Thank you for all the congratutary messages! They've warmed my heart. Here's one for today.
ATHENA “22nd October.” The words echo in my mind like a depressing song on a loop.My baby was born on the 22nd of September.Which means… Rayen isn’t mine." Not biologically. Not by blood.God, I feel like such a fool.I shouldn’t have come. I should’ve stayed away like I promised myself I would. But I saw the ambulance that day, saw the way Alex held him, panic written all over his face. Something broke in me. Something deep and aching.Maybe it was guilt. Maybe it was that stupid glimmer of hope I’ve been secretly nursing like a wound that never healed.And that damn birthmark.“We even have the same hair color!” Rayen's happy voice rings at the back of my head, making my eyes sting.I wrap my arms tightly around myself.I was so hopeful. I'm so sure there was a reason I felt that pull to Rayen every time I saw him. The way he’d cling to me. The way I knew how to soothe his cries like I’d done it a hundred times before.But it was just in my head. It's just a cruel coincidence.Wi
ATHENA“Thank you for everything, Noah, I really mean it.” I reach over and squeeze his hand. He flashes me his handsome smile, “You know I'd do anything for you. Now go in there before I'm forced to say what I'm not supposed to.”I shake my head at that threat and lean over, I place a small kiss on his cheek, and then I rush into the hospital, feeling better than I felt when I left Alex's office.Months back, he and Zayan have been trying to get me to go out on a date, but I think that will just ruin what we already have, so it's better for us to only be friends. “There she is!” Ian flashes me his eye shutting smile and my cheeks warm. “Dr. Quin.” I nod, mirroring his smile. “Come with me.” He says as he starts walking towards the office and I frown. Ian rarely calls me to his office, and with how he's mostly smiling, you never know what bomb he's about to drop. We step into his office, and I close the door behind me, still trying to figure out if I should be nervous or not. Ia
ATHENA“Dr. Dawson!” Rayen wriggles out of Alex’s arms the moment he spots me and dashes toward me with a wide grin.It took a long time to get him to stop calling me mummy and just call me Dr. Dawson, but after a few explanations he gave in. I can't lie. Seeing him hurts me, but he's just an innocent boy who finds my presence warming. How can I push him away?I barely have time to brace myself before he flings his arms around my waist, nearly knocking the wind out of me.“Rayen,” I breathe, crouching to hug him back tightly. “You’re supposed to be in school.”He pulls back just enough to pout. “I told Daddy I wouldn’t stop crying until he brought me to see you.”I glance up at Alex, who’s now stopped a few feet away, hands in his pockets, watching quietly with unreadable eyes. “He’s very persistent,” Alex says.I rise slowly, my heart still a chaotic mess after everything Ian just told me.“Hey,” Alex says softly once Rayen skips off toward the nurses’ desk. “You okay?”I nod, too
ATHENA One week later....“If I didn't know better, I'd say Alex has fallen for you.” Isabelle joins me on my lunch table.“Alex doesn't for anything.” I correct her as I take a sip of my drink.All this time, I thought he loved Leah, but it turns out it was just gratitude. How cold is he that his heart can't open up to truly love?“Then why has he been coming here every day for the past five months? Because Rayen misses you?” Isabella laughs, “Sloane will die of laughter when she gets back.”I glare at her, trying not to let the little twitch at the corner of my lips betray the part of me that’s secretly… affected. “Sloane doesn’t need to hear anything about her cousin who happens to be my ex-husband!”“Too late. I already told her yesterday when she called.”I groan and rest my forehead against the table. “You’re the worst.”“And yet, I’m the only one willing to speak the truth while the rest of you dance around it like it’s an open-heart surgery.”I lift my head and stare at my h
ALEX“You look like shit.” Luca leans back in his chair, brown eyes sweeping over me like he’s confirming a diagnosis.“Shit doesn’t cover it,” Iann chimes in, and I throw him a glare that lacks the heat it usually carries.They're both right. I do look like hell.“Should I pour you a drink?” Luca offers, but I shake my head.“Rayen’s birthday party starts in an hour. I’m not showing up stinking of whiskey.”Luca whistles. “Look at you being responsible.”I rub at my temples, head throbbing from more than just the sleepless nights. “I just… I don’t get it.”That makes them both pause. I never start conversations like this. I usually keep things buried, neat, and tucked somewhere no one can find them, but something’s been cracking lately. “Get what?” Luca edges me on.“Athena.” Her name feels like gravel in my throat. “She’s been… amazing with Rayen. Like really good to him. He's already sent me a picture of the gift she just took to him, some Lego game, and he swears it's the bes
