Yu's vision blurred with tears. His body curled tighter, trembling, every nerve screaming protect them, protect them. His hands wouldn't let go of his belly, clutching, anchoring, begging.
The taste of bile burned up his throat. His knees bit into the cold hardwood floor, only Adrian's arms locking around him kept him from collapsing completely.
'Don't take them… don't let them be hurt… please, not them…'
He could barely breathe, each gasp ragged, punctuated by the sharp tearing pain that rippled through his lower abdomen.
Adrian's voice was low, urgent, but steadier than Yu expected.
"Yu—look at me, breathe. You and the babies, you're going to be okay. I've got you."
His phone was already in one hand, thumb firing off the emergency code to his contacts while the other hand cradled the back of Yu's head, keeping him upright so as to not obstruct his airway.
"Ambulance is on the way. Stay with me, angel. Just hold on."
His grip was fierce, protective, his body a shield as he bent over Yu like he could block the entire world from reaching him.
Theo took one step forward, face pale with disbelief but eyes dark with something rawer—obsession twisting into desperation.
"You—you're really—actually… pregnant…"
His voice trembled before sharpening into demand.
"Who's the father?"
No answer. Only Yu's broken sobs.
Theo's voice rose, jagged as glass.
"Tell me! Yu—look at me!"
His shoes scraped the hardwood as he advanced, each step like a predator circling.
"Is it him?"
He jabbed a finger toward Adrian, his voice cracking under the weight of fury and fear.
"Callen Wright? Or was it someone else? Tell me whose child you're carrying!"
Theo's demand cut through the air like a whip, and Adrian's temper finally detonated.
"You arrogant bastard!"
Adrian roared, his voice raw, shaking with fury. His hand shot out, grabbing Theo by the collar and slamming him back against the wall so hard the framed picture beside it rattled.
"You want to know whose child it is? It's YOURS!"
Adrian's teeth were bared, spit flying, his voice edged with lethal rage.
"You forced him, you left him broken, and now you dare stand here demanding answers while he's bleeding and writhing in pain? This is on YOU, Kingsley!"
Theo's face drained of color, shock carving lines across his expression. His lips parted, but no words came—just stunned silence.
The Love-o-meter ticked up:
40 - 49
The sound of Adrian's shouting, the weight of Theo's presence, the pain tearing through his body—everything blurred, too much, too heavy.
Yu's cries hitched, breaking into gasps. His chest heaved, vision tunneling to black.
'My babies—don't let them—'
{CRITICAL ALERT! YOUR HOST IS IN IMMEDIATE DANGER! RECTIFY SITUATION, SYSTEM DK01, OR RISK TERMINATION.}
[Yu! Your stress is through the roof, and it's starting to put the babies at risk. They're in distress, and your panic is only making it harder for your body to cope. You need to slow your breathing and stay as calm as you can—right now, your steadiness is crucial for all of you.]
Yu whimpered, body trembling as he wishes to be in Adrian's arms again.
[Tsk! Dammit all! I'm inducing unconsciousness to protect the fetuses! Defense Protocol: Initiating.]
The world tilted, the pain abruptly distant. Yu's eyelids fluttered once, then closed. His entire body went limp, breath shallow but steady as his head fell against the floor.
Adrian froze, pinning Theo against the wall with one hand but quickly let go and rushed back to Yu's slumped form, clutching Yu with the desperation of a man having his whole world slipping away.
"Yu…?!"
His voice cracked, horror replacing rage as he realized the smaller man wasn't moving.
Theo stared too, shocked silent for a beat, eyes fixed on Yu's slack, fragile form.
The room went deathly still.
Adrian's fist knotted into the wool fabric of his borrowed sweater, his arms trembled as he supported Yu's limp weight. The contrast was unbearable—every inch of him itched to unleash his fury against Theo like a predator, yet he continued to cradle Yu like something fragile, precious, irreplaceable.
Theo's sharp eyes darted down at Yu's slack form, the swollen curve of his belly, and for a fleeting moment, even he seemed shaken, his voice caught in his throat. The air hung thick with everything unsaid:
Rage, terror, obsession.
Adrian's chest heaved, his jaw locked tight. He wanted to crush Theo right then and there, but Yu's faint, shallow breaths pressed against his arm kept him rooted.
Then—sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder.
Adrian jolted into motion, rushing past Theo with a violent shove. Theo stumbled, catching himself against the wall, eyes still glued to Yu being carried away.
Adrian barreled to the door just as paramedics rushed in, his voice hoarse, panicked.
"He passed out—pregnant—he hit the doorway hard, you have to help him!"
