Chapter Seven-MIAN
1733 Words
I had expected my father to be angry.
I had expected questions.
Maybe even disappointment.
What I hadn’t expected was silence.
When I told him I was getting married, he simply stared at me across the dining table.
“You’re doing what?”
“I’m getting married.”
My father put down his glass.
“To whom?”
I hesitated.
“Rex Malakai Sullivan.”
For the first time, his expression changed.
He knew the name.
Everyone did.
“Rex Sullivan?”
I nodded.
“Why?”
“He asked me.”
My father’s brows drew together.
“And you said yes?”
“Yes.”
He leaned back in his chair.
“Mian, you’re twenty-four years old. You’re a doctor. You have a career. A future. Why would you marry a complete stranger?”
I didn’t answer immediately.
Because I couldn’t tell him the entire truth.
I couldn’t tell him I was marrying Rex because of Kai.
I knew my father.
He wouldn’t understand.
He would tell me I was being foolish.
He would tell me I was throwing my life away.
So I simply said,
“I’ve thought about it carefully.”
He stared at me.
“He’s an alpha.”
“I know.”
“You barely know him.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
I looked down.
“Because I believe it’s the right decision.”
My father sighed.
He didn’t look happy.
But eventually, he nodded.
“If you’re determined to do this, then invite him here.”
I looked up.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“With Kai?”
He hesitated.
“Yes.”
And that was how I found myself standing in my bedroom later that evening, staring at my reflection and wondering what exactly I was doing.
I was getting married.
To an alpha I had known for barely any time.
I had agreed to become part of his family.
I had agreed to move into his home.
I had agreed to help raise his son.
And somehow, the only thing that made sense to me was Kai.
Maybe that was enough.
⸻
The sound of a car pulling into the driveway pulled me from my thoughts.
I immediately knew who it was.
I walked downstairs.
Daniel was already standing near the living room.
“Are they here?”
I nodded.
My father was waiting in the dining room.
I reached the front door just as the car stopped.
The door opened.
Rex stepped out first.
Tall.
Broad.
Commanding.
He looked exactly like the man everyone described him to be.
But before I could even properly greet him, another little figure climbed out of the car.
Kai.
The moment he saw me, his entire face lit up.
“Doctor!”
He ran toward me.
I barely had time to open my arms before he crashed into them.
I laughed, catching him.
“Hey!”
“Doctor Mian!”
He wrapped his arms around my neck.
“I missed you!”
I smiled.
“I missed you too.”
He pulled back and looked at me seriously.
“How are you?”
I laughed.
“I’m fine. How are you feeling?”
“I’m good!”
“Really?”
He nodded enthusiastically.
“No fever.”
“That’s good.”
He smiled proudly.
“I took all my medicine.”
“Good boy.”
I kissed the top of his head.
Then I looked up.
Rex was standing there.
Watching us.
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
For a second, neither of us said anything.
Then I stepped aside.
“Come in.”
Rex nodded.
“Thank you.”
I picked Kai up again.
He immediately wrapped his arms around my neck.
“Your family is inside.”
“Okay.”
We walked toward the dining room.
⸻
My father was seated at the head of the table.
Daniel was beside him.
The moment we entered, my father stood.
“Rex Sullivan.”
“Mr. Laurent.”
They shook hands.
My father gestured toward the table.
“Please.”
Everyone sat.
Kai immediately chose the chair across from me.
I smiled.
“Sit properly.”
He giggled.
“I am.”
“You are half standing.”
He sat down properly.
Rex watched him quietly.
My father started the conversation.
“I’ve heard a great deal about you.”
Rex nodded.
“I’ve heard a lot about you too.”
My father smiled faintly.
“I saw what you did with Sullivan Holdings’ technology division.”
Rex’s expression changed slightly.
“You did?”
“Of course.”
They began discussing business.
I listened quietly.
Daniel occasionally joined the conversation.
For a while, everything felt strangely normal.
Then dinner arrived.
I served myself.
Then Kai started reaching for the chicken.
“Slow down.”
“I’m hungry.”
“I can see that.”
I cut his chicken into smaller pieces.
Then I placed some on his plate.
He smiled.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He immediately started eating.
A few minutes later, I noticed Rex looking at us.
He wasn’t eating.
He was simply watching.
