The Wedding That Will Never Be

I knew it was Isobel who had called Dante.Turning back, I looked at the pregnancy report on the table. According to the information, Isobel got pregnant a little over five weeks ago.On the day of conception, Dante had been gone the entire night. He told me that he went to Cassington to deal with an issue with a smuggled shipment at the port. Thinking about it now, I realized that he'd been with her, completing the surgery that was supposedly nothing more than helping her pass down her family bloodline.This proved that my permission had been considered an unessential part of the plan from the start. They merely waited to "inform" me. They never truly sought my agreement.All along, I'd been waiting in anticipation for my wedding day. I was eager to take Dante's hand and stand at the altar together. But now, all of my thrill and excitement had vanished into thin air. Not a trace was left behind.Just then, the buzzing from my phone pulled me out of my thoughts. The voice that ran

"Let's not go for our wedding photoshoot tomorrow," Dante said.I checked the calendar on the table. The words "wedding photoshoot" were clearly written in the box for the next day.I wasn't sure why Dante was suddenly asking to cancel the photoshoot. Nevertheless, I didn't intend on going through with the wedding anyway. If he hadn't said anything, I would've found an excuse to call off the photoshoot. Since he was bringing it up himself, it not only saved me the trouble but also made me feel relieved.Nodding, I said calmly, "Fine. I'll call the photographer to cancel the photoshoot."Dante was startled. He hadn't expected me to agree to it so readily. Then, doing his best to hide his uneasiness, he continued, "You don't need to cancel it. Isobel says she might never have a chance to get married, so she wants to do a wedding photoshoot with me. That way, she can pretend like she got married as well and won't have any regrets."Isobel and I will do the photoshoot tomorrow. You an

Five days before my scheduled departure, I submitted my resignation to the hospital.Back then, I'd given up my chance to further my medical studies just to be with Dante. To be near him, I chose to become an attending physician at a hospital in the bustling city of Manshore.My colleagues were shocked to find that I wanted to resign."Why are you suddenly resigning, Nina?""You were handing out your wedding invitations just a while ago. Does this mean that you plan on becoming a full-time housewife?" one of them teased.With a document folder in hand, I smiled faintly and shook my head. "Nope. The wedding's been canceled."…When I got back to the house, as soon as I opened the door, I saw Dante and Isobel sitting on the couch. Dante, whom I hadn't seen in a week, was busy in conversation with her.When he saw the document holder I was holding, he asked, "What's that?""Just some unnecessary documents. I brought them back to get rid of them," I lied.Nodding, Dante looked ar

Dante confronted me without even getting the facts straight first, but I simply snorted in response. "You want me to apologize? You should check the security footage and see for yourself who's lying!"However, he continued to frown in disbelief. "Isobel is ill and pregnant too! Why would she purposely allow herself to fall down the stairs?"Panic flashing in her eyes, Isobel hastened to gently say, "Let's just forget about it, Dante. It's perfectly understandable for Nina to be upset… Let's go."I could tell she was worried that Dante would actually check the security footage, so she quickly pretended to clutch her abdomen weakly.Unsurprisingly, Dante's expression instantly changed. He quickly scooped her up in his arms and rushed off with her.He didn't come home that night. I figured he was busy tending to Isobel with the "unstable" pregnancy.The next day, I had most of my luggage shipped to the dorm I'd be staying at in Laran. All that was left was a carry-on suitcase I'd be

A few hours later, my flight landed in Laran. Before getting off the plane, I received a message from Julia. She said she'd arranged for someone to pick me up at the airport since she was afraid I'd be lost in a strange new city.When I exited the terminal, I looked around but couldn't find anyone holding up a sign with my name on it. I was just about to call Julia when I heard someone behind me call out, "Nina!"Startled, I turned around and saw a cheerful, energetic-looking man approach me."Excuse me, but who are you?" I asked.The young man looked hurt, but there was still a sparkle in his eyes as he said, "It's only been five years since we last met, Nina. Have you already forgotten me, your old college junior?"A memory from five years ago slowly resurfaced. My mind pieced together a face—Tim Hall's. His eyes were bloodshot, the result of him pulling an all-nighter analyzing data."Tim?" I remarked.Tim smiled and nodded before taking my suitcase from me. "Let's go. Profes