The paramedics moved fast, prying Yu from Adrian's arms onto a stretcher, checking vitals, slipping an oxygen mask over his face. One muttered,
"Pulse faint but steady. We need to move, now."
Adrian followed like a shadow, refusing to step more than a foot away. His hands were shaking, blood roaring in his ears.
He blamed himself. If he'd just gone to the door, if he'd just kept Theo out—if he hadn't shouted, hadn't escalated, maybe Yu wouldn't be unconscious now. The sight of Yu's small, pale hand hanging limp off the stretcher seared into him like a brand.
"Stay with me…"
Adrian whispered, more to himself than to the medics.
"Don't you dare leave me…"
The red strobe of ambulance lights bled over Theo's face as he stood frozen on the curb, the scent of roses still clinging faintly to his clothes. Yu was wheeled into the back, Adrian climbing in after him like a shield.
Behind them, Theo lingered in the doorway. His hands trembled, his expression unreadable—caught between fury and wonder.
A man. Pregnant. With his children.
He whispered, almost reverent, almost mad.
"My fiancée… carrying my heirs…"
Theo's lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile as the paramedics disappeared with Yu and Adrian into the ambulance.
The doors slammed shut, sirens wailed, and the vehicle sped off.
This wasn't over. Not by far.
Theo's hands trembled before they clenched into fists. He blinked once, twice—then moved, smooth and controlled. Slipping behind the wheel of his sleek black car, he ignited the engine and pulled into traffic. His eyes never left the flashing ambulance ahead.
He whispered to himself, low and sharp, almost a vow.
"Mine. You're mine."
---
The emergency ward was a blur of white lights, antiseptic sting, clipped voices. Adrian hovered so close over the stretcher that a nurse snapped at him to give them space, but he didn't budge. He walked beside Yu as monitors beeped and IV lines were threaded into his arm.
They moved him into a private room, curtains pulled, machines humming steady. Yu lay pale against the pillows, oxygen mask strapped to his face, sweat cooling on his brow.
Adrian sat at the bedside immediately, seizing Yu's limp hand in both of his, pressing it to his lips. His broad shoulders hunched, his suit wrinkled, his eyes rimmed red.
"I've got you…"
He whispered, voice shaking.
"Don't leave me. Please."
For a man who commanded entire rooms with his presence, Adrian now looked like something shattered—his whole world condensed to the faint rise and fall of Yu's chest.
…
Hours blurred. The quiet beep of the monitor became a rhythm Adrian clung to, his thumb rubbing over Yu's knuckles in steady circles.
The door creaked.
Adrian's head snapped up—and his blood ran hot.
Theo stood there. Composed, immaculate, eyes gleaming with a calmness that was more terrifying than any outburst. A bouquet of fresh roses rested in his arms, as if this were a lover's visit instead of something born from violence.
"Step aside."
Theo said, smooth, assured, as if the hospital room already belonged to him.
"I've come to tend to my fiancée."
The newly bought fresh roses dropped a faint perfume into the sterile air as Theo stepped further inside, each stride perfectly measured. His gaze didn't so much as flick toward Adrian at first; it lingered on Yu, unconscious, fragile in the bed.
Adrian rose slowly, his hand still locked around Yu's, eyes narrowing to slits. The tension in his body was wire-taut, his jaw clenched so tight it looked like it might shatter.
"Put that filth in the trash."
Adrian said low, his voice a growl kept barely under control.
"He doesn't need your poison here."
Theo turned his head at last, his lips curling faintly.
"And what he needs is you? A dog with delusions of romance? You cling like a parasite while he reaches for me."
They circled without moving, every word a blow.
Adrian's knuckles whitened around Yu's hand.
"You nearly killed him once already today. You slam him into a doorframe, made him bleed, and now you come here pretending to play the doting fiancé?"
His voice broke, then hardened again.
"You don't get to come near him. Not anymore… I should just kill you."
Theo tilted his head, his smile chilling.
"He accepted my ring. He accepted me. No matter what tantrum you throw, the world knows who he belongs to. And it isn't you."
The silence afterward was suffocating—just the beep, beep, beep of the monitor, Yu's frail breaths.
Adrian snapped.
He lunged across the narrow space, one hand fisting in Theo's lapel, shoving him back hard against the wall. The roses slipped from Theo's grip, scattering across the sterile floor in a spray of red.
"Say that again!"
Adrian snarled, his face inches from Theo's, spit sharp on his words.
"Say he belongs to you, and I'll put you in the ground!"
Theo didn't flinch. His smile only widened.
Adrian's grip on Theo's lapel was iron, knuckles pressed bone-white. Theo, even pinned, radiated that calm venom, smiling like the noose was around Adrian's neck and not his own.
"Do it."
