Chapter 7

Dante had just escorted Isobel to the car when he heard the last few words I said.

Sensing that he hadn't heard the first half of my sentence, I brushed him off by saying, "My friend is leaving soon."

Dante nodded without asking any further.

…

Four days before my departure, Dante brought back the photos from his photoshoot with Isobel. He got on a video call with her. Holding his phone up with one hand, he used his other to show her the photo album. His gaze was tender as he said, "The photos from our wedding photoshoots are ready, Isobel. Everyone said we looked great in them."

Right then, I came out of the kitchen after getting myself a glass of water.

Dante's eyes flashed with awkwardness. He looked at me as though he wanted to say something. I glanced at the photos before forcing out a smile. "The photos do look pretty good."

I'd spent a fortune on the best photographer in town just so I could capture the happiest moment of bliss I would share with Dante. I'd envisioned the photos to be filled with our love. I anticipated that Dante, the man I loved the most in the world, would look very handsome in his suit.

The only difference now was that the bride in these photos wasn't me.

Dante was taken aback.

It suddenly occurred to him that it'd been ages since I last initiated a conversation with him. Even during his week-long vacation with Isobel, I didn't send him a single message. He wasn't used to this.

Although Isobel kept yapping away on the video call, Dante's attention was on me. A foreboding feeling had suddenly emerged in his heart, but he tried to stamp it out.

Two days before it was time for me to leave, I went to the hospital to get some medical supplies, just in case. Unexpectedly, I ran into Dante and Isobel, who had just completed a prenatal examination.

Dante's eyes flashed in panic, but just as he was about to speak, Isobel beat him to it.

She came up to me, grabbed my hand, and choked out, "Nina, I know you haven't given your permission for Dante and me to have a baby, but I couldn't wait any longer. My doctor says I only have a year left to live, and I really want to witness the birth of my baby. But once the baby is born, I'll leave Dante right away. I won't come between the two of you."

I hadn't even said anything when Dante held Isobel affectionately and said, "Don't be like this. You're in frail health."

Then, he turned to me with a complicated expression and said, "Don't worry. This won't affect our wedding."

I glanced at the two of them before withdrawing my gaze and saying, "Got it."

Once I finished speaking, I walked off. It was almost time for me to leave, and I still needed to pack some things.

The two of them didn't expect me to remain that calm. Dante was especially taken aback by it. He had a look of mixed emotions as he watched me leave. I'd recently spent weeks arguing with him over the issue of his wanting to have a child with Isobel. Yet, after finding out that Isobel was pregnant, I showed no reaction at all.

For some reason, Dante felt a sense of apprehension. It was as if something had changed right under his nose without him noticing.

I'd just reached the top of the stairs when Isobel suddenly caught up to me and yanked hard on my sleeve. Dante was still some distance away, so Isobel finally revealed her true colors to me.

"Nina, how does it feel to watch while your fiance has a baby with another woman?"

Not wanting to argue with her, I shook her off so that I could leave. However, as soon as I tried to do that, she lost her balance and started leaning backward. Out of sheer instinct, I grabbed her hand and stopped her from falling.

Before I could let go, I heard Dante's infuriated roar coming from behind me. "What are you doing?"

Upon seeing Dante, Isobel immediately fixed a hurt expression on her face. Making her eyes turn red, she clutched her abdomen and said, "Dante, I just wanted to thank Nina for being so accepting. I didn't expect her to…"

Once Dante heard what Isobel said, his expression turned stormy.

"Nina! I never thought you'd do such a thing! Apologize to Isobel at once!"