Chapter Five-MIAN
1788 Words
Three days.
It had been three days since Kai had been discharged from the hospital.
Three days since I had last seen him.
And three days since Rex Sullivan had asked me to marry him.
I still couldn’t believe it.
Sometimes I wondered if the entire conversation had been some strange dream brought on by exhaustion.
But it wasn’t.
I remembered every word.
Then marry me.
I had been standing there in his office, staring at one of the most powerful alphas in the country while he asked me to become his husband.
Not because he loved me.
Not because we knew each other.
Not because there was some great romantic connection between us.
Because of his son.
Kai.
A five-year-old boy I had known for less than forty-eight hours.
And somehow, that little boy had managed to occupy my thoughts ever since.
I sat on my couch that afternoon, staring at the cup of tea in my hands.
It had gone cold.
I hadn’t noticed.
“Am I really thinking about this?”
I whispered.
Marriage.
I was twenty-four years old.
I had a career.
A future.
Plans.
I had spent my entire life working toward becoming the person I wanted to be.
Was I really considering throwing all of that away for a child I barely knew?
Was I really considering marrying a stranger?
An alpha I knew absolutely nothing about?
An alpha who was apparently feared throughout the business world?
Rex Malachi Sullivan.
Even the name sounded intimidating.
But every time I thought about him, I didn’t think about his company.
I didn’t think about his wealth.
I didn’t think about his reputation.
I thought about Kai.
That was the problem.
I couldn’t stop thinking about that little boy.
I could still remember his voice.
Daddy, please don’t leave me.
I’ll be good.
I’ll be quiet.
The words had stayed with me.
And I understood why.
Because I knew what it was like to grow up believing that something was wrong with you.
I knew what it was like to look at your father and wonder why he couldn’t love you.
I knew what it felt like to carry guilt that never belonged to you.
My father had spent my entire life making me feel responsible for my mother’s death.
I had been a baby.
I hadn’t chosen to be born.
I hadn’t chosen for her to die.
Yet somehow, I had carried that guilt.
For twenty-four years.
And now I was looking at another little boy who was walking toward the same fate.
Kai hadn’t killed his mother.
He hadn’t asked for her to die.
He hadn’t done anything.
But if his father continued to look at him through the lens of grief, Kai would grow up believing that he had.
And I knew exactly what that kind of childhood could do to a person.
It could make you spend your entire life chasing love you should have received freely.
It could make you believe that no achievement was ever enough.
It could make you question your own worth.
I didn’t want that for Kai.
But did that mean I should marry his father?
I didn’t know.
So I called Daniel.
⸻
“You want to do what?”
I winced.
Daniel’s voice was loud enough that I had to move the phone away from my ear.
“I said I’m considering it.”
“Considering it?”
“Yes.”
“Mian.”
I sighed.
“Daniel.”
“No.”
His answer was immediate.
“Absolutely not.”
I rubbed my forehead.
“I knew you were going to say that.”
“Because it’s insane.”
“It’s not insane.”
“You’re considering marrying a stranger.”
“Because of his son.”
“That’s even worse.”
I looked down.
Daniel continued.
“You cannot feel sorry for someone and marry them.”
“I don’t feel sorry for Rex.”
“Then why are you doing this?”
I didn’t answer.
Because I didn’t know.
Maybe I did feel sorry for Kai.
Maybe it was something else.
Something I couldn’t name.
“I don’t know.”
Daniel sighed.
“Mian, marriage isn’t something you do because you spent forty-eight hours with a sick child.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
His voice softened.
“You don’t know this man.”
“I know enough.”
“No, you don’t.”
He paused.
“Who is he?”
I hesitated.
“Rex Sullivan.”
Silence.
Complete silence.
“Daniel?”
“Rex Sullivan?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, my God.”
I frowned.
“What?”
“You mean Rex Malachi Sullivan?”
“Yes.”
Daniel laughed once, but there was no humor in it.
“Mian, that man is a beast.”
“A beast?”
“In the business world.”
He continued quickly.
“That man built his entire empire from nothing. He’s ruthless. He’s powerful. People don’t negotiate with Rex Sullivan. They negotiate because they’re afraid of what happens if they don’t.”
I sighed.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.”
Daniel’s voice softened.
“But that’s exactly my point.”
I leaned back.
“You don’t think I should do it.”
“No.”
