The sky was a clear, open blue, with white clouds drifting lazily across it like tufts of cotton. A salty breeze rolled in from the sea, carrying with it the sharp tang of the ocean. A small flock of Wingull had settled along the rooftop nearby, soaking up the sun without a care, their occasional cries cutting through the warm, quiet afternoon.
"Stay close to me and don't go running off to report anything," Jacob said, his voice unusually serious as he glanced at Layne beside him.
Layne looked at him sideways, then turned back to press her face lightly against the car window. "You're too late," she said, without much sympathy. "I already told Raya you were coming before we even left."
Jacob said nothing for a moment. He had been turning over a particular thought since he heard Raya wasn't feeling well, and it had settled into a quiet, uneasy weight somewhere in his chest.
"Is she home?" he asked, more to fill the silence than anything else.
"Yes," Layne said. "Her doctor is coming for a follow-up today, so she's not going anywhere."
Jacob nodded slowly, then after a brief pause: "What exactly is wrong with her?"
Layne gave him a flat look. "Go see for yourself."
Inside the room, a white-haired doctor with kind eyes was finishing her examination. She set down her notes and looked at Raya with a warm, unhurried smile.
"Your health is in excellent shape," she said. "The window between twenty-five and thirty is considered the best time for a woman to have a child, and you're right at the tail end of it." She folded her hands neatly. "The baby is healthy as well. Nothing to worry about on that front. That said — don't just lie around all day. Light movement is good for you. Nothing strenuous, of course, but a little walking goes a long way."
"Understood." Raya nodded, her voice soft. A quiet smile had settled on her face, and there was a gentle warmth in her eyes. "Thank you."
The doctor waved her hand. "No need for that. I told you not long ago that you ought to find someone." She chuckled lightly. "I didn't expect you to be so efficient. For now, set aside anything to do with the association and just focus on resting and taking care of yourself."
"I will." Raya glanced down at her stomach, a soft, private smile on her lips. "Thank you for the trouble."
"Don't say such things," the doctor said warmly. "I watched you and your sister grow up. Getting to where you are today wasn't easy for either of you." She paused for a moment, something nostalgic passing through her expression, before she shook her head gently. "But never mind that. Does the Su Family know about the pregnancy? Does Julia know?"
"No." Raya shook her head. "None of them know. I haven't told anyone, and I'm not planning to. When it becomes impossible to hide, I'll go abroad for a while."
"You," the doctor said, with a fond but exasperated shake of her head. "Stubborn as ever. Fine, if you don't want to tell the Su Family, so be it — but you should at least tell Julia. Your niece would be overjoyed to hear that her aunt is expecting."
"If I tell her, she'll spend the entire time asking who the father is," Raya said, sitting up from the bed. "Too much of a headache."
The doctor laughed quietly. "All right, all right. Whatever you prefer." She stood and gathered her things, her expression settling back into its gentle warmth. "I'll be going then. And please — no more fitted clothes. Loose dresses from now on."
"Of course." Raya nodded.
When Jacob arrived at Raya's home, he found her lying on the sofa beneath a light blanket, her small, pale feet peeking out from the edge. Her eyes were closed, though whether she was truly asleep was another matter.
The sound of the door was enough. Her eyes opened slowly, and she watched Jacob step inside, then gradually pushed herself upright.
"You're here," she said, a quiet smile on her lips.
"Yeah." Jacob's gaze settled on her almost immediately. It had been some time since they'd last seen each other, and she seemed different — more settled somehow, her expression carrying something he hadn't quite seen on her before. There was a faint nervousness beneath her usual composure, barely visible but there.
He didn't think he had ever seen Raya look nervous before.
His eyes drifted for a moment, then came back to her face.
"I heard you weren't feeling well," he said carefully, choosing his words. "I wanted to come see you."
A pause.
"Are you... pregnant?"
The question came out quieter than he intended. He drew a slow breath after saying it.
