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Chapter 7

Author: Anonymous
Dominic heard the last few words after he put Beverly in the car.

Realizing he hadn't heard the beginning, I made up an excuse. "A friend of mine is leaving soon."

Dominic nodded, asking no further questions.

Countdown, day four. Dominic brought home his and Beverly's wedding photos.

He video-chatted with Beverly on his phone while showing her the framed pictures, his eyes full of tenderness.

"Beverly, our wedding photos are ready. The staff said they came out great."

I happened to be getting water when he said that.

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Dominic's face.

He seemed about to say something. I glanced at the photo and commented, "They really are nice."

I'd paid a high price for this photographer, hoping to capture the most loving moments between Dominic and me.

I'd imagined feeling immense happiness when I saw the finished photos.

Dominic, in his suit, was exactly as handsome as I'd envisioned.

The only difference was the bride wasn't me.

But I felt no emotion. Since learning about Beverly's pregnancy, my feelings for Dominic had completely vanished.

Dominic was taken aback.

He realized I hadn't spoken to him properly in a long time, not even sending a message during his week-long trip with Beverly.

It was unusual.

Beverly continued chattering on the video call.

He shook his head, suppressing his unease, assuming I was just exhausted from wedding preparations.

Two days before my departure, I went to the hospital for some medication.

I unexpectedly ran into Dominic and Beverly, fresh from a checkup.

A rare look of panic flashed across Dominic's face.

He started to speak, but Beverly cut him off.

She approached me, grabbing my hand and attempting to kneel.

Her voice choked with emotion.

"Jane, I know you haven't agreed to Dominic and me having a baby, but I can't wait any longer. The doctor says I only have a year left. I really want to see my child born. After the baby is born, I'll leave Dominic immediately. I won't interfere with your relationship."

Before I could respond, Dominic pulled Beverly up, his eyes filled with concern. "You're not well enough for this." He turned to me. "Since you know, I won't hide it. Don't worry, this won't affect our wedding."

A month ago, I would have been furious, devastated, despairing, consumed by self-doubt. I would have questioned my shortcomings, wondering why Dominic would willingly have a child with another woman.

But after this time, I understood. It wasn't my fault; Dominic didn't love me. Because he didn't love me, he could disregard my feelings and do this.

I already knew about Beverly's pregnancy and had let go of my feelings for Dominic. Their charade of me being the obstacle was unnecessary.

I looked at them silently, then withdrew my gaze. "I understand."

I took my medicine and left, needing to pack.

They hadn't expected my calm reaction. Dominic, in particular, watched my retreating figure with a complex expression.

I'd made a fuss about the pregnancy for a month, yet now, knowing the truth, I showed no reaction. A strange unease settled over him; something had changed silently, unbeknownst to him.

As I reached the stairs, Beverly grabbed my sleeve. Dominic was far behind. Beverly's true nature emerged. "Jane, how does it feel to watch your fiancé have a baby with another woman?"

I didn't want an argument, so I shook her off and left. As I pulled away, Beverly stumbled and fell. I instinctively caught her, but before I could release her, Dominic shouted angrily from behind, "What are you doing?"

He'd wondered at my calmness. Now, seeing this scene, he understood. My calm was a facade; I couldn't accept it.

Seeing Dominic, Beverly immediately adopted a victim's expression, her eyes red, clutching her stomach. "Dominic, I just wanted to thank Jane for being so magnanimous, but she…"

Dominic's face darkened. "Jane, I never expected this from you! Apologize to Beverly immediately!"
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  • She Was Never the Real Reason   Chapter 26

    I agreed, and later that evening, I had someone deliver the invitation and a box of chocolate to Dominic. He unwrapped a chocolate, slowly putting it in his mouth. It seemed like he hadn't felt sweetness in a long time. Many guests attended the wedding, including my professors and colleagues from the lab, even those who were on vacation. My professor patted Marcus on the shoulder excitedly. "Great! You snagged Jane. You're a lucky guy!" My colleagues joined in with good-natured teasing. Looking at the man in the black suit beside me, I felt my happiness overflow. It was only after meeting Marcus that I understood what unconditional love felt like. The ceremony began. I walked down the aisle with my father, towards Marcus. My father placed my hand in Marcus's. "I entrust my daughter to you." Marcus promised my father, "Rest assured, I will cherish her for the rest of my life." Then came the vows, the exchange of rings, and the kiss. Thunderous applause and ch

  • She Was Never the Real Reason   Chapter 25

    Dominic weakly curled his lips. "Worth it." "It must have hurt you just as much when you saved me." Seeing how difficult it was for him to speak, I urged him to rest and stop talking. He shook his head, speaking slowly but firmly. "I didn't intentionally follow you. After you said those things yesterday, I thought a lot, and I understood." "I'm sorry for how I treated you. I carelessly wasted your feelings for me. I just want to tell you that I regret it. I've been hesitant about how to say it, and then I saw the robber pull out a knife. My only thought was to prevent you from getting hurt." I never expected to hear those words from Dominic. Years ago, I would have been moved by his change. But now, everything had changed. I was no longer the woman deeply in love with Dominic. I only felt gratitude towards him, nothing more. Seeing my silence, Dominic understood my current feelings. But he still wanted to make one last attempt. "If Beverly hadn't been involved,

