Page 45 of I Replaced His Husband
On my way out, I saw Rain on the terrace with his laptop, clearly working on something. He gave me a shy smile, which I ignored. I made my way down to the beach and slipped into the cool water. I’ve always enjoyed physical activity, running and swimming especially, but ever since I got pregnant and started having those painful cramps, I’d cut back. These days I just swam every day instead. The cool water gave me a sense of freedom, a soothing kind of escape I allowed myself from time to time.
When I was done, I headed back, and from a distance, I spotted Rain talking with Marco.
There was no real logic to it, but I slowed down and ducked behind the bushes to eavesdrop.
Rain was saying, "…I told Nate he should just hire a designer for those icons instead of buying stock ones or using some AI-generated stuff. I went through a ton and couldn’t find anything good. Nate doesn’t want to deal with the details, he’s running the company but still acting like a freelancer, trying to control everything himself. And he'd rather use free stock stuff than have anything custom-made. I really think he needs someone handling all that side work."
I saw Marco nod in understanding.
"I get it," Marco said. "I’ve got the same problem. I’m always butting into my managers’ work and hovering over their shoulders, even though I know I should trust them. Maybe try finding a designer yourself, someone affordable, and just suggest the person to your cousin. Sometimes people agree to things more easily when the solution’s already in front of them."
Since the conversation clearly wasn’t about me like I’d assumed, I stepped out from behind the bushes and walked across the terrace.
Rain looked up at me, and I saw it, the subtle but unmistakable change in his expression. He was glad to see me. His eyes lit up slightly, and a small smile tugged at his lips, like he wanted to say something but remembered we weren’t talking.
"Hey, Kay," Marco called out. "How’s the water? Cold? I was thinking of going for a swim today, but I’ve got a date with Jamie tonight."
"Errr… the water’s a little chilly. How’s Jamie doing, anyway? I haven’t seen him in a while," I asked, my tone a bit stiff.
As soon as I said it, I understood why I hadn’t seen him. Marco hadn’t invited Jamie over because of his upbeat, cheerful energy. In Marco’s mind, Jamie probably didn’t fit with my gloomy presence.
I noticed a flicker of embarrassment and guilt on his face. He spread his hands and mumbled, "Well, now that I’m living here with you and Adam, it’s kind of a longer drive for Jamie. And he’s really busy with work at the new agency. I didn’t want to bother him."
I sighed and walked past him, cutting the conversation short before he had to make more excuses. We all knew the truth. My mourning and depression had changed the trajectory of a lot of things in my family.
"Okay. Tell him I said hi."
With both Rain and Marco watching me, I headed inside. Yeah… that was another thing that weighed on me.
This house belonged to Adam. The place Maurice and I had lived before was now being rented out. And Marco had moved in here to help Adam take care of me. Both of them had basically hit pause on their lives to support me.
Marco had met Jamie a few months ago, but hadn’t really had a chance to build that relationship because of everything that happened. Adam was single and had thrown himself completely into looking after me too. He wasn’t even trying to meet anyone, and his social life had stalled.
It gnawed at me. My brothers had given up so much just to be there for me through this mourning period. Even bringing Rain here had been for my sake, out of concern.
Of course, I was deeply grateful. I couldn’t ask for better brothers, but realizing all that just made me feel even guiltier and heavier, adding to my depression, creating some sick, vicious circle of feeling bad for them, for myself, and then for them again. A madhouse.
Later that day, Rain brought me a meal, which I ate in silence. It was our small ritual in those last days. He stood on the balcony, looking out over the lake, as always clearly enjoying the view.
I set the tray aside and picked up my tablet. I was finishing a sketch for an elegant house with big windows, something my boss had requested a few days ago.
I worked part-time for an architectural firm, doing design sketches, floor plans, and artistic visualizations. I also did 3D renderings.
After a while, Rain came back into the room, ready to grab the tray, but hesitated when he passed the bed. I watched him from under half-lowered eyelids, taking in his tall, athletic figure, almost no body fat on him.
Even with a T-shirt on, you could see the definition in his stomach, like it had been sculpted. Naked, he looked like a textbook example of male beauty: broad shoulders, defined chest, narrow hips. Watching him was definitely a pleasure, though I tried not to make it obvious. No need to give him any ideas.
Rain rubbed his chin. I could tell he was wrestling with something. Then he finally said, "I hope this isn’t too much to ask, but… could you show me that sketch? I caught a glimpse of it, and it looked really good."
Our eyes met. There was no agenda in his expression, just genuine curiosity. This wasn’t a trick to drag me into conversation, so it put me at ease.
Without saying a word, I turned the tablet so he could see it. He leaned in, studying the drawing.
It gave me a good excuse to study him up close. Those silvery eyes… and ridiculously long eyelashes of his! I remembered a photo Adam once showed me of Rain’s omega dad. That sweet little curve in his upper lip? Definitely inherited. It gave his whole face a kind of gentle charm. I zoned out a little, just staring at those soft, full lips and wondering what if—
Suddenly, he looked up at me, and our eyes locked. We didn’t usually stare at each other this closely. I felt a blush creep up my cheeks, completely against my will.
"You’re really talented," he said. "Your lines are so fluid, really artistic. You’ve got a gift."
