Chapter 5

Jeffrey looked at me again. "Since you already know, I won't keep anything from you now.

"Don't worry. This won't get in the way of our wedding."

If this had happened a month ago, I probably would have been angry, fallen apart, and felt hopeless, doubting myself.

I would have wondered if I'd messed up as his fiancée, if that was what made Jeffrey want to have a baby with another woman.

But after everything I'd been through, I finally understood.

It was not that I wasn't good enough. It was that Jeffrey didn't love me.

Only someone who didn't care about my feelings could do something like this.

I already knew Thelma was pregnant, and I'd moved on from Jeffrey. There was no need for them to act like I was here to tear them apart.

I glanced at them with indifference, then looked away.

"I know," I said.

With that, I grabbed the medicine and headed out. My departure was coming up soon, and I still had to pack my things.

Jeffrey and Thelma were clearly caught off guard by how calm I was.

Jeffrey watched me leave with mixed emotions written all over his face.

I'd spent a whole month fighting with him about Thelma's pregnancy, but now, I was completely unfazed.

Strangely enough, Jeffrey felt a sense of unease. It was as if something had quietly shifted, and he hadn't even realized it.

Just as I reached the stairs, Thelma caught up and grabbed my sleeve.

Jeffrey was still some distance away, and Thelma finally dropped her act.

"Erin, how does it feel to watch your fiancé have a baby with another woman?" she sneered.

I didn't want to waste my breath arguing with her, so I shook off her hand and turned to leave.

But when I yanked my arm away, Thelma lost her balance and tipped backward, nearly falling down the stairs.

Without thinking, I grabbed her hand, stopping her from tumbling down the stairs.

Before I could let go, a furious voice barked from behind me. "What the hell are you doing?"

Jeffrey stood at the top of the stairs, his face dark with anger.

He'd seen Thelma talking to me from a distance, thinking she probably just wanted to talk things out with me, so he didn't come over.

But the next moment, he saw my hand push toward Thelma, and she lost her balance, nearly tumbling down the stairs.

If I hadn't grabbed her hand just in time, no one knew what could have happened.

It was like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over him, chilling him to the bone.

Jeffrey had been wondering why I was so calm, but now, seeing this, he finally got it. He thought I was putting on an act. Deep down, I still couldn't handle any of this.

As soon as Jeffrey showed up, Thelma looked all hurt and teary-eyed, clutching her stomach like she was about to cry.

"Jeffrey, I just wanted to thank Erin for being so generous, but I never thought she would..." she said, her voice trembling.

Jeffrey's face darkened at her words. "Erin, I can't believe you would do something like this.

"Apologize to Thelma right now!"

I let out a sarcastic laugh at his clueless accusation. "Apologize? Why don't you go check the cameras and see if I really owe her an apology!"

I couldn't believe Jeffrey didn't even bother to check the footage. He just decided I tried to push Thelma down the stairs.

Jeffrey said, "She's sick and pregnant. Do you really think she'd throw herself down the stairs?"

Thelma's eyes flashed with panic. "Forget it, Jeffrey. It makes sense for Erin to be angry at me. Let's just go."

But Jeffrey refused to let it drop. "No way. She must apologize to you right now!"

I stood my ground.

I would not own up to something I didn't do.

Thelma was worried that if this dragged on, Jeffrey might actually check the cameras and her act would be exposed, so she clutched her stomach and pretended to feel sick.

Jeffrey's anger melted into concern in an instant, and he hurried to support Thelma and take her to see a doctor.

I watched their backs as they left, a wave of bitterness washed over me.

Over ten years by his side, five years together, and I still couldn't get even a bit of Jeffrey's trust.

But at least I had finally come to my senses. I could get out while I still had a chance.

Jeffrey didn't come home that night.

I bet he was busy fussing over Thelma, since she wasn't feeling well.

On my last day, before heading out, I sent all my luggage to Phalruar, only keeping one suitcase with me.

That night, Jeffrey came home.

He still looked pissed off.

"Thelma's still in the hospital. She's sick, and the pregnancy is not stable. Even if you didn't mean it, couldn't you just cut her some slack? Do you really have to make such a big deal out of this?" he snapped.

I figured I'd already been more than generous.

I gave up my engagement photoshoot to Thelma, and even handed over the man who was supposed to be my husband so he could have a baby with her.

Now, I was even giving up my place by Jeffrey's side to Thelma as well.

Jeffrey caught sight of that huge red circle on the calendar, and his mood eased up a little.

He said, "Fine, we're getting married tomorrow. I'm not going to argue with you anymore.

"After the wedding, you'll apologize to Thelma. Then we'll head off for our honeymoon.

"Did you figure out our honeymoon plans yet?"

I didn't say a word.

If Jeffrey had bothered to look around, he'd have realized there wasn't a single wedding decoration in the apartment.

"We..." Before I could tell him the truth, Jeffrey's phone started ringing.

Thelma's voice came through, and Jeffrey immediately looked anxious.

"Wait for me. I'm coming right now," he said.

After hanging up, Jeffrey got up and walked straight to the door.

"Thelma's feeling a bit unwell, so I'm going to check on her. I'll be back before the wedding. Make sure you're at the Plaza Hotel tomorrow morning, waiting for me," he said.

After the door slammed shut, the words I'd been holding back finally escaped my lips.

"We should break up, Jeffrey. The wedding's off," I said.

My voice lingered in the empty apartment.

The only thing left was the relentless ticking of the clock on the wall.

I sat alone in the living room all night, watching as darkness outside slowly faded into morning.

My phone buzzed, and a reminder popped up. There were two hours left before my flight.

I got up, walked into the bedroom, grabbed my already-packed suitcase, and took out a marker. I drew a huge X right over the date I'd circled on the calendar, the 10th.

Then I wrote: [Jeffrey, we are over.]

I set the calendar out where it couldn't be missed, grabbed my suitcase, took one last look at the place I'd called home for five years, and then headed out to catch a cab to Kennedy International Airport.

I said, "Goodbye, Jeffrey."