Why Is This Omega Stalking Me…?

Chapter 46: Promise, Not Love

Chapter 46

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Shen Yu didn’t think when it happened.

One moment he was standing there, trying to process the weight of what he had just seen, and the next his arms had already wrapped around Jiang Li’s waist, pulling him close as if his body had made the decision long before his mind could catch up. The omega felt small in his hold—too small—and the realization made something tighten painfully in his chest.

His heart was beating too fast.

It slammed against his ribs with a force that made it hard to breathe, each thud loud enough that he could almost hear it echoing in his ears. He couldn’t tell if it was panic or fear, or something deeper and far more unsettling. All he knew was that everything felt too sudden, too overwhelming, like the ground beneath him had shifted without warning.

But when he felt Jiang Li trembling in his arms, all those chaotic thoughts stilled just enough for something else to take over.

Instinct.

Jiang Li’s shoulders shook uncontrollably, his body betraying just how fragile he felt despite how long he must have tried to hold himself together. That was enough to force Shen Yu to steady himself. No matter how unprepared he was, no matter how shaken he felt—

One of them had to stay grounded.

No.

Not just for the two of them.

For all three.

His grip tightened slightly, not enough to hurt, just enough to anchor them both as he drew in a slow breath and forced his racing thoughts into something coherent. Carefully, he pulled back, his hands sliding up to Jiang Li’s shoulders, holding him there as he looked directly into his eyes.

"When did you find out?" he asked, his voice lower now, steadier than he felt.

Jiang Li stilled under his touch. The trembling didn’t stop completely, but it lessened as his gaze dropped, avoiding Shen Yu’s eyes. His lips parted, then pressed together again, as if even answering something so simple required effort.

"...Five days ago," he said softly.

Five days.

The words lingered in Shen Yu’s mind, stretching out into something heavier than they should have been. He let out a quiet breath, his eyes scanning Jiang Li’s face, taking in the stiffness in his posture, the way his fingers curled slightly at his sides like he was bracing for impact.

Five days of carrying this alone.

Five days of fear.

Five days of deciding whether or not to say anything at all.

Something about that didn’t sit right with him.

And slowly, as the silence stretched between them, something became clear in Shen Yu’s mind—a clarity that cut through the confusion he had been drowning in.

This wasn’t just Jiang Li’s fault.

No matter how many times Jiang Li might claim it was, no matter how many times he might insist that he had taken advantage of Shen Yu during his rut... Shen Yu couldn’t accept that. If what Jiang Li had said before was true—if there had been no force, no coercion, no harm intended—then this wasn’t something one person could take the blame for.

It had simply happened.

Something neither of them had been prepared for.

And the fear Jiang Li must have felt, the hesitation, the silence—

Shen Yu understood it more than he wanted to admit.

Because even now, standing here, at thirty-one years old, with far more life experience than Jiang Li, he was afraid too.

Not just uncertain.

Not just shocked.

Afraid.

But fear didn’t change anything.

It didn’t erase what had happened, and it didn’t absolve him of responsibility.

Jiang Li shifted slightly under his gaze, the tension in his body returning as the silence stretched too long. Anxiety flickered across his expression again, quick and sharp.

"Y-you..." he started, his voice unsteady.

"I know I’m not deserving," Shen Yu said before he could finish, his words cutting through the hesitation, "but I want to be there—for our child."

The sentence came out more firmly than he expected, as if saying it out loud solidified something inside him.

Jiang Li froze.

Completely.

His eyes widened, the tears still clinging to his lashes catching the faint light as he stared at Shen Yu like he hadn’t heard him correctly.

A second passed.

Then another.

The silence stretched, heavy and fragile, before Jiang Li took a step back, mirroring what Shen Yu had done earlier. The disbelief in his expression didn’t fade—instead, it deepened, turning into something more complicated.

Something painful.

A quiet, broken laugh slipped from his lips as he lowered himself onto the pavement, as if his legs could no longer hold him up. His shoulders shook again, but this time it wasn’t just fear.

It was something heavier.

