CHAPTER 8
As Rayne left Lucian’s room, Lucian’s mother hugged both of them.
“Rayne, I hope my son keeps you happy,” she said warmly.
But Rayne stayed silent. Deep down, he didn’t believe Lucian could make him happy.
Not because he refused intimacy, but because he didn’t seem to understand or care about Rayne’s feelings at all.
They both got into the car and left. Once seated, Lucian seemed different—quiet, distant, his gaze fixed outside the window.
Rayne had no idea what he was thinking, so he stayed silent and looked out the other side.
Before long, they reached Lucian’s house. As their car passed through the black gates, a large bungalow came into view.
The bungalow was huge and looked really beautiful. Since it was near the mountains, an entire forest stretched behind the house. It was a little scary, but Rayne liked it.
Many black cars were parked in front of the bungalow.
Rayne stepped out of the car and noticed Lucian walking toward him instead of heading straight inside.
Lucian’s voice broke the quiet first.
“I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings back at home,” he said.
It was unexpected,Rayne hadn’t thought he would apologize, and definitely not so suddenly.
“But can you tell me why you said you don’t want any sexual relationship with me? You once told me that your family wanted grandchildren, and that’s why you agreed to marry me. So why say that now?”
At Rayne’s question, Lucian’s expression shifted. His face went pale, and his eyes dimmed with sadness.
“Rayne, you’re still too young,” Lucian said softly.
“Don’t think about those things yet. Just do whatever makes you happy.
I heard from your father that he’s planning to hand over the company to you soon, so focus on that.
You’re going to be the CEO, remember? Forget about having children for now. ”
He wasn’t wrong… but he could’ve said it more gently. Maybe then it wouldn’t have stung so much.
Rayne nodded silently, and Lucian led him inside.
The house was beautiful, and to Rayne’s surprise, there was a dog too. A golden retriever ran toward him the moment he stepped inside.
Rayne knelt down, and the dog jumped straight into his arms, tail wagging excitedly.
“You even have a dog? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? What’s his name?” Rayne asked with a smile.
“His name’s Goldie,” Lucian replied with a small smirk. “Be careful, Goldie likes beautiful people.”
Goldie immediately started licking Rayne’s face, making him laugh as he hugged the dog tightly. While Rayne was busy playing, the servants brought in his belongings. Lucian showed him his room afterward.
They had separate bedrooms, of course. When Rayne entered his, the servants were already organizing his wardrobe. Goldie padded after him, following him into the room, his paws tapping softly behind him.
Once everything was arranged, Rayne stuck a few of his cute photos on the wall to make the space feel like his own.
After taking a shower, he stepped out because he was starving. Goldie was waiting outside, wagging his tail like he had been guarding the door.
Rayne knelt down to pet him, but before he could say anything, a door opened. Lucian stepped out of the room next door.
“Aren’t you hungry? Let’s go eat something,” Lucian said.
“I’m starving,” Rayne replied with a faint smile.
They headed downstairs together. The dining table was already set, though the servants were nowhere in sight.
Rayne sat down as Lucian went into the kitchen. He returned with Goldie’s bowl and food, placing it gently on the floor before sitting across from Rayne.
Then Lucian moved to sit beside him and started eating. The food was delicious, especially the kimchi fried rice with fried chicken. The cheese pasta was creamy and rich too.
After such a long and stressful day, Rayne felt like he truly deserved this meal.
“The food’s great, don’t you think?” he said, trying to start a conversation since Lucian had been quiet.
“Yes, it is,” Lucian replied. Then, after a moment, he asked, “What kind of food do you like? And what do you dislike?”
Rayne took another bite before answering. “Hmm… it’s not like I have any particular favorite since I like almost everything. But I’m allergic to mushrooms. It’s a deadly allergy, I could actually die if I eat them.”
Lucian nodded quietly. Then, to Rayne’s surprise, he reached for the bowl of potato pies in front of him and pulled it away. Rayne frowned, confused.
“There’s mushroom in this pie,” Lucian said. “I like mushrooms, but since they’re dangerous for you, I won’t eat them anymore.”