ALEX“I… I thought he was with Athena,” she says, her voice cracking. “He said he wanted to show her something. I assumed he’d gone to her. He always runs off to her and he’s always fine so I thought he was fine!”Her words slam into me like a freight train.I turn sharply, my eyes narrowing. “So you just let him go? You didn’t follow him?”“We were all getting ready for the cake,” she cries, “Everyone was there. He disappeared so fast, and it wasn’t until we were calling everyone to come back that we noticed him and Athena were still missing.We called Athena, but she hadn’t seen him. Then we started looking…God, Alex, we found him lying in the snow near the trees. He must’ve fallen, oh my God.”Her voice is a sob now, but it doesn’t reach me. I’m too far gone.“You should’ve called me immediately!” I roar, my nose flaring. “You waited? You waited until now to tell me my son was unconscious and freezing in the goddamn snow?!”“Alex, please-”“No!” I snap, my eyes searching for Leah, w
ATHENA I freeze when Leah lunges forward, her voice sharp and wild, slicing through the tense silence like a blade, making everyone halt their movements. Her eyes are full blazed, angry as she stands before me,“I don’t want Athena or her blood anywhere near my son!”The words hang in the air, loud, raw, and cruel.Every head in the waiting room turns.I slowly pull my hand back from Alex’s arm as if I’ve been burned.“What?” I whisper, my voice barely audible. I heard her when she warned me to stay away from her son, and I respected that. Also, it's not my fault he kept coming to see me. What should I have done, kicked him out?He's a child for crying out loud. Even I who hates both his parents, put that hate aside, and played with him.“Leah!” Ariana gasps beside her, eyes wide in horror.Even the nurse holding the clipboard is shocked by the outburst.One would think I pushed the child myself. “Why?” I ask quietly, trying to keep my voice steady. “Why are you so angry at me for
ATHENAI thought the black box Marcus gave me would unsettle the pit in my stomach. Well, guess what… I was wrong.Because my heart has been on that text since I left Rayen recovering in the hospital a week ago.“UNKNOWN:I know what happened to your child.”I tried to call the number. It was off. Still is. And now, instead of fear, it’s anger burning beneath my skin like wildfire..How dare they try to play with me?Do they have any idea what it means to lose a child? Do they understand that kind of pain? The kind that never heals never softens, never lets go?That’s not something you dangle over someone’s head like a cruel joke, then switch off your damn phone and vanish into silence.I looked like I had seen a damn ghost as I came up with an excuse to avoid Ariana’s questioning gaze. I should’ve deleted that message. But I didn’t.Because a tiny, maddening part of me, the same part that still dreams of tiny fingers and lullabies in the middle of the night, hopes it’s rea
ATHENA “I am safe,” I say, forcing a weak smile, trying to play it off. I don't like worrying people. Zayan has become someone special to me over the years. He is one of the few people who actually cares about me, and it hurts me seeing him like this. His mother is not my biggest fan but Rose, his sister inlaw always tells me it's not just me she's like that with everyone. So I guess I no longer felt bad whenever we hang out. But truly, I am grateful to Zayan, without him, I don’t know if I would have found the strength to meet Anna and uncover the truth about my son. “I mean, technically I’m breathing, so that counts, right?” I try to lighten the mood, but fail miserably because his glare only increases.His jaw is clenched, his brows drawn so tightly they almost touch. He stares at me like he can’t decide if he wants to hug me tighter or scream until the walls shake.“You almost died,” he says. “Again.”Speaking of which, I need to investigate who was powerful enough to back Le
ATHENAI wrap my arms around myself, trying to take a proper breath and decide what comes next. Isabelle came to check on me, and I was about to rush out when she relieved me with an update.Sloane is stable now.Still unconscious, but stable.And I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure she walks again, even if I have to give her my own damn legs.The door creaks open.I glance up.Alex steps in and pauses mid-step when he sees me awake. I guess he wasn’t expecting that.“Why do you look shocked? Where were you hoping I’d die?” I mock, not bothering to hide my annoyance. “You’re awake?” he says softly, ignoring the insult I just hit him with.Alexander King? Having a soft voice?It’s strange. All my life, Alex’s voice has been clipped and cold. Not this.I nod once, my throat dry, feeling like I’ve swallowed sandpaper.He walks toward the side of the bed, carefully lowering himself into the chair like he's afraid he'll break me just by existing. In his hands is a paper bag and a tak
