Page 34 of I Replaced His Husband
He went to take a shower.
And soon after, I fell into a deep sleep.
???
When I woke up later that day, around noon, Kay wasn’t in the room. I was starving, so I figured I’d head down to the kitchen. But halfway down the stairs, I heard voices coming from the living room. I couldn’t quite tell who was speaking, so I paused and listened, feeling a little silly, since someone could easily catch me eavesdropping.
After a moment, I recognized Kay’s voice.
"This wasn’t something I decided lightly. Dr. Johnson said the placenta was deteriorating and the baby wasn’t developing as it should. This was the best option."
A nervous voice responded, "Why didn’t you tell us? We could’ve helped you find better specialists, not some small-town quack. What you did… it’s just so controversial!"
Then another, deeper voice chimed in. "You should’ve told us how bad things had gotten, Kay. You know we would’ve done everything we could to help."
"I know," Kay said, sounding exhausted. "And I appreciate that. But this was something I had to decide on my own. It’s not just about the baby, it’s my body, my health."
"And do you think your condition’s actually improved?" the first voice asked, a little too sharply.
"It’s only been two days," Kay replied tensely, "but I haven’t had a single cramp. I actually slept through the night with no pain. Mentally… no, I’m not super comfortable right now. But it was something I needed to do, for the baby’s sake."
I heard someone gasp.
"Kay, I can’t believe it got to the point where you just invited a stranger into your home."
Then Adam cut in, apparently also there.
"Rain’s not a stranger. I’ve known him since college. He’s someone we can trust. He gave us his medical records, he’s twenty-six, healthy, and he works remotely, so he can be here without risking his job. Believe me, we thought this through. It wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment thing. We’ve been struggling with this for the last three weeks."
One of the voices rose a little.
"Then why are we only hearing about this now? We knew something was wrong, but you always sounded vague over the phone. We never imagined you’d go this far."
Kay sounded more irritated now.
"I get that you’re upset, but I had to put my health and my baby first. It’s my body. This had to be my decision."
There was a pause. I could only imagine how awkward things were in that room. I felt secondhand embarrassment just listening, hearing them debate and second-guess Kay’s choices about his pregnancy, his body, his needs.
Then Marco joined in.
"Look, I had my doubts too, but for different reasons. I tried to talk Adam out of it at first, but I also know Rain. I can vouch for him. He’s a good guy."
"Marco! He’s an alpha. That’s always a risk!" one of them snapped, most likely an older omega who was clearly set in his ways.
The deeper voice groaned quietly.
"Danny, come on…"
"No, don’t ‘come on’ me! Most violence against kids comes from stepfathers, not biological ones. Bringing a stranger into the picture is putting that child at risk!"
"Hold on!" Kay cut in. "Who said anything about bringing him into my kid’s life? We’ve known each other two days. Making those kinds of assumptions is way too much. The idea was for him to help me through the hardest part, until the placenta stabilizes. After that, we’ll see."
"Kay, no offense, but you’re being a little naive," Danny said, his tone painfully patronizing. "You just don’t have the experience to know how intense sex during pregnancy is between an alpha and an omega. When I was pregnant with Maurice, John and I bonded even more than during heat. Most omegas don’t realize it, but it’s a deeply emotional time. That kind of connection isn’t easy to break. If you think you’ll just send him on his way like a hired helper, you’re fooling yourself."
I could practically feel the tension thickening in the room. I’d already figured out who these people were: Kay’s in-laws. They must’ve gotten tired of vague updates and decided to show up in person.
Then, without really thinking it through, I decided to walk into the living room. Maybe it was a dumb move, but something primal stirred in me. My alpha instincts kicked in, telling me to make my presence known. I knew I was stepping onto shaky ground, and this could totally backfire, maybe even push Kay away. But something inside told me I needed to be part of that conversation.
