She Was Never the Real Reason

Countdown, day five. I submitted my resignation to the university.

Initially, to be with Dominic, I'd turned down my advisor's offer to continue research, choosing instead to follow Dominic to Concordia University and become a teacher.

My colleagues were surprised by my resignation.

"Why are you leaving, Jane?"

"I heard you were getting married. Going to be a stay-at-home wife? Dominic's a lucky guy!" one colleague joked.

I smiled, holding my boxes. "No, the wedding's off."

When I got home, I found Dominic and Beverly sitting on the couch—my first sight of Dominic in a week. He saw my boxes.

"What are you doing with all those things?"

I improvised. "Just stuff I don't need anymore."

Dominic nodded, surveying the apartment. "I've only been gone a week. It seems like a lot less stuff is here."

I took the boxes to the bedroom, calmly replying, "I just cleaned out some unnecessary junk."

Dominic started to speak, but Beverly interrupted.

"Jane, Dominic worked hard taking me on that trip. Thank you for letting him take wedding photos with me. My dream did come true. Let me treat you to dinner, to thank you both. I'll probably need your help for a while, so I hope you won't mind."

Beverly's smug look told me she knew I was unsettled.

Since I'd received the pregnancy test results, I hadn't reacted, hadn't even questioned Dominic. So I didn't want any more pointless arguments.

In five days, I'd be gone, out of Dominic's life. I just wanted to wrap things up here and leave.

Seeing my silence, Beverly's eyes welled up.

"Dominic, is Jane upset? You're getting married, but…"

Dominic's brow furrowed. He reprimanded me. "Beverly wants to thank us, and you're giving her a hard time? It's just dinner. She's not poisoning you. You're going!"

Before I could speak, he'd already labeled me the villain.

Dominic dragged me to the restaurant. As the waiter approached, Dominic ordered, "No heavy oil or salt. And no cilantro in any of the dishes."

When the food arrived, Dominic served Beverly attentively. Then he pushed a plate of shrimp towards me. "Beverly can't eat seafood. This is for you."

My appetite vanished. I put down my fork. "I'm allergic to shellfish."

How ridiculous. After five years, Dominic didn't know his girlfriend's shellfish allergy, but he knew Beverly's dietary restrictions perfectly, even down to the cilantro.

Dominic looked momentarily bewildered. When he looked at me again, there was a rare flicker of guilt in his eyes. He ordered more dishes.

I didn't touch my food, just sipped my water.

After dinner, Emily called. "Jane, the professor wants to confirm: you're sticking to the normal experimental schedule, right? The lab's first experiment involves a classified project. You might not be able to contact the outside world for a year or two."

My gaze fell on Dominic and Beverly. They walked side-by-side; Dominic carefully held Beverly's waist as they descended the steps.

My voice was calm. "Confirmed."

Emily sighed in relief. "Good. The professor was worried you'd miss your husband."

I turned away. "The wedding's off. I'm leaving."

A questioning voice came from behind. "Who's leaving?"