Chapter Nine- MIAN
1765 Words
I was a married man.
That thought still felt strange.
I was twenty-four years old, a doctor, and as of a few hours ago, I was somebody’s husband.
But as I stood inside the enormous Sullivan estate that evening, I realized something else.
I didn’t know what home was anymore.
I had never been inside this house.
I had no idea where anything was.
So I turned toward Rex.
“Where’s Kai’s room?”
Rex looked at me for a moment before answering.
“Upstairs. I’ll show you.”
I nodded.
I followed him upstairs with Kai in my arms.
The moment we reached the bedroom, Kai immediately started talking.
“Daddy, this is my room!”
I smiled.
“I can see that.”
He had toys everywhere.
Books lined one side of the room.
There were drawings taped to the wall, stuffed animals on his bed, and little cars scattered across the floor.
It looked like a child’s room.
A real child’s room.
And somehow, that made my chest ache.
This was his little world.
I helped him change out of his clothes and into his pajamas.
“Arms up.”
He lifted his arms.
I pulled the shirt over his head.
Then I helped him get comfortable beneath the blankets.
But he wasn’t sleepy.
He was just lying there, staring at me.
“What?”
He smiled.
“Daddy.”
“Yes, baby?”
“Thank you for being here.”
I froze.
“I’m really glad you’re home.”
My heart tightened.
I had been married for less than twenty-four hours.
And this little boy was already thanking me for coming home.
I hadn’t even realized how much that word meant to him.
Home.
I smiled and gently brushed his hair away from his forehead.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
He smiled.
Then he closed his eyes.
I waited until his breathing became steady before leaving the room.
When I stepped outside, Rex was standing in the hallway.
He was simply watching me.
Neither of us spoke for several seconds.
I wasn’t going to pretend.
I knew why I had married him.
I hadn’t married Rex because I wanted him.
I had married him because I wanted Kai.
But that didn’t mean I was going to treat Rex badly.
He was my husband now.
Whatever that meant.
I didn’t know what a husband was supposed to do in a marriage like ours.
There was no romance.
No courtship.
No history.
But I knew one thing.
I wasn’t going to make Kai feel like his family was broken before it had even started.
So I asked,
“Where’s our room?”
Rex looked surprised.
“Our room?”
“Yes.”
“I thought you might want another room.”
“I probably would.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“But I’m not going to.”
“Why?”
I looked toward Kai’s bedroom.
“I don’t want to confuse him.”
Rex didn’t say anything.
“I don’t want him wondering why his parents sleep in separate rooms.”
I looked back at him.
“He needs stability.”
I took a breath.
“I don’t know where this marriage is going, Rex. I don’t know what we’re going to become.”
His eyes stayed on mine.
“But I know what I want for Kai.”
“What?”
“A proper home.”
My voice softened.
“A safe one. A warm one. A home where he doesn’t have to question whether his parents want him.”
Something flickered across Rex’s face.
I didn’t know what it was.
Pain, perhaps.
Or guilt.
But I didn’t push.
I simply followed him toward our bedroom.
⸻
When I entered, I noticed my suitcase immediately.
It was already there.
“Your brother arranged everything,” Rex said. “Your clothes are in the closet.”
I nodded.
“Thank you.”
I walked into the bathroom.
After a quick shower, I changed into a two-piece pajama set, long sleeves and long pants.
When I came out, Rex was already sitting on the bed.
His eyes moved over me briefly before he looked away.
I didn’t think much of it.
I walked toward the bed.
And just as I settled beneath the covers—
Knock. Knock.
I looked toward the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened slowly.
Kai stood there.
His blanket was wrapped around his body.
His pillow was tucked beneath one arm.
He looked sleepy.
“Daddy?”
I immediately sat up.
“What’s wrong?”
He looked toward Rex.
Then back at me.
“Can I sleep with you tonight?”
I looked at Rex.
I wasn’t going to make that decision without him.
Rex stared at his son for a moment.
Then he looked at me.
He gave a small nod.
Permission.
I smiled.
“Of course, baby. Come here.”
Kai immediately climbed onto the bed.
He crawled beneath the blanket and settled against my chest.
I wrapped my arms around him.
His tiny body relaxed almost immediately.
“Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for letting me sleep here.”
I kissed his forehead.
“Of course, baby.”
I pulled the blanket higher around him.
“You can sleep here whenever you want.”
He smiled.
