Chapter 7

Joshua's POV

Renee had just helped Chad into his car when she caught the end of my sentence. Realizing she hadn't heard what I'd said before that, I casually made up an excuse.

"A friend of mine is leaving in a few days," I replied.

Renee nodded and didn't press further.

…

Four days before my departure, Renee brought home the pre-wedding photos she'd taken with Chad.

Holding her phone with one hand, she lifted the framed photo and showed it to him over a video call. Smiling sweetly, she said, "Chad, our wedding photos are ready! The staff at the studio said they turned out beautifully when I went to pick them up."

Just as she said that, I walked out of my room to get some water.

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Renee's face. She looked at me as though she wanted to say something, but I merely glanced at the photo and offered a sincere comment.

"The photo does look quite nice."

Renee looked taken aback.

Suddenly, she realized I hadn't really spoken to her in a long time. In fact, I hadn't even sent her a single message during the week she'd spent traveling with Chad.

My sudden change in demeanor made her feel uneasy.

Chad was still talking on the other end of the call. Moments later, she shook her head. She simply assumed I was too exhausted from all the wedding preparations and thought nothing more of it.

…

Two days before my departure, I realized I'd have to bring everything I needed into the lab myself. I wanted to stock up on some basic medication, so I went to the hospital to buy some.

To my surprise, I ran into Renee and Chad just as they were leaving a prenatal appointment.

Renee had barely opened her mouth to speak when Chad cut her off. Dropping to his knees before me, he cried, "Joshua, I know you haven't agreed to the pregnancy, but I can't afford to wait any longer. The doctors say I might have only a year left.

"I want to be here to witness the birth of my child. Once the baby is born, I'll take him or her away immediately. I promise the baby won't come between you and Renee."

Before I could say anything, Renee pulled him up, her eyes filled with concern. "Your body is still weak. How could you do something like that?"

Then she turned toward me and continued, "Now that you've found out, I won't hide it from you anymore. Don't worry. I'm still in the early stages of the pregnancy, so it won't affect our wedding."

If this happened 15 days ago, I might've felt angry and dejected. I might've broken down and started questioning myself. I would've questioned whether my inadequacy as a boyfriend was what made her willing to have another man's child.

But after everything that had happened, I'd finally figured it all out.

I wasn't inadequate—Renee simply didn't love me. Because she didn't love me, she could do something like this without caring about how it'd make me feel.

I'd known about Renee's pregnancy for a while now, and I no longer had any feelings for her. There was no reason for them to keep acting as though I was trying to tear them apart.

I shot them a neutral glance. "I understand."

With that, I picked up my medication and prepared to leave. I was leaving for the lab soon, and I still had some packing to do.

Neither of them had expected me to take the news so calmly. Renee, in particular, watched me walk away with a complicated expression.

I'd spent the past 15 days making a fuss over the pregnancy. Yet now that she'd told me about it herself, I had no reaction at all. For some reason, this made her feel slightly uneasy.

I had just reached the stairs when Chad caught up with me and grabbed my sleeve.

Renee was still some distance behind us. With her out of earshot, Chad finally dropped his act.

"How does it feel to raise another man's kid, Joshua? Your future wife is carrying someone else's baby, and you're still going through with the wedding. You must be the only man in the world who can put up with that," he sneered.

I had no intention of engaging in such pointless arguments with him. So, I shook off his hand and turned to leave. To my dismay, he lost his balance and fell backward as soon as I did.

I instinctively grabbed his hand to keep him from falling. But before I could let go of him, an angry voice rang out behind me.

"What are you doing?" Renee barked.

The moment she showed up, Chad's expression turned wounded.

"I was just trying to thank Joshua for being so understanding, Renee," he sobbed. "I never expected him to…"

Renee's expression darkened immediately. "I can't believe you'd do something like this, Joshua! Apologize to Chad now!"

I couldn't help but laugh at her baseless accusation.

"You want me to apologize? If you check the security footage, you'll realize that he should be thanking me instead!" I spat.

I didn't expect her to accuse me of pushing Chad down the stairs without even checking the security cameras.

"Chad is sick. Do you really think he'd deliberately put himself in danger?" Renee snapped.

A flicker of panic flashed across Chad's eyes.

"Forget it, Renee. I can't blame Joshua for being upset with me. Let's just go."

Renee refused to let the matter slide.

"No—he has to apologize to you no matter what," she declared.

I stood my ground and refused to back down. I wasn't about to apologize for something I didn't do.

If this dragged on, Renee might actually check the security footage. Afraid of getting exposed, Chad clutched his chest and claimed he wasn't feeling well.

The anger on Renee's face instantly gave way to concern. A split second later, she took him away to look for a doctor.

I watched them walk away as a bitter ache spread through my chest.

After more than 20 years by her side and five years of living together, Renee still didn't trust me. But fortunately for me, I'd finally come to my senses. I could still walk away from this relationship before it was too late.

…

One day before my departure, Renee didn't come home.

If I had to guess, she was probably busy taking care of Chad, who was "unwell".

I'd already sent my packed luggage to the lab, so I only had a backpack with me.

At night, Renee came back.

Her face was still clouded with anger as she snapped, "Chad is still in the hospital. He's sick. Why couldn't you just be the bigger person and let him have his way? Why do you have to make such a big deal out of everything?"

Be the bigger person? I thought I'd been more than generous.

I'd given up the tuxedo and wedding venue that were supposed to be mine. I'd let the woman who was supposed to become my wife carry his child. And now, I was even letting him take my place as Renee's partner.

Renee noticed the large red circle on the calendar out of the corner of her eye, and her expression softened. "Fine. Since the wedding's tomorrow, I'm not going to argue with you anymore. Once the wedding is over, you can apologize to Chad. Then, we'll go on our honeymoon."

I didn't respond.

If Renee had paid even the slightest attention to our wedding, she'd have noticed there wasn't a single wedding decoration in the house.

"We—"

Before I could be honest with her, her phone rang. Moments later, I heard Chad's voice on the other end of the line, and Renee tensed up.

"Hold on. I'll be there right away," she declared.

After hanging up, she instantly shot to her feet and hurried toward the door.

"Chad isn't feeling well. I'm going to check on him. I'll be back before the wedding. Make sure you wait for me tomorrow morning."

I only managed to say the words I'd been holding back after the door clicked shut.

"We're over, Renee. The wedding's off."

My voice echoed in the empty room. The only sound that followed was the steady ticking of the clock on the wall.

I sat in the living room all night, watching the sky turn dark. Then, my phone buzzed with a reminder.

My flight was in three hours.

I got up and went into the bedroom to retrieve the backpack I'd packed earlier. Afterward, I picked up a marker and crossed out the 10th. Beneath it, I wrote one sentence.

"We're over, Renee."

I left the calendar somewhere obvious and slung my backpack over my shoulder. Then, I headed out to catch a cab to the airport.

Goodbye, Renee Flores.