Chapter 17
Eugene arranged for the abortion to be done that very day, using the fact that Cassandra had cancer to argue that it wasn’t suitable for her to be pregnant.
After dealing with her, he went to Tara’s place again, wanting to find out where Nerissa had gone. He couldn’t accept being cut off just like that. When she refused to tell him, he camped out outside her door.
Tara grew irritated after a few days, so she said Nerissa had left Rogenvale to join a research lab. She refused to tell Eugene which lab it was, though.
He and Nerissa had attended the same college, so he thought of her professor, Jim Watts. From there, he approached his college mates and asked around before finding out that Jim had set up a research lab in Joransen.
Though he had no proof Nerissa was there, his instinct told him that was where she was. He immediately bought a ticket to Joransen and successfully found the research lab based on the address his college mate had given him.
The experiments and research had yet to commence, so the lab wasn’t under lockdown yet. And so, Eugene caught someone who had just returned to the lab and asked them to tell Nerissa he was looking for her.
I was surprised when Jessica told me someone was looking for me. I’d given a few people the lab’s address, but I’d only just left Rogenvale. Who could be here for me?
I headed outside feeling confused. Then, I realized Eugene was the one who wanted to see me.
He teared up at the sight of me, and his heart settled back in its chest. He hurried forward and grabbed my wrist. “Why did you want to end things? Why did you leave without saying anything? Do you know what I had to do to find you?”
I was stunned by his sudden appearance, and his barrage of questions only made me more confused. For a second, I forgot to break free of his hold.
Eugene was happy to see that his touch didn’t repulse me. He thought that maybe I was just throwing a tantrum, that I would forgive him once he explained everything to me.
Unfortunately, I destroyed his fantasy in the next second as I shook him off after returning to my senses. Looking impatient, I asked, “What are you doing here?”
He panicked slightly when he saw that I didn’t want to have anything to do with him. “I came to apologize, Riss. I—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” I interjected. “My stance on this has been the same from the start–I want our relationship to end. I don’t know how you got the lab’s address, but please don’t disturb me anymore. The research is starting tomorrow, and that’s all I want to focus on. Now, go home. Cassandra is waiting for you.”
Eugene knew he’d hurt me badly with his past actions. That was why I was being so harsh to him now. However, he was willing to use his time and everything he had to make it up to me. He said, “I feel nothing for Cassandra, Riss. You’re the one I love.”
Despite being together for five years, this was my first time hearing him say that he loved me. However, I’d woken up and seen sense after experiencing a relationship that hadn’t brought me any bliss whatsoever. I wouldn’t believe anything he said anymore.
I merely shot him a mocking look. “Don’t you find yourself pathetic when you say that?”
I didn’t want to waste my breath on him anymore, so I turned and headed back inside the lab. The research would be starting tomorrow, and I had plenty to prepare.
Eugene kept calling out my name and shouting behind me, but I didn’t spare him another look.
Eugene found a hotel near the research lab and got a room there. He figured there was no way Nerissa would never leave the lab–he would eventually get to see her again.
He waited for a few days. To his dismay, he didn’t see Nerissa even after waiting for a week. He couldn’t take it anymore and asked the guards outside the research lab for more information. Only then did he learn that the experiments had started, and none of the people in the lab would leave until it was
over.
He asked urgently, “How long will it take to complete the experiments?”
The guard told him approximately a year and a half.
Eugene returned to Rogenvale in a daze. When he got home, he lay on the bed, feeling like the apartment he’d occupied for five years suddenly made him feel cold and lonely.
No one would get him water and medicine when he was sick, and no one would call his name anymore. No one would be around to leave a light on for hun when he returned home late.
A
Sugene curled up on the bed, almost as if the action would bring him some warmth. He drifted off to sleep without even realizing it.
In his dream, it was as if none of the past week had happened. He and Nerissa went through with the wedding, and they registered their marriage the following day, making things official. Then, they went on their honeymoon, traveling all over Iropa and taking photos at every scenic spot.
When he woke up, he couldn’t be sure whether he was still dreaming or had returned to reality. He subconsciously called Nerissa’s name, but there no response. All he heard was the sound of birds chirping outside the window.
Chapter 17
Eugene touched his pillow, feeling the dampness from his tears. Nerissa’s firm resolve to break up with him and the truth about his mistaken gratitude toward his savior looped in his mind, leaving him unable to think about anything else. His mind was a chaotic mess.
But when he saw the words she’d written on the calendar, his mental haze slowly cleared. He didn’t want his relationship with her to end. He was willing to wait for her, even if she would be locked up in the lab for a year and a half.
Nerissa had chased after him for the past 20 years. Now that their roles were switched, he was willing to do the same for her. This time, he would follow her and prove to her that his love was real.
Eugene’s gaze turned resolute. He would wait for Nerissa to return.