Theo whispered, his voice soft but sharp enough to cut.
"Strike me, and everyone will see you for what you are: a thug. Unworthy of even touching him."
That was the spark.
Adrian's fist cocked back, his whole body vibrating with fury. He never landed it—Theo shoved his shoulder hard, breaking the stalemate, and suddenly they were locked in a vicious tangle. Adrian slammed Theo back again, Theo twisting and driving a sharp elbow into Adrian's ribs. The crash of a chair clattering across the floor jolted the entire ward.
The monitors spiked, Yu's heart rate beeped louder, shriller, a warning cry.
Nurses rushed in, shouting.
"Stop! You're in a hospital! Security!"
Two security guards barreled through the doorway just as Adrian managed to throw Theo off-balance, the two men nearly toppling onto Yu's bed. Hands grabbed them, dragging them apart, muscles straining as both men fought to lunge forward again, teeth bared like wolves.
"Let me go! He's dangerous—!"
Adrian roared.
"He's delirious!"
Theo snapped, his shirt rumpled, tie askew.
"I'm the only one Yu belongs to—!"
The guards shoved them toward the hall, nurses clustering to protect Yu, who stirred faintly in the bed but did not wake.
Just before they were hauled completely out, a nurse—frazzled, clipboard in hand—stepped in front of them. Her voice was sharp, commanding, cutting through the chaos.
"Wait! Stop. One of you needs to answer me right now. Who is the father? We need to update his OBGYN and move forward with his care."
The hallway fell into a stunned silence. The guards still gripped both men by the arms, muscles taut, but everyone froze, waiting.
Theo's eyes snapped to Yu's unconscious form, then back to Adrian. His voice rang first, cold and sure.
"I am."
Adrian jerked against the guards' hold, his own voice a thunderous counter.
"No. I am."
The words hung there, heavy, electric. The nurse blinked, clipboard poised midair. Even the guards hesitated, glancing between the two men.
Yu's heart monitor kept beeping, faster now, as if echoing the madness.
The claim hung between them like a blade.
Theo, his tie loosened, his polished mask fractured by rage, stood stiff and defiant. Adrian, eyes bloodshot, chest heaving, looked ready to tear through the guards if they'd let him. Both men's voices echoed in the nurse's head—two answers, one impossible truth.
The hallway air itself seemed to shrink, heavy, pressing. Even the guards stopped shifting, as though waiting for the next blow.
The nurse, however, did not flinch. She tightened her grip on her clipboard, straightened, and fixed them both with a steel-eyed glare.
"Enough!"
She snapped, her voice slicing through the frozen tableau.
"If neither of you can be honest, then neither of you will be updated on the patient's condition. I will not jeopardize his care with your egos. Until we know who the father is—and until I have the OBGYN's records—both of you are nothing more than visitors. And visitors can be banned."
Her words were clinical, absolute, the threat ringing like a gavel.
Theo's lips pressed into a thin line, eyes narrowing, his mind racing behind the icy mask. Adrian snarled low in his throat, pulling against the guards' arms, but the weight of the nurse's words pinned him too.
For a heartbeat, everything held—Yu's monitor beeped, steady but fragile, the only sound in the corridor.
And then the tension cracked, spilling toward chaos again—Theo leaning forward, voice silky and venomous.
"Ask him yourself when he wakes. He knows who he belongs to."
Adrian lunged against the guards, fire in his veins.
"Don't you dare—!"
The guards shoved them both back, barking warnings. Nurses scrambled to close Yu's door. The fragile cocoon of care had turned into a battlefield, with Yu lying unconscious at its center.
Security finally shoved the two men apart, forcing distance between their snarling faces. Adrian's tie was half torn loose, his shirt wrinkled from the scuffle, but his fury hadn't ebbed—it boiled in his chest, his voice breaking through the hospital's hum.
"You don't love him—you own him like a possession. And I won't let you!"
Theo, even with guards restraining him, managed a chilling calmness, lips curved into a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"You're mistaking devotion for ownership. The difference is—"
His gaze slid toward Yu's closed door, cold, obsessed.
"—he already chose me."
The guards barked at them both to keep quiet, but their words lingered like the aftershock of a storm. Adrian kept straining toward Yu's room, teeth clenched so hard they might break, while Theo let himself be led down the hall, every step measured, already plotting.
The hospital around them churned with chaos, but the real battleground was still behind the closed door—Yu, fragile and unaware, lying in the bed between them.
---
Darkness cradled Yu inside the void. No pain. No sound but the echo of his own heart.
And then—DK01's voice, clipped, clinical, faint as though coming through static.
