She Was Never the Real Reason

Dominic's accusations made me laugh in anger. "Me apologize? Check the security footage yourself and see if I should apologize!"

I hadn't expected Dominic to assume I'd tried to push Beverly down the stairs without even checking the footage. "Beverly is a patient, a pregnant woman. Would she deliberately harm herself?"

A flicker of panic crossed Beverly's face. "Forget it, Dominic. Jane's anger is understandable. Let's go."

But Dominic refused. "No, she has to apologize to you today!"

I wouldn't back down. I wouldn't admit to something I hadn't done. Beverly, fearing Dominic would check the security footage and expose her, clutched her stomach, feigning discomfort.

Dominic's furious expression instantly turned to worry. He scooped Beverly into his arms and rushed to find a doctor.

Watching them leave, I felt a bitter taste spread through me. Twenty years of company, five years of dating, and I couldn't earn Dominic's trust. Thankfully, I'd woken up and could leave.

Dominic didn't return that day. He was probably busy taking care of Beverly.

On my last day, I shipped most of my belongings to the lab, leaving only one suitcase. That evening, Dominic returned, still angry.

"Beverly's still in the hospital. She's a patient, her pregnancy is unstable. Even if you didn't mean to, couldn't you be more magnanimous? Why be so petty?"

Magnanimous? I thought I'd been incredibly magnanimous. I'd given up my wedding dress and photographer to Beverly, and I'd let her have the man who was about to be my husband. Now, I was giving up my place in Dominic's life to Beverly.

Dominic noticed the large red circle on the calendar and softened slightly. "Alright, the wedding's tomorrow. I won't argue. Apologize to Beverly after the wedding, then we'll go on our honeymoon. Have you planned the itinerary?"

I didn't answer. If Dominic had paid attention, he'd have noticed the complete lack of wedding decorations.

"We…"

Before I could confess, Dominic's phone rang. Beverly's voice. Dominic's expression tightened. "Wait, I'll be right there."

He left immediately. "Beverly's not feeling well. I'll go see her. I'll be back before the wedding. Meet me at the cathedral tomorrow morning."

After the door closed, the words I'd been holding back finally escaped. "We're breaking up, Dominic. The wedding is off."

My voice faded into the empty room. Only the ticking clock remained.

I sat in the living room from night until dawn. My phone buzzed. Two hours until my flight.

I went to the bedroom, took my suitcase, and a marker. I crossed out the large circle around the 10th on the calendar. Then I wrote, "Dominic, we're breaking up."

I placed the calendar in plain sight, grabbed my suitcase, took one last look at the place I'd lived for five years, and hailed a cab to the airport.

Goodbye, Dominic.