My Baby Daddy Isn't Human-Chapter 228: Growing Desperation

Days passed, blurring together in a haze of exhaustion and pain. Raelynn felt herself slipping further into weakness, her body betraying her more and more with each passing hour. The pain would come and go in unpredictable waves, sharp and consuming, knocking the air from her lungs until she had no choice but to surrender to unconsciousness. It was terrifying—this feeling of slipping away, of losing control over her own body. Yet no matter how much she pleaded, no matter how much she questioned, Elion refused to take her to a hospital.

The mansion had grown colder, or maybe it was just her. Even with the fireplace burning, even with layers of blankets wrapped around her, a deep chill settled into her bones. Zake was always there now, watching over her like a silent sentinel. He never left, standing near her door, near the hallway, near any place she happened to be. But for all his presence, he never gave her answers.

"Why won’t you just take me to a doctor?" she asked one night, her voice hoarse from the effort. She sat on the edge of the bed, her body swaying slightly from dizziness. Elion, who had just walked in, paused at the doorway. His dark eyes flickered with something unreadable before he exhaled, stepping inside.

"You’re fine, Raelynn. I’m handling it."

Handling it. That was all he ever said. That was all anyone ever said. It was infuriating.

Raelynn clenched her hands into fists, the motion weak and trembling. "You keep saying that, but I’m getting worse. I can feel it. Why won’t you tell me the truth?"

Elion’s jaw tightened, and for a moment, just a moment, she thought he might finally give her the answers she so desperately wanted. But then his face smoothed over, carefully controlled, as if he had shut himself off from any real emotion.

"You’re safe here. Just rest."

Safe? The word rang hollow. Safe people didn’t feel like they were dying a little more every day. Safe people weren’t kept in a house with guards posted at every door, with whispers following them when they weren’t looking.

Raelynn turned her gaze toward the window, her chest rising and falling in slow, shallow breaths. The moon hung low, casting silver light across the room, making the shadows stretch long and distorted. She felt like one of them—stretched thin, barely holding her shape.

**

The whispers started when they thought she wasn’t listening.

At first, it was just a feeling, a sense that the people around her were hiding something. But as the days continued to pass and her condition worsened, the murmurs became impossible to ignore.

Late at night, when she lay curled up in bed, she would hear voices outside her door. Zake and Sloane, speaking in hushed tones. She would close her eyes and strain to listen, catching only fragments.

"...getting worse."

"Not much time left."

"Does he know?"

"She can’t—"

And then silence. Always silence when she moved, when she stirred, when they realized she was listening.

It was the same during the day. Zake, normally so stoic, would sometimes glance at her with something like hesitation. Sloane avoided looking at her altogether, which was perhaps the most unsettling thing of all. The woman who had once smirked and teased now barely acknowledged her presence. It felt like they were mourning her before she was even gone.

She couldn’t take it anymore.

**

The breaking point came late one evening when she stumbled upon Zake and Elion in the hallway.

It had been a while since Raelynn could just walk around freely like this. Most days, she felt too weak to even sit up properly, let alone get out of bed. The exhaustion was like a weight pressing her down, stealing her strength before she even had the chance to try.

But today… today felt different.

Maybe it was stubbornness, or maybe it was the suffocating thought that if she didn’t force herself to move, she might as well just stay in bed forever.

So she had gotten up.

She had ignored the slight dizziness, the way her limbs protested, and instead focused on just walking—one slow step at a time, down the quiet halls.

It wasn’t much, but it was hers. A moment where she wasn’t just stuck in bed, where she wasn’t just existing in that same suffocating space every single day.

She wasn’t even trying to go anywhere in particular. She just needed to move.

And then she saw them.

She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, hadn’t even realized they were speaking until she caught the sharp edge of urgency in Elion’s voice. The sound made her stop in her tracks, heart pounding as she pressed herself against the wall, just out of sight.

"...not enough time," Elion muttered, his tone tense, strained. "We have to do it soon."

