The room fell into a heavy silence after Rihanna's grandmother's words. The sound of the heart monitor hummed softly in the background, marking every second of tension that passed.
Dave's mother blinked rapidly, her lips parting as if to speak, but no words came out. His father's face darkened, his knuckles tightening at his side. Kelvin's heart sank; he could feel the shift in the room, the disbelief, the confusion, the fear. Instinctively, he reached for Dave's hand.
Dave's breath trembled as he gripped Kelvin's palm. He could feel his parents' eyes on him—burning, questioning, accusing.
"Wh–what did you just say?" his mother stammered, turning to Rihanna's grandmother.
"I said," the old woman repeated softly, "your son is pregnant."
"What nonsense is this?!" he barked. "A boy—pregnant? That's impossible! It's an abomination! That thing has to be removed immediately!"
"Mr. Walker!" Rihanna's grandmother called firmly, trying to calm him. "You can't do that. If you try to terminate it, it will endanger Dave's life. He could die!"
"I don't care!" Dave's father roared. "Whatever this is, it's not normal! I will not have such a shame in my house!"
Dave's mother reached for his arm, trembling. "Honey, please, calm down… Dave needs you to—"
"Don't tell me to calm down!" he shouted, cutting her off. "Our son is a boy! A boy! This—this cannot be happening. That thing must be gone, or I'll do it myself!"
"Dad!" Dave tried to speak, but his father turned sharply to him.
"Not a word from you!" he warned, eyes burning with rage. "You've caused enough disgrace already. You have no say in this!"
"Mr. Walker," Kelvin stepped forward, anger flickering in his tone, "you can't just decide that. It's his life—"
Before he could finish, Dave's father swung his arm and struck Kelvin hard across the face.
"You stay out of this!" he spat. "You have no right to speak here! My decision is final!"
The room fell into thick silence for a moment—until a firm voice broke through.
"Your decision," a man's voice said from the doorway.
Everyone turned. Kelvin's parents stood there, calm yet resolute.
"Your decision," Kelvin's father repeated coldly, "means nothing here. Dave will not abort that child.".
"What do you mean he won't? Of course, he will! If they won't do it here, I'll take him elsewhere to have it done!" Mr. Walker's voice thundered through the room, his anger consuming every trace of reason.
"No! I won't allow you to do that!" Rebecca snapped, her tone sharp and unwavering. "That child in him carries two different bloodlines coming together — your son's and ours. So, we have a right to decide too, and our decision is that Dave will not abort that child! And Dave himself wants to keep it!"
Her words struck the room like lightning. Dave's eyes widened as tears welled up, his chest tightening with emotion. Of course, he wanted to keep the baby. But his father's reaction… it was nothing like he had ever seen before. Mr. Walker had always been stern but never cruel. Never this loud. Never this cold.
His father had known he was gay. He had met his boyfriend back when they lived in Lyralis and had never shown this kind of disgust before. So why now? Was it because of the pregnancy? Because it defied logic? Because it made him uncomfortable? Dave's thoughts spun wildly, confusion and fear clouding his heart. Shouldn't a father be happy that he was about to become a grandfather, even if the situation was strange?
"I've said my last word!" Mr. Walker roared, his eyes blazing. "That baby won't live! And if you won't do it, then I will!"
Before anyone could stop him, he grabbed Dave's wrist roughly, yanking him off the bed.
"No! Dad, please don't do this!" Dave cried, struggling to break free. "I want to keep the baby! Please, Dad, what's gotten into you?" His voice trembled with desperation.
"Stop this, Mr. Walker! Come to your senses! You'll kill your child if you keep acting like this!" Rihanna's grandma (Elora) shouted, stepping forward, her face stern with anger and fear.
"Mr. Walker, leave him — let him go!" Mr. Cullen barked, rushing in to pull the furious man away. The room erupted into chaos — shouts, tears, dragging, struggling — the mothers pleading, the men shouting, and in the midst of it all, Dave's head began to spin.
His chest tightened, his breathing quickened. The noise faded into a dull echo. His vision blurred, and before anyone could react — his knees buckled.
The room froze.
"Dave!" Kelvin's voice broke through the silence, his heart dropping into his stomach. The mothers screamed his name in unison as Kelvin darted forward, catching him just before he hit the floor.
"Dave! Dave, please stay with me! Open your eyes, love, please!" Kelvin pleaded, laying him gently on the bed, his voice breaking with panic.
Elora hurried over, placing a trembling hand on Dave's wrist. "This stress alone can kill him," she muttered under her breath, her face pale. Then her voice turned commanding. "Everyone out! I'll check him!"
No one dared argue. Mr. Cullen grabbed Mr. Walker by the arm, his expression filled with disgust, and dragged him out of the room as the mothers followed, all shaken and teary-eyed.
Once in the living room, the tension snapped.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Mr. Cullen — Haymen — exploded, his voice echoing like thunder. "Are you so heartless that you don't even care about the life of your own child? You want to kill him because of your own negligence? Get your head straight and realize the risk you're putting both lives in!"
Mr. Walker didn't answer. His face was pale, his breathing ragged, but the fury in his eyes hadn't faded.
"What was that outburst for?!" Elena cried out, tears streaming down her face. "Do you even realize what you almost did? He's your son, for God's sake! Do you want to kill him because you can't accept what's happening? Even if he's pregnant, what changes? Does that make him less of your son?"
Her voice cracked, her pain raw and unfiltered. "Dave has been through so much already — and now this? After everything he's faced, this is how you repay him?"
She broke down completely then, sobbing as she turned to Rebecca. "Please, take care of him. I'll come back once he's stable. I need to talk to him alone — he has to understand what he's done."
She grabbed her husband's hand and pulled him away, tears still streaking her cheeks.
Kelvin stood by silently, his mind a storm of worry and guilt. He turned toward his parents, his voice soft and heavy. "I don't know why all this is happening. It feels like something bigger is behind all of it. I just… I don't understand anymore."
Rebecca placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, dear. Dave will be fine, and so will you. Sometimes chaos comes before peace. Have faith."
Kelvin nodded, though the weight in his chest refused to ease. "First, Dave gets attacked… and now this. I really am a curse, a forbidden one." he whispered bitterly,
Rebecca shook her head firmly and pulled him into her arms. "Don't say that, Kelvin. You're not a curse. You're his strength — and right now, he needs you more than ever."