"Why...?" he asked, his voice soft, fragile in a way that made Shen Yu frown. "Why, Shen Yu...?"

Shen Yu didn’t answer immediately. He watched him, trying to understand what exactly Jiang Li was asking.

Why would he take responsibility?

Why would he stay?

Or—

Why now?

"I spent days crying," Jiang Li continued, staring down at the ground, his voice uneven but steady enough to carry the weight of his words. "I couldn’t think straight. I didn’t know what to do." His fingers tightened slightly against his clothes. "I even thought about aborting the baby... because I believed you wouldn’t want it."

Shen Yu’s expression hardened slightly at that, but he didn’t interrupt.

"I thought... you wouldn’t want something that came from me," Jiang Li went on, his voice quieter now, almost distant. "And now you’re standing here... telling me you want to take responsibility."

He laughed again, but there was no humor in it.

"So all that time I spent being scared... all those nights I couldn’t sleep... they were for nothing?"

Shen Yu’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"What kind of person do you think I am?" he asked.

Jiang Li didn’t answer right away. He rested his forehead against his knees, his arms loosely wrapped around himself as if trying to hold something together that was already slipping apart.

When he finally spoke, his voice was calm in a way that hurt more than anger would have.

"Someone who doesn’t love me."

The words landed without hesitation. frёeωebɳovel.com

"Anyone would hesitate to accept a child from someone they don’t love," he continued softly. "Especially when they don’t even remember that night."

Shen Yu’s jaw tightened slightly.

"You agreed so easily," Jiang Li added, lifting his head just enough to look at him, his eyes still wet. "I’m relieved, Shen Yu. I really am."

He paused, his lips curving into a faint, sad smile.

"But it also makes the distance between us feel even bigger."

His gaze drifted upward, toward the sky.

"A selfish child... and a selfless man," he murmured.

Shen Yu exhaled slowly.

Jiang Li wasn’t wrong.

Not entirely.

This didn’t change his feelings. It didn’t suddenly make him love Jiang Li, didn’t erase everything complicated between them.

But that didn’t mean he could walk away.

Because love and responsibility were not the same thing.

And forcing himself to love someone—

That would only hurt Jiang Li more.

Without another word, Shen Yu extended his hand.

Jiang Li stared at it.

Hesitated.

For a moment, it seemed like he might refuse, like he might choose to stay where he was, lost in everything he was feeling.

But then, slowly, he reached out.

Their hands met.

Shen Yu pulled him to his feet.

"I can’t promise to love you," he said quietly. "But I can promise to be there—for our child."

He didn’t wait for a response.

He turned and began walking.

A few steps passed before he realized there were no footsteps behind him. He stopped and glanced back over his shoulder.

Jiang Li was still standing there, unmoving.

"Aren’t you coming?" Shen Yu asked.

No answer.

Shen Yu watched him for a moment before speaking again, his tone lighter now, though there was something deliberate behind it.

"...Seems like you don’t like ice cream after all."

And with that, he turned and continued walking.

For a brief second, nothing happened.

Then—

Jiang Li blinked.

Ice cream?

The realization hit slowly, then all at once. His eyes widened slightly, and despite everything—the tears, the fear, the uncertainty—a small smile broke through.

He quickly wiped his face and hurried after Shen Yu, his steps uneven but determined.

Even if it wasn’t everything he wanted...

Even if it wasn’t love...

This still mattered.

More than he could admit.

Shen Yu had already reached the path toward the parking lot when he heard the quick footsteps behind him. A faint smile touched his lips before he turned slightly.

Jiang Li stopped beside him, breathing a little harder than usual, but his eyes—those honey-colored eyes—were brighter now.

"It has to be blue bubblegum ice cream," Jiang Li said, his voice still soft but carrying a hint of something lighter.

"Mm," Shen Yu replied.

They continued walking side by side, the silence between them no longer as suffocating as before.

"Oh—and pizza," Jiang Li added suddenly.

Shen Yu raised a brow.

"Since when do you like pizza?"

Jiang Li smiled faintly.

"Since now."

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A/ N : I was rushing when I wrote this, I hope it’s okay. (/_;)/~~