He was quiet for a moment.
“But…”
“But?”
“I don’t know what you think.”
I smiled faintly.
“I don’t know either.”
“Then think carefully.”
I didn’t say anything.
Daniel continued.
“If you really want my opinion…”
“Go ahead.”
“You cannot marry a man for a child.”
“I know.”
“That’s crazy.”
“I know.”
“And you shouldn’t sacrifice your entire future for a child you barely know.”
That one hurt.
Because it was true.
Maybe.
Daniel sighed.
“Mian, you have a life.”
“I know.”
“You have a career.”
“I know.”
“You have dreams.”
“I know.”
“Don’t throw them away because you think you can save everyone.”
I closed my eyes.
That sentence stayed with me.
Because maybe that was what I was doing.
Trying to save Kai.
Trying to save him from becoming me.
Trying to protect him from a life of guilt that wasn’t his.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Please do.”
We ended the call.
I sat there for a long time.
⸻
That night, I couldn’t sleep.
I lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
Daniel’s words kept repeating in my head.
You cannot marry a man for a child.
You barely know him.
Don’t sacrifice your life.
I understood.
I really did.
But every time I closed my eyes, I saw Kai.
And then I saw myself.
A little boy standing in front of his father with an award in his hands.
Waiting.
Hoping.
Begging silently for approval.
I knew what that pain could become.
I knew what it could do to a child.
And I refused to let Kai carry a burden that didn’t belong to him.
His mother had died giving birth to him.
That was tragedy.
Not murder.
Kai hadn’t killed her.
He was innocent.
Just like I had been.
But my father had never allowed me to forget.
And I couldn’t stand the thought of another innocent child growing up believing he had destroyed his family.
Maybe I was being foolish.
Maybe I was being reckless.
Maybe Daniel was right.
But there was something I knew with absolute certainty.
I couldn’t walk away.
Not when I had already seen the pain in Kai’s eyes.
Not when I knew exactly what his future could look like.
Not when I had the opportunity to change it.
I sat up in bed.
The room was dark.
My heart was beating hard.
I reached for my phone.
Rex’s number was still in my contacts.
I stared at it.
For a long moment, my thumb hovered over his name.
Then I whispered to myself,
“This isn’t about you.”
It wasn’t.
It wasn’t about Rex.
It wasn’t about his money.
His reputation.
His power.
It wasn’t even about whether I liked him.
It was about Kai.
A little boy who deserved to grow up knowing that he was loved.
A little boy who deserved a home.
A little boy who deserved a father who would eventually learn how to be his father.
And maybe Rex couldn’t do that alone.
Maybe I couldn’t fix everything.
Maybe I couldn’t heal the relationship between them.
But I could give Kai someone who would stay.
Someone who would choose him.
Someone who would never make him believe that his existence was a mistake.
I looked down at my hands.
My decision settled quietly inside me.
I wasn’t marrying Rex because I pitied him.
I wasn’t marrying him because I was in love with him.
I wasn’t even sure I liked him.
I was marrying him because of a little boy.
Because Kai had done nothing wrong.
Because I knew what it was like to be blamed for something you couldn’t control.
And because I couldn’t allow another innocent child to carry that guilt for the rest of his life.
I picked up my phone.
My thumb pressed against Rex’s name.
The phone began ringing.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then—
“Hello?”
His voice was deep.
Calm.
Controlled.
I swallowed.
“Mr. Sullivan.”
There was a pause.
“Mian.”
He remembered my name.
“I’ve made my decision.”
Silence.
Then his voice changed.
“What decision?”
I took a breath.
“I’m going to marry you.”
The line went completely silent.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Rex finally asked,
“Are you sure?”
I looked toward the dark window.
No.
I wasn’t sure about anything.
But I was sure about Kai.
“Yes.”
Another pause.
“Why?”
I closed my eyes.
“Because your son deserves someone who stays.”
My voice softened.
“And I’m not going to let him spend his life paying for a tragedy he didn’t cause.”
Rex didn’t answer.
Neither did I.
But in that moment, my life changed.
I was twenty-four years old.
A doctor.
An omega.
A son still desperately searching for his own father’s approval.
And now…
I had just agreed to marry the most powerful alpha I had ever heard of.
A stranger.
A man I knew almost nothing about.
But I knew one thing.
His son needed me.
And I wasn’t going to leave him.
Not now.
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