Yan Yi had always been the type to wear his heart on his sleeve. At five months pregnant, his belly was a gentle swell beneath his loose sweaters, a visible sign of the miracle that had finally blessed their marriage. He spent his days in a haze of nesting instincts, arranging the nursery with soft pastels, reading baby books late into the night, and dreaming of the little one who would call him Papa.

Xiao Yan had been attentive, almost overly so, insisting Yan Yi rest, eat well, and avoid any stress.

“You’re my world,” Xiao Yan would say, his hands gentle on Yan Yi’s bump. “I will love you both with my life.”

Yan Yi cherished those moments. After six years of heartache, heat after heat yielding nothing, the whispers of “failure omega” echoing in his mind, this pregnancy was a blessing. He felt stronger, more complete. Xiao Yan’s love enveloped him like a cocoon, and Yan Yi basked in it, oblivious to the shadows lurking beneath.

But life had a cruel way of reminding him of his fragility.

It started with a phone call from his mother, her voice trembling on the other end.

“Yiyi, sweetheart. It’s your grandpa. He passed away this morning. A heart attack. We’re all devastated.”

The words hit Yan Yi like a physical blow. He sank onto the couch, one hand clutching his belly, the other gripping the phone. Grandpa, the stern but loving patriarch who had taught him to ride a bike, shared stories of the family’s rise to power, and always slipped him extra candies secretly, even supporting him in following his love despite upsetting his parents. Yan Yi had been closer to him than to his own parents. The old man had doted on him, calling him “my little star,” and Yan Yi had confided in him about his struggles in love and relationships.

“Keep patience, Yiyi,” Grandpa always said. “What’s yours will always be yours.”

Tears streamed down Yan Yi’s face.

“Mom, I want to come. For the funeral.”

“Of course, darling. But your condition… are you sure? It’s a long way.”

“I’ll be fine,” Yan Yi insisted, though his voice cracked. “I have to be there. Mom, please.”

He hung up and immediately dialed Xiao Yan. The phone rang once, twice, then voicemail.

“Yan Ge, it’s me. Grandpa passed away. I want to go home. Please call back.”

He sent a text, his fingers shaking.

Grandpa’s gone. I want to go. Come home please? I need you.

No response.

Yan Yi paced the living room, anxiety gnawing at him. Xiao Yan was probably in a meeting, always busy, building their empire. But this was family. Their family.

He tried again an hour later.

Voicemail.

Another text.

Yan Ge, please. I’m scared. I want to go home.

By evening, Yan Yi’s mother arrived to pick him up. She hugged him protectively, her eyes red-rimmed.

“Your father is barely holding up. And you… be careful with the baby, okay?”

Yan Yi nodded, wiping his tears.

“Yan Ge isn’t responding. Let’s leave first. He’ll come when he sees the text.”

The long drive to the Yan family estate was somber, the countryside blurring through Yan Yi’s tears. The estate was sprawling, filled with relatives and mourners. Incense burned, prayers chanted. Yan Yi knelt by the altar, placing flowers before Grandpa’s photo, his heart aching.

“Why now?” he whispered. “When I’m finally happy?”

His parents hovered, but Yan Yi’s eyes kept scanning the crowd for Xiao Yan.

No sign.

He checked his phone again.

No missed calls.

When he tried calling, it went straight to voicemail. Frustration mixed with grief.

“Yan Ge, where are you?”

The funeral rituals dragged on for hours. Yan Yi participated, his pregnant belly making every bow and kneel a challenge. Exhaustion weighed on him, but he pushed through.

Midway, his old friends approached.

Alex, the sharp-tongued investor. Mia, the socialite. Tom, the tech specialist. Now all business associates of Xiao Yan.

“So sorry about your grandpa, Yan Yi,” Alex said, tone laced with false pity. “Must be tough. Especially now.”

Yan Yi was already restless.

Mia sighed softly, exchanging glances with the others.

“Oh, waiting for Xiao Yan? Don’t. You know how he is. Work first. But at least now he sees you’re not the perfect omega everyone thought.”

Yan Yi blinked, tears cutting through his grief.

“What do you mean?”

Tom leaned in.

“Come on. After all these years, maybe he’s finally over you.”

The words stung like slaps. His omega instincts flared defensively.

“You’re not welcome here,” Yan Yi said, voice trembling but firm. “Leave immediately.”

He had always known their jealousy. Who would not want a rich, successful, handsome alpha? But he believed Xiao Yan had eyes only for him. That belief had been enough.

Until now.

