Kayden

"Absolutely fucking not. There is no way in hell I am letting you stay here," Rhys disagreed immediately, his eyes widening in pure disbelief as he pointed a sharp finger toward the entrance. "I am not letting you stay here."

Raymond dropped to his knees right there on the floor, reaching out and grabbing Rhys’s leg. "We have always been at odds against one another. Can’t we just become good brothers, Rhys? You and I never did things that brothers do, and I want to get to know you."

"You think I don’t know what games you are playing?" Rhys scoffed.

He crouched down to Raymond’s level, his face twisting with rage as he grabbed Raymond by the collar of his shirt, hauling him up. "I know grandfather sent you here to spy on us! Tell me, what the hell did he promise you to agree to this? Tell me!" Rhys demanded, tightening his hold around Raymond’s neck until Raymond’s breath caught. "Did he promise to put you on the team if you came here and spied on us?"

Raymond choked, his face flushing as he shook his head frantically. "That’s... that’s not what happened. I am not here because of grandfather," he struggled to speak, clawing weakly at Rhys’s hands. "I truly wanted to get to know you as my brother."

From across the room, Miller finally spoke up in a calm tone. "Rhys, the boy doesn’t seem to harbor any ill feelings. Why not let him stay if he wants to? You never know, you both could be great brothers together and—"

"Hell no!" Rhys yelled, cutting him off without looking back.

I let out a low groan, pressing my palm against my forehead as the shouting started to get to me. My skin felt flushed and feverish, a sudden wave of exhaustion hitting me so hard that I had to sit down heavily on the couch.

I understood both of them, honestly. They had been at odds since the very beginning. Rhys hated Raymond because Raymond had taken all the attention and privilege growing up, and Raymond had hated Rhys because of whatever lies Linda had probably fed him over the years. They were both victims of a messed-up family, but the real enemies here were their grandfather, their father, and especially Linda.

"I am not letting you stay here no matter what, Raymond Calder," Rhys growled.

"But I have nowhere else to go, Rhys Calder! Can’t you just spare a room for your brother here?"

"Hell no! Take your luggage and get the hell out of here. I see right through you, and trust me, it’s not going to work," Rhys retorted angrily, his chest heaving. "There is no way I am letting you stay here."

Raymond groaned in frustration, realizing he wasn’t getting anywhere with Rhys. He turned his eyes toward me, his expression softening into worry. "How about you, Kayden? You... are you alright?"

As soon as he finished saying this, Rhys’s attention snapped completely toward me. He instantly let go of Raymond’s collar and rushed to my side. He grabbed my hand, his brow furrowing deeper the moment his skin brushed mine. He began rubbing my hand gently, his anger flipping into pure panic. "You are burning up. Your temperature is way too high. That’s it, I am going to call Leo."

I turned my head slightly toward Miller, trying to read his expression, but his face was a stoic mask, completely devoid of any emotion.

"You can call Leo if you want to," Miller said quietly, his voice neutral. "Don’t stop yourself because of me."

I heaved a deep, ragged sigh and looked back at Raymond, who was still staring at me with deep confusion and growing suspicion. The absolute last thing I wanted was for him to find out about my pregnancy.

"Raymond, I know you want to get to know us," I started, but a sudden, violent shiver racked my entire body, cutting my words short.

Seeing me shiver like that got Rhys acting purely protective. Without a second thought, he pulled me tightly into his arms, wrapping his warmth around me.

A moment later, he began releasing his soothing pheromones, filling the living room with the thick, comforting scent of pine to help ground my racing pulse.

"You need to leave, Raymond," Rhys said, his tone no longer screaming, but dangerously low and commanding. "Kayden is not fine. You need to go. Now."

Raymond looked between us, seeing the state I was in, and finally nodded. "Okay. Okay, I’ll go," he agreed softly, backing away toward his luggage.

He looked at me one last time. "I hope you get better, Kayden."

"I promise... I’ll invite you back once I feel better," I managed to say through my chattering teeth, trying to offer him a small reassurance.

Raymond nodded gratefully, picked up his bags, and finally left the apartment, closing the door behind him.

The moment the door clicked shut, Rhys pulled out his phone and dialed Leo’s number.

It only took two rings before Leo picked up.

"Leo, Kayden is not fine," Rhys said immediately, his voice tight. "He’s burning up with a fever, and he’s been throwing up."

On the other end of the line, Leo let out a heavy, stressed sigh. "What happened?"

