3 Paths to Love

Chapter 56

Dr. Seojin pulled back and removed her gloves. "Don't worry. It's a false alarm," she said and walked over to the sink, washing her hands. "They're Braxton hicks contractions. Your body's just practicing."

Taeyong gnawed at the inside of his cheek and nodded. "Oh, I see," he muttered. He lowered his shirt and squeezed Daehyun's hand to sit up, groaning.

"Thank you for seeing us anyway," Daehyun said as he helped Taeyong to his feet, gently rubbing his back. Taeyong closed his eyes and leaned into his touch. The cold sweat on his neck sent shivers down his spine.

"Mr. Park?"

Taeyong snapped his head up. "Hm?" he asked as both of them watched him. "Sorry, I didn't catch that," he said with a sheepish grin.

"I just asked how preparations are at home. Mr. Kim tells me the nursery's finished and your parents will be helping you for the first month or so."

Taeyong nodded. "Exactly," he said and smiled up at Daehyun. "Everything's perfect," he added, the words leaving a sour after-taste.

The moment the car pulled out of the parking lot, Taeyong sighed heavily and dropped his head back, pressing his fingers against his dark circles. His body felt like a million bricks, every limb limp. He rolled his head to the side and stared out the window, the streets now filled with people going to work. Where they should be now.

There was no way he could go to the cafe, not in this state. Usually, Seunghyeon and Myungsuk would step up without a fuss, but...

"Hey," Daehyun said gently. He placed his hand on Taeyong's thigh. "Take deep breaths."

Taeyong rolled his head to face him and sniffed. The car soaked in his anxious pheromones. He blinked at Daehyun, who subtly covered his nose and cleared his throat. Another wave of pain washed over him.

"Oh! Sorry!" He scrambled to lower his window, grimacing at the blast of frigid air. The gust vortexing against his eardrums. Taeyong yelped and slapped his hands over his ears.

"Taeyong!" Daehyun scolded. A moment later the window was closed and the car fell silent. The pheromones that were aired out were quickly replaced.

Gulping, Taeyong stared at his lap, waiting. His head spun in a mess, he was all over the place. Even his body couldn't tell when it was time. Taeyong closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around his bump. Would he be told off or scolded or hated? All Taeyong knew was that wouldn't be able to handle it. Not from the only person left.

The silence stretched out until they merged onto the highway. Then, Daehyun reached out and took his hand. "Don't open the window. It's too cold," he said, calmly.

Taeyong merely hummed and they fell silent once more. Daehyun brought Taeyong's hand up to his lips and kissed the knuckles before lacing their fingers together.

"We'll get through this," Daehyun said, pressing Taeyong's hand to his chest. "Trust me."

Taeyong stared at him, a lump lodged in his throat. Daehyun had so much strength to give and Taeyong deserved none of it.

Wiping his blurry eyes, Taeyong took in a shaky breath. "Myungsuk still hasn't come out of his room," he whispered. Daehyun hummed in acknowledgement.

It had been three days since the incident. Every day Taeyong left food by Myungsuk's door and would find it cold and untouched hours later. He tried speaking to him but the door was locked and his phone unanswered. Last night they bumped into each other in the kitchen, and Taeyong couldn't get a word in before Myungsuk's shock expression shifted to cold, resentful disdain.

Taeyong pressed his hand over his mouth, muffling his whimper and shook his head. Myungsuk's expression played in his head over and over all night, he'd break if he kept thinking about it. But if not that, then his mind drifted to Seunghyeon.

His chest grew cold and he squeezed Daehyun's hand. He hadn't heard from Seunghyeon for three whole days. The worst part was that if Taeyong had kept his stupid mouth shut, Seunghyeon wouldn't have left in the first place.

Taeyong sniffled and wiped his eyes with the edge of his sleeve. "I don't know what to do. Where do I even start?" he asked, turning to Daehyun.

Daehyun continued looking ahead without saying anything for a moment. Taeyong grimaced, already knowing his words before he spoke. "You could speak to Insoo," Daehyun said.

Taeyong tsked and turned away. "I can't," he muttered, gritting his teeth. "I stand by what I did."

"Taeyong," Daehyun sighed and shook his head. "I don't understand what makes you think he's a bad person."

"I'm not about him!" Taeyong scowled. "It's his family."

Daehyun shot him a look before focusing back on the road. "He's his own person, Taeyong."

"Is he?" Taeyong snapped and sat up, huffing. "If he couldn't even stand up to me to defend his relationship with Myungsuk, how can he stand up to his father? To his family?" Taeyong glared at Daehyun. "You know his father. You know how he is. He would stop the whole thing if he found out about them—"

"—Do you think I care?" Daehyun shouted.

Taeyong gasped and held his breath.

Daehyun sighed. "I don't care about a stupid contract. Besides, his company needs it more than I do," he said before glancing over. "And what did he expect to say to you? You are Myungsuk's brother. Was he supposed to yell at you and scream from the rooftop that he loves Myungsuk? Is that what you wanted?"

Taeyong bit down on his lip and scrunched up his nose. "Of course not. But, he's from an Alpha-only family. If they stay together, Myungsuk will be fighting that family all alone."

Daehyun brought the car to a stop at the red light. "He's not alone," he said, turning to face Taeyong. "We're still here."

Taeyong gaped at Daehyun, his mind coming to a sudden halt. He searched Daehyun's face for any wavering or lies. But there wasn't. Because it was true. Taeyong gulped as Daehyun turned back to the road and continued driving, silently.

"Jaejin's family is different from us," Daehyun continued calmly. "And Insoo is nothing like Hyunwoo."

Taeyong closed his eyes and sighed. He imagined Hyunwoo and Insoo side by side. The way Hyunwoo gloated about his endeavours contrasted with Insoo hiding his tears with his hands. He remembered the fights Jaejin would have with his mother and the awful words they'd say to each other. That never happened between them, not even close.

"Still," Taeyong breathed out. "What about Insoo's family?"

"If we're there for Myungsuk, we'll be there for Insoo too," Daehyun said and rubbed his thumb over Taeyong's hand. "You've done it for me," Daehyun confessed, cracking a smile. "And we'll do it again."

Taeyong breathed out a chuckle and his eyes teared up. "That's true," he muttered. He brought their laced hands up to his lips and kissed Daehyun's fingers, taking in his calming, deep pheromones. The back of his nape tingled, but his heart still ached.

"Gods," Taeyong sighed, pressing their hands to his forehead. "I'm so stupid. How am I going to fix this?" How was he supposed to apologize to Myungsuk when he wouldn't look at him and Seunghyeon when he couldn't reach him?

"I'll talk to them first," Daehyun said, brushing his fingers against Taeyong's skin. "I'll get them to at least talk to you."

Taeyong pressed his lips together. "You know they'll want to hear it from me first."

Daehyun nodded. "I know. But they refuse to talk to you, so we'll try another way."

"What if it doesn't work and they both get even more pissed?" Taeyong asked.

Daehyun shrugged. "We'll never know unless we try," he hummed.

Taeyong took a deep breath and nodded. He held their hands to his chest and leaned back. They were putting in an awful lot of faith in each other. But sometimes, that's all you can do.