Page 98 of I Replaced His Husband
It was wild, but time was up. I heard footsteps outside, and then Dr. Darren came in to take another blood sample. He already had Kay’s, so he took me with him and we met up again in the lab.
Kay looked a little bored but otherwise fine. I approached him feeling relieved and gently squeezed his hand. He responded with a barely noticeable squeeze.
Dr. Darren handed the vials to Jimmy to compare with the ones from earlier.
Then he gave us a quick rundown of the company’s policies on True Mate research and drug testing. He assured us we’d get a compatibility certificate, good for any legal inquiries. Then he turned to me.
"How long have you been on the suppressant, and why?"
"I started taking it to avoid getting too reactive around omegas," I said, feeling Kay’s eyes on me.
"Are you planning to stop now?"
"That depends on the results. If we’re proven to be True Mates, it’d make sense. If we’re not, quitting would probably be a bad move."
A few minutes later, Jimmy came back with the test results. Dr. Darren looked them over, brow furrowed, then broke into a wide grin.
"Well, good news! Everything looks great. You’ve both got a notable spike in veradiol, almost identical. No doubt about it, you’re True Mates! So, we’re in the clear!" He looked downright giddy, clearly relieved his company wasn’t responsible for the reaction I had to the Dawsons.
Even though the World Health Organization exempts most companies from testing on True Mates due to the cost, it’s still considered good practice to do some follow-up research to ensure product safety. So the fact that Seprudin 1000 wasn’t the cause, but our Bond was, seemed like a huge win for him.
He was so excited, he didn’t even wait for our reaction. He just said, "Excuse me," and rushed out of the room with the results, probably off to prep the certificate or pass on the news to his supervisors.
I turned to Kay, grinning, ready to throw a jab at Darren, and then… froze.
Kay didn’t look thrilled, far from it. He looked pale, almost shaky. He sat down and pressed his hands to his face.
"So it’s true," he whispered.
Mouth gaping, I wasn’t sure what to make of that. I remembered what he’d said before, about how the True Mate bond could overshadow what he had with Maurice. Still, this kind of news was usually seen as something amazing, a miracle even. Only five percent of people could find their True Mate. Most were happy with high or half compatibility. This should’ve been a moment to celebrate!
But he just sat there, face in his hands.
I stared at him, confused, not even sure how I felt myself. I couldn’t move; I just froze.
Then I heard him.
A sob.
My mind was in a state somewhere between shock, disbelief, and total confusion. I stared with my eyes wide open.
Kay was crying?
Holy shit. Did he actuallyhopefor a negative result? Did he not want me to be his True Mate?
I could understand being a little shaken, but crying? That hit hard.
Taking a deep breath, I stood up quickly and walked to the window, looking out over the parking lot.
I tried like hell to wrestle my feelings back under control. I didn’t want to show my shock. I needed to be calm, understanding, even though it was killing me, the pain spreading in my chest like a cold, freezing touch, my mouth dry.
But deep down, I realized:
In a way… I was rejected. True Mate Rejection.
So that’s a thing, huh?
And yeah, just like they said it would, it hurt.
