"Milo!" my Oma exclaims, pushing past Ollie and hurrying over to me. "Why haven't you been answering our calls? We were worried!"
She pulls me into a tight hug, and shooting Ollie a wide-eyed look, I hesitantly wrap my arms around her. My Oma has always been extravagant, not afraid to speak her mind. All in all, she is the complete opposite of my Ama, who walks quietly into the house, shaking Ollie's hand after she closes the door.
"Life has been a little hectic, Oma," I say, which isn't too far from the truth.
"When Nico told us what happened, I knew right away that we needed to come see you," she says, pulling me over to the couch. Her hands come up to smooth away the hair from my face. "You must be heartbroken, with Aaron being gone. But don't worry, sweetheart, we'll help you get him back."
My lips purse as I pull away from her, already tired of being touched. "Oma, I don't want to get back together with Aaron. We weren't right for each other." She doesn't need to hear the nitty-gritty details.
"What are you talking about? You two were perfect together. He was always so patient with you, letting you finish school before getting married and starting a family."
Oma has always loved Aaron from the moment she met him. They are similar with their traditionalist ideals, not liking anything that strays from societal norms. Ama has always stayed silent, always just quietly agreeing with her wife, which is just as hurtful as the words Oma uses.
"Helen, let's not pester him," my Ama says, sitting down in the recliner. With all the seats taken, Ollie is left standing, something that was obviously done on purpose. He doesn't let it get to him, though. Instead, he bustles into the kitchen, bringing back a fresh pot of coffee and some cookies.
"Oma, he left me because I am infertile. I don't want to be with someone who sees me as defective." Oh well, there went my plans of not sharing too much with her.
Her eyes narrow considerably, and I brace myself. I know that look. It is the one I am most used to. The one that usually comes with a cutting remark hidden behind a compliment. Oma has always been a master at those.
"You don't look infertile to me, sweetheart." Her eyes fall down to my stomach before rising to meet mine, a skeptical brow raised. "Does your husband know that you're pregnant with his child."
Her words have me physically recoiling, my hand dropping down to my stomach as I bite back an equally cutting remark. Instead, I take a few steady breaths, not meeting her eyes until I am sure that I have control over myself. "They are not his children." She opens her mouth to speak, obviously wanting to berate me. "And the reason I thought I was infertile was because he was slipping me suppressants, dangerous ones that my doctor said could have caused me to stroke when in combination with the fertility treatments I was taking at the time. So, no. I do not plan on getting back together with an alpha who was so desperate to not have children with me that he risked my life."
Taking a deep breath, I push myself up from the couch. "I think the two of you should leave."
"Milo!" Oma says, her mouth dropped open in shock.
Ama is the one to stand up, not saying a word as she grabs my Oma's hand and pulls her out of the house. Oma complains the entire time, clearly not happy with not being able to speak her mind.
The sound of the door closing rings throughout the house, sounding unnaturally loud. It has me flinching, my arms wrapping around my stomach as I collapse back onto the couch, eyes falling closed. While the words are new, the intent behind them is not. Despite this, I can't help but hurt from Oma's remarks and Ama's quietness.
A hand settling on my shoulder has me flinching, eyes blinking open. Ollie doesn't let me go, face softening when he sees the tears that I am trying to hide. Sniffling, I quickly wipe away the wetness that threatens to overspill, not wanting to be this upset over my parents.
"This is exactly why I didn't tell them," I mumble, allowing Ollie to pull me into his side. The warmth of him has me relaxing, burying my head into his neck. He just holds me tight, pressing a few kisses into my hair. "They never accepted me before, so why would I expect to accept me now?"
"This isn't your fault, Milo."
"I know." Pulling away from him, I lean back against the couch, my hand settling on my stomach. "It's them, but it doesn't make it hurt any less."
Ollie stays quiet after that, not expecting anything else from me, and not trying to say things I already understand, which I appreciate.
"I think I am going to take a bath and call my brother to yell at him," I say, pushing myself up from the couch.
Ollie cracks a smile, something that breaks the tension in the air, and I find myself relaxing slightly. "I'll bring you some tea," he says, standing up from the couch. He comes over to me, tilting my chin up and pressing a soft kiss to my lips, thumb caressing my cheekbone as he meets my eyes. "I love you."
The words bring a smile to my face, and I lean up to return the kiss, adding a nip to his bottom lip. "I love you too."
Emmie meows in between us, and Ollie bends down to pick her up, pulling her against his chest. "Love you too, Emmie." She just spurs, eyes half closed as she accepts his pets. She bumps her nose against mine, telling me in her own way that she loves us.