Rayne’s eyes widened slightly. “You can still eat them if you like. You don’t have to stop eating your favorite food because of me.”
Lucian smiled softly. “It’s okay. As your husband, I can at least do this much for you.”
Rayne didn’t respond, but his heart skipped a beat. He didn’t even know why.
He didn’t like Lucian. Not even a little.
After they finished eating, they returned to their separate rooms. Rayne changed into his sleepwear and lay down, ready to finally rest after such a long day.
But just as he was about to drift off, his phone rang. The caller ID made his heart jump, it was the hospital.
His heart skipped again. Why was the hospital calling? The number wasn’t saved, but it showed as a hospital landline.
Immediately, one terrifying thought struck him: his parents. Were they okay?
He hated himself for thinking something so negative, but it was the first thing that came to his mind. With trembling hands, he answered the call.
“Hello?” Rayne said.
“Hello, is this Rayne speaking? We are calling from the hospital. Your boyfriend, Losif, had a serious car accident and he is in the ICU right now. We found your number on his phone. Could you please come to the hospital to fill out some forms?”
Rayne froze. Losif? A car accident? He was injured… but Rayne forced himself not to jump to conclusions. He couldn’t forget that Losif had cheated on him.
“I can’t come today,” Rayne said quietly. “My husband will get angry.”
“Oh, so you’re married now? Then please come tomorrow. Losif’s family isn’t answering any calls,” the staff member said.
Rayne hung up. What should he do?
He put his phone down and began biting his nails. He couldn’t go today, but as a decent human being, he should go.
Losif’s family wasn’t answering, and he was seriously injured. They had dated since middle school. For that alone… he should go tomorrow.
With that thought, Rayne lay back on the bed.
The next day, Rayne got ready to leave for work since he worked at his parents’ company.
When he came downstairs, he saw Lucian standing near the door, fixing his tie.
Rayne walked up to him and grabbed his tie. As soon as he did, Lucian let go, allowing Rayne to tie it properly for him.
“You’re going to work too?” Lucian asked.
“Yes,” Rayne replied, still focused on the tie.
“I’ll drop you off at work.”
By the time Lucian said that, Rayne had finished tying the tie. He glanced up, and their eyes met.
“You don’t need to drop me. I’ll go by myself since your company is in the opposite direction from mine.”
Lucian looked slightly disappointed after hearing that, but Rayne just looked away and scratched the back of his neck.
“Okay then, the driver will drop you off,” Lucian said before grabbing his coat, ready to leave.
He waved at Rayne while standing at the door, and Rayne did the same. After Lucian left, Rayne turned around and saw that breakfast was already served on the table. He sat down and started eating.
Wait… did Lucian eat breakfast? Rayne forgot to ask. But Lucian was an adult, he had probably already eaten.
After eating and patting Goldie, Rayne left the house as well. But not in Lucian’s car, he had his own.
Yesterday evening, his dad had sent it over since it was his favorite. His dad even said he would send the rest of Rayne’s cars one by one.
Rayne didn’t say anything when Lucian offered to have his driver take him, because if he had responded, Lucian would’ve refused. And if that turned into an argument, Lucian’s mood would be ruined for the whole day.
It was better to start the day peacefully.
Rayne sat in his car and started driving. But instead of heading toward the company, he drove toward the hospital that had called last night.
After parking, he went inside and walked toward the main counter.
“Hello, can you tell me which ward Losif is in? I got a call from here last night.”
The omega girl at the desk was typing something on her laptop. Hearing him, she looked up.
“You must be Rayne! Losif’s surgery went well, but he had a serious injury on his head.”
“You can go to the third floor, ward number seven,” she said.
Before leaving, Rayne signed the guardian form for Losif and then made his way to the elevator.
His eyes drifted around as he walked slowly, feeling uneasy. He tucked a strand of hair behind his ear before stepping into the elevator and pressing the button.
Leaning his back against the wall, he folded his arms across his chest, one leg crossing over the other as his foot tapped impatiently. The elevator was taking forever to close.