Rhys quickly explained the sudden wave of sickness and how fast the fever had spiked.

Leo paused for a moment on the phone before speaking. "Alright, I’m on my way. Just try to keep him cool."

While we waited, Rhys did absolutely everything he could to lessen my fever. He rushed to get a damp cloth, gently pressing it against my forehead and neck, his hands trembling slightly as he tended to me.

My body ached all over, the fever making me feel trapped in a restless, suffocating heat, but I hated seeing him look so terrified.

"I’m fine, Rhys," I murmured weakly, leaning my head back against the couch. "Don’t worry so much. I’m fine."

"You’re not fine, Kayden, your skin is scorching," he muttered, adjusting the cloth with an anxious frown.

It didn’t take long before the front door opened and Leo arrived. He hurried into the room, checking my pulse and assessing my temperature.

"Morning sickness is completely normal during the early stages," he began to explain, trying to calm Rhys down. But then his expression turned grim as he looked over my chart and thought about my medical history.

Leo sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "there is no way to know if everything is truly alright until you take another proper scan. My friend is arriving on Monday and until then, you need to rest and keep your stress levels at zero."

After Leo finished checking my temperature one last time, Rhys leaned in close, his face pale with anxiety. "What should I do? What do I need to do right now?" he demanded, practically vibrating with nervous energy. "Is the baby going to be fine? Is Kayden going to be fine?"

Leo let out a long, exhausted sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Rhys, calm your nerves down. Panicking is not going to help him." Shifting into his usual pragmatic medical tone, Leo crossed his arms and began rattling off instructions. "You need to focus on mitigating any hyperthermia to prevent embryonic distress. Administer a lukewarm sponge bath—absolutely no cold water, as that will induce shivering and elevate his core temperature further. Keep him hydrated with small, frequent sips of an isotonic electrolyte solution to counteract the fluid loss from emesis, and monitor his vitals every two hours. If his temperature exceeds thirty-eight point five degrees Celsius, you call me immediately."

Rhys groaned loudly, gripping his hair in sheer frustration. "I don’t understand a single word of what you just said! Speak English!"

Leo snapped, his patience wearing thin as he yelled back, "Keep him cool, give him water, and call me if he gets hotter! Is that simple enough for you?"

Rhys muttered a defensive response, but finally nodded, clearly memorizing the simplified version.

Leo adjusted his jacket, his expression flattening. "I am leaving now," he announced, turning toward the door.

"See Miller before you leave, Leo!" I shouted from the bed, my voice raspy loud enough for him to hear. "I know you also came here for that."

Leo froze, his back stiffening. He didn’t turn around as he tried to deny it. "I came here strictly to check on your medical condition, Kayden. Don’t project your theories onto me."

"Stop pretending," I countered, leaning forward despite the dull throb in my head. "For someone who is usually so perfect, your clothes look completely mismatched today. And look at the bags under your eyes." I let out a heavy breath, my tone softening just a bit. "Look, I won’t get involved in your business. It’s your own issue to fix. But I don’t want to see you looking this miserable."

"I am not miserable," Leo stated flatly, his voice tight.

"Oh, shut up!" I yelled at him, losing my temper for a second before letting out a tired sigh. "Just let go of your ego for once, Leo. Stop pushing everyone away, especially someone like Miller, who actually loves you."

Leo’s shoulders tensed, his posture turning entirely defensive. "I don’t care."

I threw my hands up in defeat, the exhaustion of the morning finally crashing down on me. "You know what? Fuck you. Do whatever the hell you want. But just know that if you keep pushing away the people who actually care about you, you will definitely regret it."

Leo said absolutely nothing. He didn’t defend himself, he didn’t look back at the room and closed the door behind him.

The moment the door clicked shut, the anger drained out of me, leaving behind a heavy, painful ache in my chest.

Tears burst from my eyes, hot and fast, blurring my vision. "I did my best," I choked out, my voice cracking as a sob escaped me. "I really did my best."

Rhys immediately sat down beside me, pulling me into a tight, fierce hug. He tucked my head securely against his shoulder, letting his pine scent wash over me again to soothe my ragged breathing.

"I know you did, sweetheart," Rhys murmured softly, kissing the side of my head. "It’s left to them now. You did everything you could so just focus on yourself."

I sniffled against his chest, clutching at his shirt as I tried to let the warmth of his embrace quiet my racing thoughts.