  • She Was Never the Real Reason   Chapter 24

    The expected pain didn't come. I turned around quickly, only to see Dominic standing behind me, one hand clutching his abdomen, his face ashen. Blood continued to well up from the wound. Seeing him about to collapse, I caught him, immediately dialing 911 with my other hand. Dominic's consciousness was already fading, intense pain consuming his mind. He struggled to open his eyes, seeing my anxious expression, and managed a weak smile. The pain from his ripped abdomen was excruciating. My focus was on stopping the bleeding; I pressed down on the wound. Seeing his eyelids droop, I shouted, "Hold on, Dominic! Don't sleep! The paramedics are coming. You have to hold on!" Just before he lost consciousness, he heard the sirens. The paramedics rushed him onto the stretcher, applying pressure to the wound while notifying the hospital to prepare for emergency surgery. Dominic looked at me, my face full of panic, before finally losing consciousness. After three h

  • She Was Never the Real Reason   Chapter 23

    Dominic didn’t understand why I’d asked that question. I pressed on. "If you liked me, why did you never buy me birthday presents? Why didn't you want to travel with me? Why did you let another woman get pregnant, and even take wedding photos with her?" "My heart feels things too; I can be hurt," I said. "If this is your idea of liking someone, I'm not interested." With each sentence, Dominic's face grew paler. Past memories flooded his mind. He wanted to refute me, but he found that every memory confirmed my words. Each incident, each action, was something he'd done, leaving him speechless. Finally, he could only stammer about Beverly. "I was only kind to Beverly because I mistook her for you. If I'd known it was you, I wouldn't have..." "Enough!" I interrupted. Did he think the biggest problem between us stemmed from Beverly? Apparently, after two years, he still hadn't understood the real issue. "Even without Beverly, there would have been someone else," I said

  • She Was Never the Real Reason   Chapter 22

    Before I could answer, his expression turned agitated. "I can explain. I thought Beverly was my savior; I never had any feelings for her, and nothing happened between us." "Only after you left... after you left, I realized..." Dominic choked back sobs, tears welling in his eyes. After a long moment, he composed himself. "That the person who saved me on New Year's Eve six years ago was you. I had the wrong person." Dominic looked at me, his eyes red with regret, guilt, and frustration, but also a hint of hidden expectation. He hoped that knowing the truth would make me forgive him and reconcile with him. Unfortunately, he miscalculated. Hearing that the savior he referred to was from New Year's Eve six years ago, I was indeed surprised. When Dominic first introduced Beverly to me, he hadn't specified when she'd saved him. And after I woke up in the hospital that year, I avoided mentioning that night in front of Dominic. That was the source of the misunderstanding. Even now,

  • She Was Never the Real Reason   Chapter 21

    My parents sat beside me, looking equally troubled. When I'd canceled the wedding two years ago, I hadn't told them the real reason, only that I wanted to focus on my research. Therefore, in their eyes, the responsibility for the canceled wedding lay primarily with our family. Even though they always felt Dominic's feelings for me weren't very deep, they still felt guilty towards him. Over the past two years, although I hadn't returned home, Dominic would periodically appear downstairs in our apartment building. He never came upstairs, but my parents sensed he was looking for me. In the last six months, it was almost every other day. My parents had tried to persuade him to stop coming. After all, my decision to cancel the wedding had been firm. Furthermore, I was in the lab and hadn't come home, so his vigil was pointless. But they'd witnessed his persistence over the two years, softening their previously negative impression of him. They'd even privately disc

  • She Was Never the Real Reason   Chapter 20

    I was utterly exasperated by his statement. Was I supposed to hire an actor to deceive him? I didn't care what he thought. But I was also puzzled. He'd always been aloof, no matter how much I did for him. I almost thought his heart was made of stone; it was impossible to warm him. Only Beverly's appearance revealed his capacity for tenderness. Two years ago, I chose to withdraw, to let them be. But now he acted as if he still deeply loved me? Even if Beverly had passed away from cancer, his attitude shouldn't be this way. "Excuse me, Marcus is my legitimate fiancé," I said. "Our wedding is on the 18th of this month—ten days from now." My words were like thunder in Dominic's ears. His eyes instantly reddened. He couldn't accept it, couldn't accept his beloved marrying another man! But I had lost interest in engaging with him. I didn't want an irrelevant person to ruin my welcome party. I gestured for everyone to move to another location. As we passed

  • She Was Never the Real Reason   Chapter 19

    Before Dominic reached the private room, he even went to the restroom to adjust his clothes in the mirror. He initially just planned to have dinner, not expecting to see Jane. But after learning of her presence, he couldn't wait for another encounter. He quickly tidied himself up and went to the door of the private room. Before opening the door, he'd imagined Jane's possible reactions: she might still be angry and unforgiving, or she might have moved on, treating him as a mere acquaintance. He believed he could accept either outcome. As long as he saw Jane again, he was confident he could rekindle her feelings. He never considered, however, that she would have a boyfriend, and be on the verge of marriage. The word "fiancé" was like a bucket of ice water, chilling him to the bone. His heart felt like it was being squeezed, making it hard to breathe. He desperately hoped Jane would say it was a joke, that Marcus was just her junior colleague. But she didn't. He

  • She Was Never the Real Reason   Chapter 18

    Two years later, Concordia Airport. I pushed my luggage, occasionally glancing around at the changes. The lab's first experiment took two years, unexpectedly. But the results were perfect, and my professor gave us a two-month break. I was finally back in Concordia. For a moment, I felt a pang of emotion; it had been two years since I left this city. But things were different… My gaze softened as I saw Marcus's excited figure beside me. Two years ago, I left alone. Now, we were returning together. And this time, we had an important task to accomplish. Marcus checked his watch, grabbed my wrist, and started jogging. "Jane, we're going to be late!" When Alexa learned I was returning to Concordia, she immediately insisted on throwing a welcome party. Two years apart, we needed to catch up. I missed my old friends, so I agreed. The party was scheduled for the day we landed. We arrived at the restaurant just as the appointed time arrived. Marcus pulled me hurriedly inside.

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