Within minutes, he was asleep.
I looked down at him.
Then I looked across the bed.
Rex was watching us.
He didn’t say anything.
Neither did I.
Eventually, I closed my eyes.
And somehow, the three of us fell asleep.
⸻
The next morning, I woke to a tiny voice.
“Daddy.”
I opened my eyes.
Kai was sitting beside me.
“Daddy, good morning!”
I smiled.
“Good morning, baby.”
He grinned.
“Wake up!”
I laughed.
“Give me five minutes.”
“No.”
He pulled my blanket.
I laughed again.
“Okay, okay. I’m awake.”
Breakfast was already prepared when we went downstairs.
Rex was dressed and ready for work , although it was the weekend.
He sat beside me at the table.
Rex sat across from us.
Kai was talking almost nonstop.
“Daddy, after breakfast, I’m going to show you the whole house.”
“The whole house?”
“Yes!”
He looked extremely proud.
“We have a movie theater.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“A movie theater?”
“Yes!”
“And?”
“We have a swimming pool.”
“Really?”
“And a game room.”
“Wow.”
“And Daddy has a really big office.”
He lowered his voice dramatically.
“It’s scary.”
I laughed.
“Is it?”
“Yes.”
I looked at Rex.
He was quietly watching us.
Kai continued.
“And there’s a library.”
“A library?”
“Yes.”
He looked at me proudly.
“I know everything about the house.”
I smiled.
“I can tell.”
He was incredibly smart.
So I asked,
“What grade are you in?”
“Grade One.”
I blinked.
“You’re already in Grade One?”
He nodded.
“Yes, Daddy.”
Then he smiled proudly.
“I’m smart.”
I laughed.
“Yes, my baby is smart.”
He grinned.
“I’m very smart.”
“I believe you.”
⸻
Kai kept his promise.
He showed me everything.
The movie theater.
The game room.
The library.
The garden.
The pool.
The enormous kitchen.
The different sitting rooms.
He knew everything.
He knew which staff member worked where.
He knew where the snacks were kept.
He even knew which elevator went to which part of the house.
I was amazed.
“How do you know all this?”
He shrugged.
“I live here.”
I laughed.
“Fair enough.”
Later, we went into his room.
I sat on the floor with him while he showed me his books.
I started going through them.
Schoolbooks.
Storybooks.
Exercise books.
I looked at his work.
His handwriting.
His grades.
His reading level.
I wanted to know everything.
Where was he excelling?
Where was he struggling?
What did he enjoy?
What did he dislike?
What did he need help with?
I wasn’t going to simply move into his house and become his father’s husband.
I was going to be his parent.
That meant knowing his school.
His teachers.
His routines.
His interests.
His fears.
Everything.
I wasn’t going to wait for Rex’s permission.
I didn’t need it.
The moment I married Rex, I had accepted Kai as my son.
And I intended to act like it.
⸻
Later that afternoon, Rex introduced me to the head of the household staff.
“This is Mrs. Harper,” he said. “She oversees the house.”
She smiled warmly.
“It’s lovely to finally meet you, sir.”
“Please, call me Mian.”
She nodded.
“Mian.”
We spoke for nearly an hour.
She told me about Kai’s routines.
His meals.
His school schedule.
His favorite foods.
His bedtime.
His allergies.
The things he liked.
The things he didn’t.
The staff member he trusted most.
The things he was afraid of.
I listened carefully.
I asked questions.
Lots of them.
By the time we finished, I already had a mental list of things I wanted to change.
Not because the household was bad.
But because Kai needed more consistency.
More structure.
More attention.
I wanted to speak to his school.
I wanted to meet his teachers.
I wanted to understand his curriculum.
I wanted to know how he was performing academically.
I wanted to know if he had friends.
I wanted to know whether he was happy.
I wanted to know everything.
Because I wasn’t going to hold back.
Not when it came to him.
That night, as I stood outside Kai’s room and watched him sleep, I realized something.
I had entered this marriage because of a child.
But somewhere along the way, he had become more than the reason I had married Rex.
He had become my son.
And I would protect him.
I would love him.
I would show up for him.
I would make sure he never had to beg someone to stay.
Because if there was one thing I knew better than anyone, it was what happened when a child spent his entire life wondering whether he was enough.
Kai would never have to wonder.
Not while I was here.
I had chosen him.
And I wasn’t going to change my mind.
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