I had hoped for immediate acceptance of who I was, but was left instead with the thought that perhaps if I waited long enough, things would change.

我原本希望的，是无论我是个什么样的人他们都能马上接受，而不是认为如果我再等等，事情可能会有所转变。

youdao

I could have brought the groceries home and washed off the egg yolk, but, instead, I'd just left them there.

我本来可以把东西拎回家，再把蛋黄洗掉，但相反，我只是把东西丢在那里了。

youdao