"Are you sure?" Zake’s voice was lower, careful. "She’s already weak—"

"I know," Elion snapped, then inhaled sharply, as if forcing himself to calm down. "I know," he repeated, quieter this time. "But there’s no other choice."

Raelynn’s fingers curled against the fabric of her nightgown, her nails digging into her palms. No other choice? Not enough time? What were they talking about? What was happening to her?

She swallowed hard, willing herself to breathe evenly, to stay still. Every instinct screamed at her to step out, to demand answers. But fear rooted her in place. Something about the way Elion spoke, the way his voice wavered despite his usual composure, told her that whatever they were keeping from her… it was something she wouldn’t want to hear.

Her mind raced, piecing together the fragments. The worsening symptoms. The refusal to take her to a hospital. The constant watchfulness. And now this—this cryptic conversation about time running out.

A sickening realization curled in her stomach. They weren’t keeping her safe.

They were keeping her here.

She had trusted Elion, even when things stopped making sense, even when the pain became unbearable. She had convinced herself that he was protecting her, that whatever he wasn’t saying was for her own good.

But what if it wasn’t?

Raelynn pressed her back against the wall, heart hammering. Her breath came too fast, too shallow. The edges of her vision blurred as dizziness swayed her balance.

No. Not now. Not here.

She couldn’t pass out now.

She forced herself to steady, clutching at the wall for support as she listened. The conversation had fallen to silence, and then—

Footsteps. Slow, careful.

Moving in her direction.

She turned, walking as quickly and as quietly as she could back toward her room. Her legs felt like lead, her body uncooperative, but she pushed forward, ignoring the way her heart slammed against her ribs. She had to get back before they saw her. Before—

"Raelynn."

She froze. The voice was right behind her. Low. Calm.

But not warm.

Slowly, she turned, her pulse roaring in her ears. Elion stood there, watching her with an unreadable expression. In the dim light of the hallway, his features were cast in sharp lines—strong jaw, dark eyes filled with something she couldn’t place. Something that almost looked like regret.

Had he known she was listening?

Her fingers curled into the fabric of her sleeves. "I was just heading back to my room," she murmured, trying to keep her voice steady. "It’s late."

Elion didn’t speak right away. He studied her, his eyes searching hers, as if trying to decide what she knew. Then, after a long pause, he nodded.

"Yes," he said softly. "You should rest."

Something in his tone made her skin prickle. A feeling that told her she shouldn’t turn her back on him. Not now. Not when she didn’t know what he was hiding.

But she had no choice.

Elion took a step closer. "Come on," he murmured. "I’ll take you back to your room."

Raelynn swallowed, her pulse thrumming beneath her skin.

Why does this feel wrong?

She wasn’t sure. Maybe it was the weight in his gaze. Maybe it was the way he had hesitated before answering her question. Or maybe it was something deeper.

Something telling her that if she let him lead her back, she would be walking straight into something she didn’t understand.

Then he reached for her hand.

A simple touch. Innocent, familiar.

But the second his fingers brushed against her skin, Raelynn flinched—jerked her hand away before she could stop herself.

Elion frozen in his place.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

His eyes flickered, not with anger, not even with surprise, but with something else—something deeper. He pulled his hand back slowly, studying her like he was trying to read her, to understand why she had pulled away.

Raelynn took a breath, forcing herself to stay calm. "I can go alone," she said, her voice quieter than she meant it to be. "I’m fine."

It wasn’t a lie.

She could go alone.

But the way Elion was looking at her, the way his lips parted slightly before pressing into a thin line, told her that he wasn’t convinced.

Normally—her usual self—she wouldn’t have hesitated. She wouldn’t have minded letting him help her.

But now?

Now, everything felt off.

Raelynn stepped past him, forcing her legs to move despite the weight pressing down on her. The moment she reached her room, she shut the door, locking it behind her.

And then she exhaled shakily, pressing a hand to her chest, where her heart pounded wildly beneath her ribs.

Not enough time.

Not enough time for what?