Chapter 10.
When I got home, I rushed through the airport to get to Grace. She hadn't gotten a new phone yet, apparently, so I still hadn't called her.
To my surprise, Frank and Grace were standing by the arrivals to greet me. Grace ran up to me and hugged me.
Grace: "Baby! I missed you so much!" She said and kissed me.
Frank: "Hey buddy!"
Me: "Hey...Grace, I need to tell you something..."
Grace: "Wait...me first. I've got amazing news!"
Me: "What....?"
Grace: "Aron....I'm pregnant!" She said and threw her arms in the air from joy, causing her big breasts to jostle up and down.
Frank stood behind her, all smiles.
Me: "What??"
Grace: "I just took a test yesterday. Isn't that amazing?! We're gonna have a little baby! Aren't you excited?"
Me: "Grace...it's Franks baby! Why would I be excited about that?! And...I have to tell you something, I met Felicity on the trip. She told me that Frank had planned to impregnate you all along. He switched out your birth control pills! Felicity was never his wife! It was all lies!"
People in the airport were starting to stare at us.
Grace: "I know, baby, calm down. Frank explained everything to me after we got back from the trip."
Me: "HE...he did?"
Grace: "I'm not gonna lie...I was pretty mad at him at first, but then I came to understand. And I hope you will, too."
Me: "Understand what? He paid Felicity to trick us into getting you into bed with him, and now he's swapped out your birth control to get you pregnant with his child! It's twisted, and sick!"
Grace: "And he only did that because Frank has never had any children of his own. He knew that he couldn't just ask somebody to give birth to and raise his child, so he did what he did out of necessity. I was so angry at him at first, but after thinking about it, I'm taking care of his seed in my belly, and I am going to become a mother. Aron, it feels wonderful just thinking about it. I want this, and Frank just helped me realize it."
Frank: "Grace is such a perfect woman, Aron. I told her everything and she still wants to have my baby."
Grace smiled and kissed Frank in front of everybody, and then she kissed me.
Grace: "Come on, baby, let's go home. We'll talk some more."
Later, when we got home, we sat down in Frank's lounge. Frank and Grace sat opposite me, holding hands. Grace seemed empathetic, squeezing Frank's hands and looking concerned for him.
Frank: "So...Aron. I'd like to explain to you why I did what I did. I hope by the end, you'll have forgiven me. I really do. There's something more you need to know about me."
Me: "What? What more lies could there possibly be?"
Frank: "Aron...I have cancer."
Me: "What?"
My anger already soothed a little. He was dying?
Frank pulled out some scans from a bag next to him, and laid them on the table.
Frank took a deep breath, a slight tremor in his voice.
"It's... well, it's still a bit hard to talk about. They say it's... incurable. They gave me, optimistically, maybe six years. But it could be less."
He looks down at his hands, squeezing Grace's for support
"It's a lot to process, you know? One minute you're making plans for the future, and the next... it feels like the future has been snatched away. There's so much I wanted to do, so much I haven't seen yet..."
He looked up, meeting my gaze.
"I'm trying to be strong, but some days... some days it just feels impossible. The fear, the uncertainty... it's overwhelming."
I was taken aback. I believed him with my whole heart. He was so genuine.
Me: "I don't know what to say..."
Frank: "Look, there's no excuse. What I did was... unforgivable. I was selfish, desperate... I let my own fear and my desire to leave something of myself behind cloud my judgment. I manipulated the situation, and I took advantage of your girlfriend's trust. There's no justifying that."
He paused, struggling to find the words
"The truth is, I was terrified. Facing my own mortality... it made me want to cling to something, anything, that would prove I existed, that I mattered. I know that's no excuse for hurting someone else, but... it's the only explanation I can offer."
"I know I've caused you both immense pain, and I'm truly sorry. I'll understand if you can't forgive me, but I hope you can believe that I never intended to hurt anyone. I was just... lost."
Grace: "Oh Frank...It's... it's been hard. Really hard. To be angry, to feel betrayed... and then to find out about... about your diagnosis. It changes things."
Me: "I still feel so angry about this, Frank. This is unforgivable. We should get an abortion..."
Grace: "This baby... it's innocent in all of this. And maybe... maybe it's a chance for something good to come from something so painful. A part of Frank to live on, a reminder of... of the time we had. It's not a justification, but it's a starting point. We can figure this out, together."
Frank: "Thank you Grace, you're an angel, truly. I hope you understand me now, Aron."
Me: "I do...but this is still so fucked. But I'm starting to understand the desperation behind it."
Frank: "There's more...those drugs I've been injecting you with...it wasn't Trenbolone, or Testosterone. It was Estrogen, the female hormone."
Me: "WHAT?!"
Frank: "I've been chemically castrating you so that I could make sure Grace would get pregnant with only my baby. Sorry..."
Grace: "Oh...Frank..."
Me: "This explains why I've been feeling so weird! And gotten weaker!"
Frank: "Yeah...do I regret it? Perhaps. But not enough to change what I've done. I have a limited time left, and I won't waste it on apologies. I will focus on what matters: ensuring that a part of me lives on."
Grace: "I think that's healthy. We'll move on from this, okay Aron?"
Me: "Okay?! I want off of that stuff!"
Frank: "Are you sure? You're already on it, and besides, wouldn't it be easier for everyone involved if you stayed on it? No more conflict, no more resentment. Just acceptance and cooperation as we navigate this unexpected journey together."
He offers a reassuring smile.
"This isn't about control, it's about harmony. We're creating a family now, and that requires compromise. Staying on the estrogen is a small sacrifice for the greater good, wouldn't you agree?"
Grace takes my hand: "Honey, I know this is... unconventional. And I was angry, hurt, at first. But he's right. This isn't just about us anymore."
A soft smile graces her lips.
"This baby... it deserves a stable, loving environment. And honestly, lately... you haven't been the easiest person to be around."
She gently squeezed my hand, her voice softening.
"The estrogen... maybe it could help. Calm things down, make you less reactive. It wouldn't be forever, just until the baby comes and we figure things out."
Me: "No...I don't want it...it stops now..."
Frank sighed: "Suit yourself."
After we got home, Grace and I talked some more, alone.
Me: "I....can't believe you're pregnant with our neighbors baby..."
Grace: "Me neither....but I took five tests...I'm definitely pregnant, and...well...we know it's not yours...."
Me: "No...that's for sure..."
Grace: "I was angry at first, but then I got this crazy maternal instinct that kicked in. I realized that I want to wake up to a house full of children, and cook for them all some breakfast before sending them off to school. I want big christmases filled with joy and laughter. But of course I knew that we weren't ready for a baby just yet. I needed to finish my studies, and you needed to cement yourself in your career. Things just weren't stable enough yet."
Me: "And now...?"
Grace: "You gotta understand, I had fully put that dream to the side for some time, to give us some time to settle in our lives. But then this thing with Frank started...which was super, super fun, and all, but when he came inside me for that first time while you watched, my need to become a mother kicked into high gear again. I couldn't get enough of feeling Frank cum inside of me. Everytime he did, I would imagine that I wasn't on birth control, he was impregnating me, and I was going to be a mother. It made the sex that much better, and the fantasy grew into something real."
So that's why everytime Frank came inside of Grace, she would put on this glazed look on her face, where her eyes nearly rolled back in her skull.
Me: "That's..."
Grace: "It's a win-win, Aron. Frank said he would financially support us with everything we need, just as long as we're raising his baby. That means we could afford much nicer things around here, I wouldn't have to complete my degree, and you wouldn't have to work so hard."