"Stabilization successful. The babies are safe—their heartbeats are steady now. But your body went through significant strain… far more than it should have. The strain was severe, and keeping things from getting worse took more out of me than I'd like. My intervention cost was quite… excessive."
Yu wanted to respond, to ask, to beg, but he couldn't even move. The mental strain along with the physical pain was too much.
"With my energy depleted, I must enter standby mode to replenish. Until then… you are on your own."
A pause, a flicker in the void. Something almost tender beneath the machine's cold cadence.
"Good luck, Yu."
Then silence.
Yu drifted deeper, hollow and detached, abandoned even by the system tethered to his survival.
The silence stretched.
No DK01.
No warmth.
No touch.
Yu drifted, endless, as though he were unspooling thread by thread into nothingness. The usual hum of DK01's presence was gone—no flicker of screens, no clinical tone. Just him, swallowed by the dark.
He reached for something—anything—but his fingers closed on air. The emptiness pressed in until it felt like he was dissolving inside it. His chest ached with loneliness so sharp it was almost worse than the pain he'd fled.
'Is this what it feels like to be gone?'
The thought trembled, unmoored, and for one aching heartbeat he almost wished it would stay this way—quiet, empty, safe.
---
A sterile beep pulled him back. White light burned through his lashes. The soft resistance of a mattress cradled him instead of the void's endless dark.
Yu blinked, slow and heavy, until the blurred shapes resolved into a hospital room. Pale curtains. An IV bag dripping. Machines murmuring steady rhythms around him.
He shifted, wincing at the soreness deep in his belly, and lifted a trembling hand to his stomach. Three faint flutters answered him, reassuring but fragile. Tears pooled immediately.
The chair beside his bed was empty. No Adrian. No Theo. Not even Joy.
Just him, tangled in sheets that smelled faintly of disinfectant, caught in the aftermath of too much. His chest rose shakily, the loneliness from the void bleeding into this too-bright room.
He had survived.
The babies had survived.
But the silence was deafening.
Yu stayed still beneath the thin hospital blanket, clutching the edge in his fist as though it were the only anchor he had left. His breathing was shallow, uneven, each rise of his chest reminding him how close everything had come to unraveling.
The beeps of the monitor were the only sound, too loud in the silence. His hand pressed tighter against his stomach—seeking, needing that fragile reassurance again—and the faintest ripple of movement answered him. Relief stung his eyes. They were still here. He had almost lost them.
A sob stuck in his throat. He swallowed it down, terrified that if he let it out, the emptiness he had just escaped would swallow him whole again.
The door clicked softly. Yu turned his head just as it opened. Joy slipped inside, her face streaked with tears that hadn't fully dried. A nurse followed her, clipboard tucked under one arm.
"Yu…"
Joy's voice cracked. She covered her mouth, blinked hard, and forced herself to steady before hurrying to his bedside. Her hand hovered first—afraid of hurting him—before brushing gently over his wrist.
"What on earth happened? I was so scared—are you okay? Are the babies—?"
Her words trailed into sobs she tried to choke down. Yu could only stare, his lips trembling, unable to form an answer.
The nurse's professional calm cut through the moment. She checked the monitors, adjusted a drip, and finally looked between them.
"It's a miracle."
She said firmly.
"The babies and the patient are stable—for now. But it could have been fatal."
Her eyes shifted sharply to Yu.
"I need to know what happened. Every detail matters if we're to keep this from happening again."
The question hung heavy, pressing against Yu's fragile chest.
Yu's lips trembled as he tried to hold the words back, but Joy's eyes—wide, pleading, wet with fear—cut through every defense. His throat worked once, twice, before the flood broke.
"It was… Theo."
He whispered, voice raw and broken.
"He came to see me. He brought roses, medicine… I thought I could make him leave, but I got scared—Adrian was there too. They started fighting, yelling—"
His voice hitched. His hand tightened around the blanket.
"Theo grabbed me, he didn't mean to, but when he pulled me, my stomach hit the doorframe. The pain—"
Yu's eyes blurred with more tears as he broke off into quiet sobs.
"He knows now. He saw. He knows I'm pregnant."
Joy's whole body jolted, fury and fear colliding on her face. She pressed her hand firmly to Yu's, grounding him as the nurse kept her voice calm and steady.
"Thank you for being honest."
The nurse said firmly, jotting something on her clipboard.
"For your safety, and the safety of the babies, we need accurate records."
Her gaze sharpened.
"To put on file: who is the father? We'll need to loop him into updates, and to connect with your OBGYN so he can be informed as well. Incidents like this cannot repeat."
Yu froze, breath catching in his throat. The monitor beside him spiked with his heart rate as his entire body tensed under the weight of the question.
Joy's hand squeezed his, bracing him, urging him to say something—anything.