Chapter 5

                                    

                                          
"Wait a minute!"
Coming to his senses, Pete rushes after the rapidly retreating alpha.
"Stop already!"
Vegas slows down and then stops walking. He throws it over his shoulder to Pete, who is out of breath:
"Treat your head. Before it's too late."
Pete lets out a guttural sob and stumbles forward to stand in front of the alpha who has just been rude to him:
"Should I treat my head?! Pete grits his teeth. Well..." Pete closes his eyes tightly and continues quite plaintively, "Everyone drives me away from themselves. All of you. My husband is tired of my nightmares and the fact that I..." Pete breaks off in mid-sentence, "but it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter now. You've got it all wrong! Pete stares at the alpha again, "it's not like that at all. I don't claim a place in your life... only in Venice's life."
"Pfft, just don't push for pity. You can't fool me with such tricks. Tell me honestly," Vegas hides his arms on his chest, "have you decided to annoy your husband? Well, let's say you quarreled. So why immediately run to another one? But what about 'for better or for worse'? Or were these once empty words for you? For me," Vegas shakes his head and looks up at the sky, "they've never been empty for me. I will always remember and love my only one. My Sunan. And no other omega can replace him to me. So you have nothing to count on."
"Oh, my God! Pete rolls his eyes. "No one claims your heart… I mean, I don't. Maybe you don't understand what a free marriage is? I'll explain: you will be free in your personal life. You won't owe me anything. Apart from Venice and his upbringing and well-being, our interests will not overlap in any way."
"Listen, so maybe you'll go to him as a babysitter? I will pay you. Take care of Venice while I'm at work."
"No. I don't want to be his babysitter. I want to be his dad. Officially adopt him. And this cannot be done without marrying you."
"And why do you need this 'officially'? If I — let's say it — would allow you to spend time with him as a babysitter?"
"Because in official status, you will not have the opportunity to cut me out of the baby's life so easily. The babysitter can be fired. Dad - not. If you want to get a divorce, you will have to do it only through the court."
"Mmm. And the judge, in your opinion, of course, will make a decision not in favor of the blood father, but in your favor?"
Pete shrugs his shoulders.:
"Anyway, there will be a chance to fight."
Vegas puffs, puffing out his cheeks. His whole face expresses indignant bewilderment:
"I've had enough of this nonsense. A little more, and you will start looking for ways to take my own son away from me right now. Venice," the alpha's voice sounds even stricter here, "will always know who his real dad is. And he doesn't need any other dads. Don't you dare follow me anymore. Go back to your husband and live your life, and leave the baby and me alone."
Pete is alone again. It's like being under the collapsed hope. Under which his tortured soul is buried.
***
"Mark?.."
"Hi,"  he instantly finds himself in the arms of his husband, "I missed you so much. Forgive me... I'm an idiot." 
When Pete sees his husband on the doorstep of their house on Saturday morning, with a suitcase behind him, he has strangely contradictory feelings. There is no doubt that he has not stopped loving his alpha. But for the last few days and nights, he had been replaying and replaying that conversation with Vegas in his head. And somehow he didn't even have time to think about the fact that his husband had left him. Even if it was, according to Mark's assurances, just a pause for "our own good, Pete." And now he's back, and these hugs... and new reassurances. Pete and glad. But he's also uncomfortable.