"Go relax," Ollie says, giving me a gentle push to the bathroom.
Nodding my head, I watch as he walks into the kitchen before heading to the bathroom. The bath takes a while to warm, but I don't mind. Instead, I watch the steady snowfall outside. Emmie comes to sit with me for a few minutes, sitting in my lap as I pet her. She lets out an indignant meow when I set her down, watching me with judging eyes as I drop my robe and step into the tub.
The hot water feels wonderful, soothing the slight chill that has come over me while walking around the house in only a robe. The lavender oil I had added to the water starts to perfume the room. The combination of the two has the last of my tenseness melting away, hands coming to settle on my stomach.
The words of my Oma come flooding back to me, in combination of everything she had told me when growing up. It always astonished me how against Omega rights she was, since she is an Omega herself. Ama has never spoken anything on the issue, silently speaking her mind about the topic. But growing up, I have always felt ashamed about being an Omega. When I had my first heat, Oma had locked me in a room with nothing to satisfy me. It had been tortured, and I had gone on suppressants soon afterward.
My brother had always been treated differently, got everything he always wanted for being an alpha. My parents were always proud of him and let him get away with everything. Even though they were disappointed that he married a beta instead of an omega, they still welcomed Maya with open arms. Somehow, I have a feeling that they won't be doing the same with Ollie.
The thought of my brother has my eyes opening, looking around for my phone. It takes a bit of maneuvering, but I manage to grab it, quickly dialing my brother and bringing the phone up to my ear.
It takes a couple of rings before her answer with a slurred, "Hello?"
"You remember how I wasn't mad at you at Christmas when you said that you told our parents about me splitting from Aaron and that I was pregnant?
He takes a few seconds to say anything, finally answering reluctantly. "Yeah?"
"Well, because of that, they came over to the house this morning, insisting that I get back together with Aaron, and all around making me feel like shit about myself."
"Milo, I-"
"I thought I got away from that when I stopped talking to them, Nico. But what you told them brought them back." My words come out choked, and I reach up a hand to brush my tears away. "I thought we agreed to protect each other, but I guess you didn't mean it. You betrayed me."
"Milo! I never meant for them to come out here. They were just worried about you since you haven't talked to them in a while. You know how Oma can be, and I just wanted to let her know you were doing okay, even with everything going on."
"I don't care why you told them," I whisper, brushing a few wild strands of my hair out of my face. "Oma was never good at keeping her opinion to herself, letting me know in not too subtle ways that she was ashamed of me. And Ama has always loved you more, never saying anything in relation to me, but always standing up for you." A few stray tears fall, and I don't bother to wipe them away this time. "Having you on my side made it not hurt so much. But- But now-"
"Milo, I'm always on your side," he says, voice sounding strangled. A soft voice is in the background, and I recognize it as Maya. Probably wondering what Nico is getting upset about.
"Obviously not." The bathroom door creeks open, and turning my head, I watch as Ollie walks in, a tray full of food and drinks in his hands. His eyes immediately notice the tears tracking down my face, his lips pursing in response. Quietly, he sets the tray down, leaning over to give me a kiss on the forehead, before walking back out of the room, taking Emmie with him. He always does seem to know what I need, and having him witness my conversation with my brother is not something I desire.
"You betrayed my trust. I asked you not to talk to them about me, but you did anyway. How am I supposed to know if I can count on you, to help protect me from them?"
His voice hitches over the line, coming out rougher than before. "I'll always protect you."
"You've always had a soft spot for Oma, giving into her every whim. After what you just did, I can't trust you." The tears are falling even harder, but somehow, I manage a choked, "Goodbye, Nico."
"Milo, wait-"
Before he can say anything, I hang up, dropping my phone on the bath mat. Holding my breath, I sink under the water, the tears blending with the bath water, letting me pretend that I am not hurting as much as I can.
Immediately, regret is rushing through me. I had essentially told Nico that I do not want to speak with him anymore, and just the thought has my heart aching. He has always been with me, a protective force against my dangers. But what he did hurts too much. Maybe later I'll decide that this decision was a rash one. But Aaron has already put me through hell, betraying my trust in the most brutal and spiteful way. Having Nico do the same thing is gut-wrenching, especially since Nico knows what our parents put me through, all of the emotional and mental abuse.
My lungs start to ache, so I allow myself to come up from the water. My phone rings on the bathmat, a picture of me and my brother at my college graduation flashing across the screen. It takes a lot to turn away, flip the screen over so I can at least pretend that I am not hurting while I force myself to eat some breakfast.