Chapter 263: It’s All So Different

Brad stood frozen, staring at the closed door in absolute disbelief before turning back to me, his chest heaving, his hands still trembling over his heart. He looked at me as if I were a dangerous illusion, a ghost dressed up in a stranger’s skin.

"I don’t know what kind of game my son is playing," Brad rasped, his voice thick with tears and defensive anger, "but if you think you can just step into Kain’s shoes—"

"You sat on the garden swing with me," I said quietly, cutting through his rising panic with a calm, gentle tone that made his breath catch. "It was a Tuesday night, during my seventh month. Reid had gone out to run an errand for the estate, and my back was aching so badly I couldn’t sleep."

Brad’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing in confusion. "What... what are you talking about?"

"You brought me a mug of warm milk and helped me out to the patio," I continued softly, rocking Sarah gently as her tiny breathing stayed steady against my chest. "We sat together under the moonlight, and you ran your hand over my big belly, feeling her kick. And then... your eyes watered."

Brad went completely still. The colour drained from his face, his lips parting in a silent gasp.

"Tears slipped out, and when I asked you what was wrong, you tried to wipe them away and said it was fine," I whispered, holding his terrified, trembling gaze. "But the tears didn’t stop falling. And then you looked at my stomach and said... ’I wish I could get pregnant again. No, sorry... forget about what I just said. It’s not like I’m not proud of Reid, but I’m still so young and unable to conceive again. I want to hold my baby again. I think it’s just a maternal instinct.’"

I recounted his words word for word. How could i forget something so important?

Brad’s hands slowly fell away from his chest. He backed up until the back of his knees hit the armchair, sinking into it like a man who had just seen the heavens open up.

"You cried so hard that night," I murmured, a soft, tearful smile touching my lips as the memory washed over us both. "I wrapped my arms around you, hugged you tight, and told you... ’When I have my baby, you can hold her whenever you want. Just assume she’s yours. Brad, this is my thank you for giving me someone like Reid.’"

A harsh, ragged sob tore from Brad’s throat. He buried his face in his hands, his shoulders violently shaking as the absolute, undeniable truth hit him like a physical blow. No one else had been in that garden. Reid hadn’t been there. Fidora hadn’t been there. It was a sacred, quiet confession shared between two omegas in the dark of the night—a secret that had died with Kain Evans eight months ago.

"K-Kain...?" Brad sobbed into his palms, his voice trembling violently as he slowly lifted his head, staring at me through a blur of hot, streaming tears. "Is it... is it really you?"

I set Sarah gently back into the center of the bed, surrounding her with the soft plush pillows, and slid off the edge of the mattress. My steps were slow, light, and deliberate as I crossed the short distance between us, sinking down onto my knees right in front of his armchair.

"H-how? You died. You were buried. You..."

I reached out, my smaller, paler hands covering his trembling, tear-stained ones, gently pulling them away from his face.

"It’s me, Brad," I whispered, my voice thick with emotion, my eyes searching his. "After I died, I woke up in this body. That’s why... I’m right here."

Brad let out another broken, shattered breath, his eyes wide as he stared down at my face. He reached out with a hand that shook violently, his fingers hovering just millimeters above my skin, still terrified that touching me would break the spell.

"Your... your hair is silver," Brad choked out, a fresh wave of tears spilling over his lashes. "Your face... your voice... it’s all so different..."

"I know," I murmured, a faint, tender smile softening my features as I took his hand and pressed his trembling palm firmly against my cheek, letting him feel my real, solid warmth. "I know I look like Kain Samson now. But every memory, every promise, every piece of love I had for this family... it’s all still inside me. I came back to you guys."

The moment my skin met his palm, the last thread of doubt holding Brad together snapped.

He lunged forward, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and pulling me into a fierce, desperate embrace. He buried his face into the crook of my neck, weeping openly, his body heaving with eight long months of buried, suffocating grief finally bursting through the surface.

"Kain... oh god, Kain..." Brad sobbed into my shoulder, his fingers clutching tightly at the back of my shirt like a man clinging to a lifeline in a storm. "You came back... my sweet boy, you actually came back to us..."

I closed my eyes, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist, resting my forehead against his shoulder as my own tears finally slipped free. "I’m sorry it took so long, Brad. I’m so sorry."

"You don’t have to apologize. All that matters is that you’re here now," he said, looking me in the eye. From this close, I could see the aging in his face, the crinkles around his eyes. He had aged far more than I remembered. "You must have gone through hell, Kain."

I let out a soft, watery laugh through my tears, shaking my head as I pressed my cheek back against his palm.

"It wasn’t easy," I whispered, my voice trembling as I looked up into his worn, loving face. "Waking up in a body that wasn’t mine, surrounded by people who loved a stranger... I spent every second of every day just waiting for the chance to come back home to all of you."

Brad stroked my hair gently, a fresh wave of tears welling in his eyes as he shook his head in absolute wonder. "My poor boy... my sweet, strong boy."

Before he could say another word, the bedroom door swung open. Reid stepped inside, holding a freshly warmed bottle of Sarah’s formula. He stopped in his tracks, his grey eyes softening instantly as he took in the sight of his father kneeling on the floor with me, holding me like a precious treasure.

Reid set the bottle down on the nightstand and stepped quietly over to us, dropping down on one knee right beside me. He wrapped a broad, protective arm around both of our shoulders, pulling us both against his chest.

"I told you, Dad," Reid murmured, his deep voice thick with quiet emotion as he pressed his lips to the side of my head. "It’s really him."

Brad looked up at his son, letting out a tearful, breathless laugh as he reached out to press his hand against Reid’s cheek, and then back to mine.

"We have to protect him," Brad whispered urgently, his protective omega instincts flaring to life with fierce intensity. "Reid... Fidora... the Samsons... the media... no one can find out about the truth like this. We have to keep him safe."

"I feel the same way," Reid said, his arm tightening firmly around my shoulders. "But there’s one more person who should know. In both families, there needs to be at least one person to mediate the situation."

We exchanged a long, silent look, the quiet understanding passing between us instantly, and then the exact same name echoed from our lips in unison.

"Marina."

Brad’s breath caught in his throat. He looked between the two of us, his brows furrowing with immediate concern. "Marina? Reid, are you out of your mind? You know how fierce she’s been these past eight months. She’s been carrying so much on her back! If she thinks for even a second that someone is trying to pull a scam using Kain’s memory—"

"That’s exactly why it has to be Marina, Dad," Reid interrupted smoothly, his voice carrying the calm, steady weight of an Alpha who had made up his mind. "She’s sharp, she has power to make decisions in Kain’s family, and if anyone can build an airtight cover story to keep the Samsons and the press off our backs, it’s her."

He looked down at me, his thumb lightly stroking my cheek. "Besides... Kain needs his sister. He was terrified last night that she’d look at him like a stranger. He shouldn’t have to hide from her in his own home."

I swallowed hard, the cold anxiety from the night before creeping back into my chest, but I slowly nodded.

Reid was right. Marina had always been my untouchable shield—the eldest sister who would tear the world down to protect me. If we were going to survive this impossible secret, we needed Marina on our side.

"Alright," Brad murmured softly, his eyes filled with gentle reassurance as he squeezed my hand tightly. "We’ll call her up here. But we do it carefully."