Against All Odds

Chapter Nineteen

"Milo!" my Oma exclaims, pushing past Ollie and hurrying over to me. "Why haven't you been answering our calls? We were worried!"

She pulls me into a tight hug, and shooting Ollie a wide-eyed look, I hesitantly wrap my arms around her. My Oma has always been extravagant, not afraid to speak her mind. All in all, she is the complete opposite of my Ama, who walks quietly into the house, shaking Ollie's hand after she closes the door.

"Life has been a little hectic, Oma," I say, which isn't too far from the truth.

"When Nico told us what happened, I knew right away that we needed to come see you," she says, pulling me over to the couch. Her hands come up to smooth away the hair from my face. "You must be heartbroken, with Aaron being gone. But don't worry, sweetheart, we'll help you get him back."

My lips purse as I pull away from her, already tired of being touched. "Oma, I don't want to get back together with Aaron. We weren't right for each other." She doesn't need to hear the nitty-gritty details.

"What are you talking about? You two were perfect together. He was always so patient with you, letting you finish school before getting married and starting a family."

Oma has always loved Aaron from the moment she met him. They are similar with their traditionalist ideals, not liking anything that strays from societal norms. Ama has always stayed silent, always just quietly agreeing with her wife, which is just as hurtful as the words Oma uses.

"Helen, let's not pester him," my Ama says, sitting down in the recliner. With all the seats taken, Ollie is left standing, something that was obviously done on purpose. He doesn't let it get to him, though. Instead, he bustles into the kitchen, bringing back a fresh pot of coffee and some cookies.

"Oma, he left me because I am infertile. I don't want to be with someone who sees me as defective." Oh well, there went my plans of not sharing too much with her.

Her eyes narrow considerably, and I brace myself. I know that look. It is the one I am most used to. The one that usually comes with a cutting remark hidden behind a compliment. Oma has always been a master at those.

"You don't look infertile to me, sweetheart." Her eyes fall down to my stomach before rising to meet mine, a skeptical brow raised. "Does your husband know that you're pregnant with his child."

Her words have me physically recoiling, my hand dropping down to my stomach as I bite back an equally cutting remark. Instead, I take a few steady breaths, not meeting her eyes until I am sure that I have control over myself. "They are not his children." She opens her mouth to speak, obviously wanting to berate me. "And the reason I thought I was infertile was because he was slipping me suppressants, dangerous ones that my doctor said could have caused me to stroke when in combination with the fertility treatments I was taking at the time. So, no. I do not plan on getting back together with an alpha who was so desperate to not have children with me that he risked my life."

Taking a deep breath, I push myself up from the couch. "I think the two of you should leave."

"Milo!" Oma says, her mouth dropped open in shock.

Ama is the one to stand up, not saying a word as she grabs my Oma's hand and pulls her out of the house. Oma complains the entire time, clearly not happy with not being able to speak her mind.

The sound of the door closing rings throughout the house, sounding unnaturally loud. It has me flinching, my arms wrapping around my stomach as I collapse back onto the couch, eyes falling closed. While the words are new, the intent behind them is not. Despite this, I can't help but hurt from Oma's remarks and Ama's quietness.