Page 36 of Unbreak Me

Uncle sighed. "Yeah, that must’ve sounded great in the ad. All the other companies offer way less favorable contracts. Mostly, they just try to squeeze money out of people without guaranteeing anything."

"Most of those companies are just matchmaking agencies," Day added. "But Fate’s Choice is also a marital contract auction-and-fair house, so they have a bigger budget and more resources. It seemed tempting."

"It’s amazing," Frank grumbled, wincing, "that even with the bad reputation these auction houses have, people still sign up. These places love to advertise single success stories where they match someone with a High Mate and conveniently leave out the less successful pairings. But, yes, their budgets make them more attractive than regular dating sites."

We ate in silence for a while. Unfortunately, Frank returned to his questions.

"So, why choose this method to find a partner? Most young people these days are pretty skeptical about marriage contracts." He tilted his head slightly, giving Day an inquisitive look.

Day lit a cigarette and directed his gaze toward the hills. "I didn’t want to do surrogacy contracts anymore. I’ve already given birth to eight children for strangers."

"That’s a huge toll on your health," Frank muttered.

Day didn’t look at him. His eyes remained stubbornly fixed on the hills.

"I handled pregnancy well, so it wasn’t an issue for me. But two months ago, I turned thirty-four. If I wanted my own family, I knew it was time to start seriously considering it."

Frank’s tone carried notes of approval. "Good to hear. I’d really like Jan to have his own kids; he’d make a great father. You should see him with his brothers’ kids—they flock to him."

"Uncle Frank, enough. Do I really need a character reference?" I muttered, pouring him more soup in an attempt to redirect his attention.

But Frank wasn’t done. "Why didn’t you start looking for someone right after college? That’s the best age for omegas to find a high-value alpha—no matchmaking agencies needed."

Day slowly turned toward him, and I could almost feel his irritation growing, his heart speeding up.

"I was in a relationship that ended miserably. My ex left me for his High Mate. I wasn’t exactly eager to jump into another relationship and risk more disappointment."

Frank pressed on, undeterred. "But why surrogacy? That doesn’t seem like the first choice for someone with a broken heart."

"Uncle, maybe we should back off a little? This isn’t an interrogation, and Day doesn’t have to explain his private decisions."

Day shook his head slightly. "It’s okay, I’ll answer," he said, though I could tell it wasn’t okay. "I just wanted to earn money. That’s what it boils down to. So, yes, I rented out my body for that purpose." He looked directly at Frank, almost challengingly.

Frank leaned over his plate, took a few spoonfuls of soup, and finally said, "That’s certainly… an unusual way to make a living. But who am I to judge? I chose such a boring path—computer science."

He chuckled, though I knew he didn’t think it was boring at all. Frank definitely considered it a more respectable career path, and I knew him well enough to catch the hint of pride in his voice when he added, "I’ve been the head of the IT department at City Hall for almost twenty years. Can’t complain; it pays well."

Neither Day nor I responded. Day smoked as usual, staring at the horizon, while I focused on carving the roast to serve.

"What do your parents do?" Frank asked next.

"My father is on disability, and my dad works as a teacher."

Thankfully, this gave Frank an opportunity to go off on a rant about the school system, something he’d always been critical of. I greeted the change of subject with relief, glad he’d shifted away from grilling Day.

For the next hour, I managed to steer the conversation toward tangential topics, mainly about work at the tree nursery and the poor quality of delivery services that had managed todestroy my packages with plants on more than one occasion. It took effort, but eventually, Day seemed to relax.

When Frank finally left two hours later, Day and I were alone again.

He was even quieter than usual, fiddling with his pendant, very stubbornly staring at the hills. It was like he was retreating into himself, sinking into melancholic energy, shutting out the world.

Eventually, I sat in a chair across from him and said, "Sorry about Frank. I know you’ve had enough of his questions, but that’s just how he is. And I’m afraid he’s not going to change at his age."

Day’s expression was unreadable. I couldn’t quite gauge his mood, but there was a heavy air of depression around him.

His tone was tired when he finally responded, "You don’t need to apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong. I know my life choices raise eyebrows. I have to live with that. I can’t change the past. Sure, I don’t like discussing it, but those are the facts."

I remained silent while searching for something to say that might lift his spirits. Finally, I tried, "Honestly, I don’t think it was a bad plan to make money. It’s not an easy way to earn, but in a way, it’s kind of clever."

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