Ghosts of What We Had

Wendy was gone for the entire week, but I knew what she was up to at all times. It was hard not to when Harvey was such a fan of posting his entire life on social media. The two enjoyed the hot springs, visited the beach, and took sunrise photos together.

Thanks to his social media postings, I saw many different sides of Wendy. It turned out that she had it in her to behave the way ordinary women did when they were in a relationship. It only seemed impossible when she was with me.

I wasn't paying specific attention to what Wendy and Harvey were doing. It was always a fleeting glance as I was scrolling past.

Well, my days weren't idle either. There were far too many things in the house, and it took me several days to sort out everything.

I also made the time to drop by at home and inform my parents that I was joining Professor Kelley's research lab. Once I did, it would be some time before I could have any contact with the outside world again.

Dad was taken aback.

"But you and Wendy are about to get married. Won't this mean you two will have to live separately after marriage?"

Mom's eyes were filled with concern as she took my hand and advised, "You should reconsider this decision, Nathan. It wasn't easy for you and Wendy to get to this point in your relationship. I'm afraid she might not agree with your choice to join the research lab, and your wedding…"

I knew what my parents were implying. They had witnessed just how smitten I'd been with Wendy all these years, and they were fully aware of the way she treated me.

Even before I decided to propose, they'd gently tried to reason with me. They didn't think she cared much about me, so they said I should give marriage some more thought. But at the time, I had faith I could win her over and have her fully accept me. Thus, they agreed with my decision to propose to her.

Now that the wedding was around the corner, they were worried that Wendy would object to my joining the research lab. She might even cancel the wedding and break up with me. They wanted me to reconsider because they were afraid I'd be hurt.

However, I was the one who was canceling the wedding.

After breaking the news to my parents, I stayed quiet for a while. Worried that they wouldn't be able to handle such shocking news, I didn't tell them that Wendy was pregnant with another man's child. Instead, I simply said I wanted to make my share of contributions to the field of scientific study.

After a sigh, Dad patted my shoulder and told me all that mattered was making sure I wouldn't regret this in the future. I nodded my head.

Once I headed back to the house, I reached out to Ian Walsh, a childhood friend of mine. I asked him to help me get rid of everything I'd packed up. The boxes were taking up quite a bit of space in the living room.

By the time we tossed everything, the house started looking rather empty. Taking it all in, Ian commented with a sigh, "I didn't think you actually meant it. I thought you were just kidding around the other day when you said you were canceling the wedding. I saw the way you stuck by Wendy's side all these years. What on earth happened?"

He passed me a can of beer before opening one for himself.

Perhaps driven by my impending departure, I felt the urge to vent to someone too. I told Ian about everything that happened in the past month, including the fact that Wendy was now pregnant with Harvey's child.

Ian was one of the ones who knew everything about my relationship with Wendy. Thus, after hearing what she'd done, he cursed and started ranting.

"To think you've been so good to her all this while, only for her to cheat on you before the wedding. And she even wanted you to give your permission! What is she thinking?"

I shook my head and chuckled sardonically, saying, "Who knows? She says Harvey is her savior, so she wants to fulfill his wishes for him."

"But you saved her life, too! How could she treat you like this?" Ian protested indignantly.

I took a swig of beer and said nothing. Perhaps she simply didn't love me, but it didn't matter. I would soon be leaving her.