Page 83 of Red River

Archer was quiet for a moment, then asked softly, "Why? Why did you push them away so completely?"

His voice wasn’t accusing. There was no pressure, no judgment. But the question still made something in me tighten.

"Because I threw their love back in their faces," I said hoarsely. "I screamed at them, rejected them, even though I knew I was breaking their hearts."

Archer’s hand tightened around mine. "Do you really think they wouldn’t forgive you?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "Maybe they would. But first, I would have to forgive myself. And I don’t know if I’m ready for that. I don’t know if I’ll ever be. The thought of facing them now, at this stage in my life…" I shook my head. "I have to be ready for that. And I’m not."

Archer didn’t argue. He didn’t push.

He just watched me quietly, giving me the space to breathe, and for that, my heart filled with gratitude.

"We should go back to the patio. I don’t want to make a scene—Jan and Day don’t deserve to sit through my mood swings like I’m some angsty teenager," I muttered.

But Archer held onto my hand a little tighter.

"You don’t have to. You can stay here—I’ll talk to them. Just take a break. I can see how much this is weighing on you. You don’t need to deal with them right now."

"No, I do. I have to live normally. Your cousin and his husband are really kind. It’s a nice break from everything, and I appreciate their visit."

Archer gave me a searching look but didn’t protest. Instead, he helped me up and led me back downstairs, his grip keeping me steady.

Jan and Day were chatting with Oliver, but as soon as they saw us return, a flicker of uncertainty crossed their faces. Day was the first to step forward.

"I’m really sorry—I didn’t know—"

"It’s fine!" I quickly interrupted him with a dismissive wave. "Really. If anything, I should be apologizing. You couldn’t have known. These are my issues to deal with, and lately, I’ve been… irrational. It has nothing to do with you. I don’t want it to affect your visit."

I smiled and pulled him into a quick hug.

Up close, he felt so different from Archer—taller than me but slender and delicate, like he might break if I wasn’t careful. Hugging him felt strange, like handling something fragile, a butterfly.

We went back to the table, and the chatting picked up again.

Day turned out to be a great conversationalist. Naturally, we went back to talking about our experiences with pregnancy and childbirth—two omegas who had given birth couldn’t exactly avoid the topic. But what really piqued my interest was learning more about the marital contract fairs. They were a controversial subject, and I had always been curious.

Day described how he had sat in a glass booth while people walked by, evaluating him as a potential spouse. The whole process sounded intense, almost dehumanizing. I could only imagine how stressful that must have been.

"But in the end, it was all worth it," Day said. "Everything I went through—none of it was easy, but now I have Jan. And it’s like… waking up high on happiness every day. I didn’t even know it was possible to feel this way."

He turned to Jan with a look so full of love that Jan, mid-conversation with Archer, instinctively glanced back at him. Their eyes met, and for a brief second, the world around them seemed to disappear.

The air was thick with love—so tangible it was almost overwhelming.

A strange pang hit my chest. I glanced at Archer and caught him looking at me.

Warm. Intense.

I swallowed.

For some reason, I had the sudden urge to go over and hold him. But I was still in the middle of a conversation.

"That’s amazing," I murmured instead. "It just goes to show… there’s always a chance. Life can always change for the better."

And I meant it. But at the same time, I felt like I was standing on shaky ground, still unsure of where my own life was heading.

I looked at Archer again. This time, when our eyes met, something flickered across his face—something vulnerable. A brief, unguarded moment of longing before he quickly masked it with his usual subtle smirk.

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