Raya had known this conversation was coming ever since she found out. She had tried to prepare herself for it, but hearing the words spoken aloud still made her chest tighten. Her biggest fear — the one she hadn't been able to shake — was that Jacob might not want the child. That he might ask her to end the pregnancy.
That was the reason she hadn't told him. Not because she wanted to hide it forever, but because she hadn't known how to face that possibility.
"Yes," she said at last, lifting one hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. It was a small, habitual gesture, a way of steadying herself. Her eyes met his. "I wasn't sure if you... liked children. So I never said anything."
The confirmation hit Jacob like a jolt. His heartbeat picked up without warning, and he felt his hands move before his thoughts fully caught up.
"Okay — here, sit — actually, lie back down." He stepped forward quickly, reaching out to help steady her, thoroughly flustered. "Don't move around. You should be resting."
Raya watched him scramble, and the nervousness on her face gave way to something much softer. He was clumsy about it, but the concern was genuine, and that was what mattered.
"The doctor just told me to exercise more," she said, a trace of amusement in her voice.
"Right — yes — listen to the doctor, then. I don't — I haven't done this before." Jacob ran a hand through his hair.
Raya tilted her head. "You still haven't answered my question. Do you like children?"
"Yes," Jacob said, without a moment's hesitation. "Of course I do. My own children, anyway. Other people's noisy ones, not so much."
Raya's smile widened. Her eyes curved with warmth, and there was a light in them that Jacob found difficult to look away from. She was clearly enjoying watching him stumble through this.
"Are you suggesting this child might not be yours?" she asked, her tone perfectly measured.
"No — no, that's not what I meant." Jacob shook his head quickly, looking almost pained. "I meant other people's children, the difficult ones. Raya, you know I didn't mean it like that."
"I'm not sure I do know what you mean." She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. "But don't worry. This child is yours. That much I can tell you."
Jacob let out a breath that was almost a laugh. He rubbed the back of his neck, then — somewhat grateful for the change of subject — said, "Actually, Raya, I've been curious about something for a while. What exactly is your relationship with Julia? The two of you don't seem like ordinary family."
Raya settled back against the cushion. "She's the daughter of my older sister and Layton. My sister was Layton's second wife."
They stayed in the room together for the rest of the afternoon, talking in a way that felt unhurried and easy. It was the first time Raya had spoken to Jacob about her past at any length.
The former patriarch of the Su Family, Layton, had been a Champion in his prime. But beyond his strength as a Trainer, his most defining characteristic — or flaw, depending on who you asked — was his indulgence. He had married many times throughout his life, and kept no shortage of companions outside of those marriages. He had seven acknowledged children, and the number of those who weren't acknowledged was anyone's guess.
His second wife had been a woman named Marilla — Raya's older sister.
Marilla and Layton had one daughter together: Julia. But not long after Julia was born, Marilla passed away from illness. Layton grieved for a time, genuinely so, but his nature reasserted itself before long. His attention turned to Raya.
Under the pretense that Julia was young and needed someone familiar to care for her, he brought Raya into the Su household. His intention had always been to marry her once she came of age.
But by the time Raya had grown, Layton had aged considerably. His health had begun to deteriorate, and an accident left him permanently unable to function as a man. The incident seemed to affect his mind as much as his body. Something in him darkened and grew twisted. He continued to take wives after that — knowing full well what he could no longer offer them — and kept them close regardless.
"So his later wives were wives in name only?" Jacob asked, genuinely taken aback.
"Yes," Raya said. "His temperament grew very strange toward the end. The women he married after the accident were in very difficult positions. From what I understand, he would seek out women who were already in relationships, then use money and comfort to pull them away from the men they were with — not because he wanted them for himself, but because he wanted to watch those men fall apart."
"That's..." Jacob trailed off for a moment. "That's deeply unsettling."
"Yes." Raya nodded quietly. "It is. Because of that, most of his later wives — myself included — eventually moved out of the Su Family estate. Layton allowed it, for my sister's sake, and for Julia's."