“Yeah, that’s all you can do,” Mia rolled her eyes.

They walked away, leaving him shattered.

Yan Yi excused himself to a quiet room, collapsing into sobs. Grandpa gone. Xiao Yan absent. Now this harassment. The stress twisted in his gut, making him nauseous. He rubbed his belly gently.

“Papa loves you. We’ll be okay.”

But doubt crept in. Xiao Yan’s recent distance. His insistence on keeping Yan Yi away from his family for health reasons. Was it protection or control?

He called again.

Voicemail.

“Yan Ge, please come. I can’t do this alone. It hurts so much.”

No reply.

The next evening, Yan Yi returned to their villa. It felt hollow without Xiao Yan.

I’m home. When will you be back?

Hours later, Xiao Yan arrived, looking haggard.

Yan Yi met him in the foyer, anger and hurt spilling over.

“Where were you? I called you so many times. It was Grandpa’s funeral. You couldn’t even show up?”

Xiao Yan froze, guilt flashing in his eyes.

“Yan Yi, there was a work emergency. I couldn’t leave.”

“Bullshit!” Yan Yi shouted. “You promised to protect me. To be there. And when I needed you most?”

Xiao Yan stepped closer.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Don’t use excuses!” Yan Yi pushed him away. “Your associates said I was discarded. That you deserve better.”

Xiao Yan’s face paled.

“What? I’ll deal with them.”

“It’s not just them,” Yan Yi cried. “You’ve been distant. Keeping me from my family. Why? What are you hiding?”

Xiao Yan hesitated. His jaw tightened.

“Nothing. I just want you safe.”

“Safe?” Yan Yi laughed bitterly. “I love you. But this hurts. Grandpa was everything to me and you weren’t there. If something happens to me or the baby, would you care?”

“Of course I would!” Xiao Yan pulled him into a hug, but Yan Yi stiffened. “I love you more than anything.”

“Then prove it. Tell me the truth.”

“I can’t. Not now. Trust me.”

“Trust?” Yan Yi’s voice cracked. “After this? Fine. If you won’t talk, don’t touch me either.”

He stormed to the bedroom, slamming the door.

Xiao Yan stood there, fists clenched, the weight of his secret crushing him. He could not tell Yan Yi about the files, the accident, the blood on the Yan family’s hands. It would destroy him, especially now.

So he let the silence grow.

The next two weeks were hell.

Yan Yi’s grief hardened into resentment. Pregnancy emotions intensified everything.

Xiao Yan tried flowers, apologies, gentle touches.

“Yan Yi, please. Let’s talk.”

“Talk? You mean lie?”

“Can you forgive me? I promise there won’t be a next time.”

But apologies could not mend what silence had broken.

At night, Yan Yi cried alone, hand resting on his belly.

“Your papa is too much,” he whispered softly. “But he loves us. I believe him.”

Xiao Yan watched from afar, guilt gnawing at him. Was hiding the truth protecting Yan Yi, or betraying him?

One evening, Yan Yi confronted him again.

“Is this it? Six years, and you can’t trust me? What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing,” Xiao Yan pleaded. “You’re perfect.”

“Then why? I feel like I’m losing you.”

“You’re not. I promise.”

But promises felt fragile.

Memories resurfaced.

University days.

Xiao Yan was a senior, brilliant assistant to Professor Yan, who happened to be Yan Yi’s uncle. Yan Yi had fallen hard.

“Senior Xiao Yan,” he had once confessed nervously, “I like you. Will you go out with me?”

Xiao Yan had smiled gently.

“I’m sorry. I’m in a relationship. With someone I love.”

That someone was Lu Bai. A beta from his school days. Sweet, but insecure. Lu Bai knew about Yan Yi’s crush and hated the silent threat he posed.

Later, Lu Bai was diagnosed with leukemia.

Lu Bai knew he would die, so he chose Yan Yi to care for Xiao Yan after he was gone.

“He’s yours now,” Lu Bai had whispered weakly.

Yan Yi had supported Xiao Yan through two years of grief. Slowly, love replaced mourning. Xiao Yan chose him. They built a life together.

Now, in the present, doubt poisoned that foundation.

One night, Xiao Yan pulled him close.

“Remember your confession?”

“You rejected me for Lu Bai,” Yan Yi said softly. “No w it feels like history is repeating.”

Xiao Yan kissed him gently.

“No. You’re my forever.”

But the cracks in their marriage deepened. And Yan Yi, hand over his unborn child, feared that forever might not survive the truth.