Pregnant for the straight CEO-Chapter 81

~Anning~

They moved me to a room literally two doors down. Close enough I could hear if shit hit the fan again. Great. Sleepover with my ex and his dying-of-me husband. Romantic.

I tried to sleep. Failed hard. Stared at the ceiling, replayed everything. The triumph I’d felt earlier? Stupid. Sick. What kind of psycho gets off on someone else’s pain? Me, apparently. Awesome.

Hours crawled. Clock said 3 a.m. or some bullshit. I was half-dozing, finally, when the door creaked open slow.

I sat up fast. "If you’re here to yell more...."

But it wasn’t Fan Xiao.

Lee Know stood there in a hospital gown way too big, IV pole dragging behind him, face ghost-white, eyes glassy from whatever drugs they pumped him with. He looked lost, confused, like a kid waking up from a nightmare.

"Xiao?" he mumbled, voice hoarse, small. "That you?"

My stomach dropped. "Uh. No. Wrong room, buddy."

He blinked slowly, swaying a little. "But... you smell like him. Safe. Need you."

He shuffled closer, letting go of the IV pole, and before I could move...before I could yell for a nurse or push him away....he climbed onto the bed like it was the most natural thing, curling into my side, head on my shoulder, arms wrapping around me tight.

I froze solid. Every muscle locked. His skin was burning hot, shaking, breath coming in little hitches against my neck.

"Shh," he whispered, like he was comforting me. "S’okay. Got you."

He thought I was Fan Xiao. Full-on delirious. Called me by his pet name or whatever "Xiao" was. Clinging like I was his lifeline.

Part of me....the angry, bitter part....wanted to shove him off the bed. Tell him wrong person, asshole, go cry on your real husband.

But he was trembling so bad, making these tiny hurt noises, fingers digging into my shirt like if he let go he’d fall apart. And he smelled... weird. Like hospital but under it something soft, omega-sweet, mixed with my own suppressed scent echoing back or whatever the doctors said.

I didn’t push him away.

I just sat there stiff, heart hammering, one hand hovering like I didn’t know what to do with it.

"I’m not him," I said finally, the quiet, sarcastic edge gone. "You know that, right? It’s me. Anning. The one you hate."

He nuzzled closer, mumbling. "Don’t hate... tired... stay."

Great. Now the guy I’d spent years hating was cuddling me like a teddy bear, thinking I was the love of his life. Universe has a sick sense of humor.

I sighed huge, annoyed at myself more than anything. "Fine. Whatever. Just....don’t puke on me or anything."

He didn’t answer, just clung tighter, breathing slowing, like my presence actually calmed the whatever bond echo bullshit.

I let my arm drop around him awkward, not hugging back exactly, but not shoving either. His hair tickled my chin. He was warm. Too warm.

"This is so fucked," I muttered to the dark. "You’re gonna hate me tomorrow when you remember this."

He made a soft noise, almost a laugh? Or maybe pain. Hard to tell.

Minutes dragged. Or hours. I didn’t move. Didn’t call anyone. Just laid there with Lee Know half on top of me, drugged out of his mind, thinking I was Fan Xiao.

And the worst part? The absolute worst?

For those quiet minutes, with him breathing steady against me, no yelling, no drama, no Fan Xiao watching...it didn’t feel awful.

It felt like something I wasn’t supposed to have.

I hated him more for that.

But I didn’t let go.

Not until the door opened again hours later, light spilling in, and Fan Xiao stood there staring at us like his world just ended.

His voice came out broken. "What the fuck is this?"

Lee Know stirred, mumbling "Xiao?" again, but this time reaching toward the real one.

I shoved up fast, dumping Lee Know gently to the side. "Before you lose your shit he wandered in here delirious. Thought I was you. I didn’t nothing happened. He just needed whatever."

Fan Xiao didn’t yell. Didn’t move. Just stared, face crumpling slow, eyes filling up.

"You were holding him," he said, voice empty.

"I...." What could I say? Yeah, I was. Because he was scared and hurting and thought I was you and I didn’t have the heart to kick him out.

Lee Know blinked awake more, confused, looking between us. "Xiao? Anning? What..."

Then it hit him. Where he was. Who he’d been clinging to.

His face went red, then white, horror dawning. "Oh God. I’m sorry...I didn’t..."

He tried to scramble off the bed, tangled in tubes, wincing hard.

Fan Xiao finally moved, rushing to help him up, but his eyes stayed on me, cold now. Accusing.

"Get out of his room," he said low. "Now."

"I didn’t invite him!" I snapped, sarcasm flooding back because defense mode. "He came to me, remember? Your precious bond echo or whatever."

Lee Know whimpered, hiding his face in Fan Xiao’s chest. "Make it stop... please..."

Fan Xiao wrapped around him protective, glaring at me over his shoulder. "You’ve done enough. Stay away from him. From us."

I laughed, but it cracked halfway. "Yeah. Message received. Loud and clear."

I grabbed my stuff...phone, jacket ...and stormed past them, shoulder brushing Fan Xiao’s hard.

He didn’t stop me.

Didn’t say anything.

Just held Lee Know tighter as I left.

And in the hallway, alone finally, I leaned against the wall, sliding down slow until I hit the floor.

Because fuck, that hurt.

Worse than anything.

Worse than the yelling, the accusations.

Because for one stupid moment, I’d held something I wanted.

And now it hated me more than ever.

I laughed again, quiet, bitter tears starting because why not.

"This is so stupid," I whispered to no one. "So fucking stupid."

But I didn’t go far.

Doctors’ orders.

Proximity.

Yeah.

Great.

And I wasn’t even being treated with respect? What sort of mad hospital and life is this.

But it wasn’t long until we saw Park Min rushing into the hospital with Yu Jin, lying unconscious on the moving table, his pheromones were coming out hard, it could literally kill weak humans and people were being moved to the far end of the hospital. What the fuck was going on with him.