He caught a whiff of alcohol on me, frowned, and stepped back, covering his nose and mouth with one hand, he couldn't hide his distaste.

"Stay away from me. Don't let that booze smell get on me," he said.

I let out a self-deprecating laugh.

He's probably just worried about the smell rubbing off on him, so Thelma won't have to deal with it.

She was pregnant, after all.

With how obvious he was being, it was clear he didn't even try to hide it.

Since he didn't spell it out, I wasn't going to mention it either.

Not saying anything else, I walked off to take a shower.

When I came out, Jeffrey was texting rapidly on his phone, grinning with his whole face lit up in happiness.

I gave him a quick glance and started for the bedroom.

But he suddenly called out to me, "We need to talk."

I stopped in my tracks.

The last time I heard him say that was a month ago, when he first told me he wanted to arrange a surrogate for Thelma. We fought about it for an entire month.

Now that Thelma was already pregnant, I didn't know what he could possibly want from me.

"We should not go to the engagement photoshoot tomorrow," Jeffrey said.

I glanced at the calendar on the fridge, and tomorrow's date was marked with bold letters. [Engagement Photoshoot.]

I didn't know why Jeffrey was calling it off, but since I wasn't planning on getting married anymore, him bringing it up just made things easier for me.

I nodded. "Alright, I'll let the photographer know to cancel."

Jeffrey looked taken aback. He clearly hadn't expected me to agree so easily.

He probably thought I'd press him for an explanation. After all, I was the one who'd painstakingly planned every single detail of the wedding.

I'd even shelled out a fortune to get Alice Lyons's team, the most sought-after photographers in Dalethyr, to squeeze us in for the shoot.

But he never expected that I would just agree calmly.

Jeffrey looked at me, his expression a mix of emotions. "Actually, don't cancel it.

"Thelma said she might never get the chance to get married in her life, so she wants to do a photoshoot with me, just to feel like she's been married, so she won't have any regrets.

"Let Thelma and me do the shoot tomorrow. We can always do ours later."

Jeffrey said it so casually, just like when he brought up the surrogacy a month ago.

He acted like he was asking, but it was obvious he'd already made up his mind. He was just letting me know.

I lowered my gaze, covering up the irony in my eyes.

Jeffrey had no clue that I'd be gone from Dalethyr in just thirteen days.

He didn't know there was no "later" left for us.

I answered quietly, "Okay." Then, I went back to my room to wind down.

Now that the wedding was off, whoever Jeffrey took pictures with was none of my business anymore.

Jeffrey watched my back as I left, an inexplicable unease settling in his chest.

I was so calm that I didn't even question him. All the explanations he'd rehearsed ended up useless.

Just then, Thelma called. He brushed off his lingering doubts and headed out to the balcony to take the call.

When I woke up, Jeffrey was about to head out.

While putting on his shoes, he said, "After the photoshoot, I'm thinking of taking Thelma away for a few days. She's always wanted to go skiing in Domern.

"Just keep the wedding low-key. I'm not gonna have time for rehearsals or setting things up, so you should take care of it. No need to check with me."

I swallowed my croissant and replied, "Okay."

'I would just keep it simple.