Two months had passed, and Rylan could no longer ignore the signs. The dizziness. The constant hunger. The growing exhaustion. It wasn't his imagination. Something was different.
When he finally went for a check-up, the doctor confirmed it.
He was pregnant.
Pregnant with Kia's child.
His hands shook as he held the confirmation. Joy and fear collided inside him. Kia hadn't reached out since the last time they saw each other. No calls. No messages. Nothing. Rylan had been the only one trying, the only one willing to fight for them, and it hurt—every single day it hurt.
But still, he held onto hope. Maybe Kia would come around. Maybe Kia would finally see him… see them.
That hope drove him out of his house that afternoon. He ran to Kia's place, desperate to know he was okay. Heart pounding, stomach twisting with nerves, he approached the door. His hand rose to knock.
Then he froze.
Voices. Inside.
"You will marry her. You don't have a choice."
Rylan's chest tightened. He recognized the voice immediately.
"You can't marry Rylan," another voice said. Cold, sharp. "He's nothing but a common maid's son. Even his beta brother is better. The family has already come to a decision. We've agreed on a collaboration. You'll marry him."
Rylan's mind froze.
Kia? His parents? They were talking about him. About him being replaced by his own beta brother. About a "marriage arrangement" he couldn't stop.
Tears blurred his vision. His hand dropped from the doorknob. He couldn't knock. He couldn't move.
The words echoed in his mind:
You'll marry him… He's nothing… We decided…
Everything he had hoped for, every ounce of belief that Kia would fight for him, shattered in that moment.
Unable to stay, he turned and fled, tears falling freely down his cheeks. His steps were unsteady, heart breaking with every step. He didn't look back, couldn't look back.
By the time he reached the empty street, he was weeping openly, clutching his stomach as he whispered to the life inside him:
"I'm sorry… I'll protect you… I'll survive for us…"