I didn’t say anything.
I continued helping Kai.
“Vegetables.”
He frowned.
“I don’t want them.”
“You need them.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
He looked at me.
I looked back.
Eventually, he sighed.
“Fine.”
Daniel laughed.
“You’ve known him for two days and already have him trained.”
I smiled.
“I’m a pediatrician.”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“It helps.”
Across the table, Rex smiled faintly.
It was the first genuine smile I’d seen from him.
I looked away.
⸻
After dinner, my father leaned back.
“So.”
Everyone became quiet.
“What are your plans?”
I knew what he meant.
“The wedding.”
My father looked at Rex.
Rex opened his mouth.
I spoke first.
“Dad, I don’t want anything big.”
My father looked at me.
“I just want a courthouse wedding.”
Daniel frowned.
“That’s it?”
I nodded.
“That’s it.”
“You don’t want a big ceremony?”
“No.”
I smiled.
“I want something small. Intimate.”
I glanced at Rex.
“Just us.”
Daniel looked at me.
“Why?”
“Because we’re not doing this for hundreds of people.”
I shrugged.
“We’re doing it for us.”
My father studied me for a long moment.
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
He sighed.
“If that’s what you choose, then fine.”
I smiled.
“Thank you.”
Rex looked at me.
There was something unreadable in his expression.
I ignored it.
We continued discussing the details.
A courthouse.
A small dinner afterward.
No large ceremony.
No unnecessary attention.
No elaborate celebration.
Just a simple wedding.
And somehow, within an hour, we had chosen a date.
One week.
Seven days.
In one week, I would be married.
⸻
When they were finally leaving, I walked them to the door.
Rex opened the car door for Kai.
But before Kai got inside, he turned around.
“Doctor Mian.”
“Yes?”
He ran back to me.
Then he hugged me.
Hard.
I laughed softly.
“What’s wrong?”
He shook his head.
“Nothing.”
Then he looked up at me.
“Are you going to come live with us, Doctor?”
My heart squeezed.
I crouched down.
“Yes.”
His eyes brightened.
“When?”
“When the wedding is over.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
He smiled so brightly that I couldn’t help smiling back.
“I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay.”
He hugged me again.
Then he climbed into the car.
Rex stood beside the open door.
Our eyes met.
Neither of us spoke.
Then he nodded.
I nodded back.
The car pulled away.
I watched until it disappeared down the street.
⸻
That night, I went upstairs.
I changed into my pajamas and sat on the edge of my bed.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
I stared at my hands.
In one week, I would be married.
I would leave this house.
Leave my father’s home.
Leave behind the life I had always known.
I would move into the home of a man I barely knew.
I would become the husband of Rex Malakai Sullivan.
And I would become part of Kai’s life.
I should have been terrified.
Maybe I was.
But the thought of Kai calling for me made something warm settle inside my chest.
I remembered the first time I saw him.
The fever.
The tears.
The way he had called for his father.
The way he had held onto me when he saw me tonight.
That connection hadn’t disappeared.
If anything, it had grown stronger.
I didn’t understand it.
I didn’t know why a five-year-old child could make me feel so protective after only two days.
But perhaps I didn’t need to understand everything.
Maybe some connections didn’t need explanations.
I lay back on my bed.
Was I really giving up my life for a child I had just met?
Yes.
The answer came without hesitation.
I was.
And strangely enough, I wasn’t afraid anymore.
Because I knew what it felt like to be blamed for something you couldn’t control.
I knew what it felt like to grow up wondering whether you were unwanted.
I knew what it felt like to chase a parent’s love.
And I refused to let Kai become another version of me.
His mother’s death wasn’t his fault.
He deserved to know that.
He deserved to grow up without carrying someone else’s grief on his shoulders.
He deserved someone who stayed.
And if becoming that person meant marrying Rex Sullivan…
Then so be it.
I closed my eyes.
One week.
In seven days, my life would be completely different.
But for the first time, I wasn’t thinking about what I was losing.
I was thinking about what I could give.
A home.
A family.
And perhaps, eventually, a father who would finally learn how to love his son.
I smiled faintly.
Yes.
I was going to do it.
I was going to marry Rex.
For Kai.
And somehow, deep inside me, I already knew I wouldn’t regret it.
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