ALEXShit! I curse under my breath.I catch her before she hits the floor, her weight folding into my arms like a puppet with its strings cut.“Athena!” I shout, lowering her gently, cradling her head as panic claws up my throat. “I need a doctor right now!”Isabelle is instantly beside me, checking Athena’s pulse, her expression calm, but I can see her resolve cracking.It's her best friend, after all. “We need a stretcher!”A nurse rushes in with one, and I lift Athena onto it carefully, my hand refusing to let go of hers even as Isabelle moves to wheel her away.“Let us take it from here, Alex,” Isabelle says gently.But I hesitate.For a second, I think if I just hold on tighter, maybe I can keep her from slipping further away and from shutting me out completely. But I nod and step back.She disappears down the hall, and I’m left standing in the silence that follows.Noah drops into a chair, his hands buried in his hair while his shoulders shake with quiet despair. Ian stands
ALEXThe walls of the hospital feel like they’re closing in.The lights overhead are buzzing too damn loud, the sterile air stings my nose, and the rhythmic ticking of the clock on the wall claws at what’s left of my sanity.I don’t speak.I haven’t said a word since we got here.I sit, with my elbows on my knees, my fingers locked tight, and my jaw clenched so hard it aches. Every part of me is burning, vibrating with a fury I’m barely keeping caged.Not at the universe. Not at fate.At me.I let this happen.I let Leah get that close.I fell for her lies.Over and over again.I believed her sob story. Let her manipulate me. And in doing so, I said the unthinkable to Athena. For the past five years, I've felt indebted to her. Not knowing I was a jackpot in her game. Pictures of me plastered on the wall in her secret room are drilled in my fucking mind. What a fool I've been.Me!Alexander King. Fooled from the word go and played like fucking ping-pong. I thought she saved me. Ima
ATHENA The shot rings out.I brace for the pain, for the heat of the bullet tearing through my flesh.But it never comes.I’m still standing.I'm still breathing.Frozen.My heart slams against my ribs as the world slows around me.And then-“No!”A body crashes into mine, shoving me hard to the side.I stumble, catching myself against the edge of a table.That’s when I hear it, a guttural gasp, the sound of someone choking on breath. The thud of a body hitting marble.Blood splatters.I look down my body and realize it's not mine.My eyes widen as I turn.Someone took the bullet.For me.From the corner of my eye, I can see Leah screaming, thrashing, wild-eyed like a mad woman.. But the officers are on her now, four of them tackling her to the ground, ripping the gun from her hands.My ears ring.The voices fade.Someone’s shouting my name, but it sounds like it’s coming from underwater.Everything begins to blur, hitting me all at once.A gun.Shoot.Not me.I look to the side and
ATHENALeah stares at the dress like it's made of poison.I could poison it, but that would have been too merciful.Her hands tremble as she clutches the dresser behind her for balance. “You’re bluffing,” she whispers, her voice cracking beneath the weight of panic. “You can’t- none of this-this isn’t legal!”I take another step closer and smile. It’s not kind. It’s not warm. It’s the smile of a woman who’s been pushed too far, who’s crawled her way through hell and came back with fire in her veins.“Oh, sweetheart,” I say, leaning in until our noses almost touch, “do I look like I care about what’s legal? I think you and I already crossed that line. ”She flinches.“ You know the first thing that hit me when I found out what you had done? I wanted to drown you the way you did to me. But then I realized there was a better way. Whatever you love, I’ll take it. Every fucking thing attached to your name, I will rip it from you and burn it to ashes. Everything you've been craving, will
ATHENAFLASHBACK7 days ago….“It’s only been two hours. Don’t be so anxious,” Zayan says to me, but it does nothing to calm the storm raging inside me.Alex is unpredictable.He may think I fabricated the evidence, and that’s not even the worst that could happen. Leah could get her hands on the documents, twist the story like she always does, and paint me as a manipulator.I’m pacing the length of Zayan’s office, chewing on my nail, with nerves clawing up my throat when the door suddenly slams open, and I nearly jump out of my skin.Alex stands there like a force of nature. His shoulders are rigid, his chest is heaving, and those wild green eyes are locked onto me with pure fury.“Get the fuck out,” he growls, low and dangerous. Zayan straightens from where he’s leaning against the desk, glaring at Alex. “It’s my office,” he snaps.I flick my desperate gaze toward Zayan, silently begging him to give us a moment. Zayan hesitates for just a moment before he sighs and grabs his jacke
LEAHSix days later…“I hope you secure a good fortune after paying ten million for a ridiculous wedding dress!” Mum snaps as she adjusts the hem of my robe.“Can we see it?” she asks, her voice softer this time, almost curious.“No," I say, flipping my hair over my shoulder. "It’s not with me. I had to do makeup first.”Dad grumbles something under his breath, still pale from the heart attack he nearly had when the bank called him.Apparently, when someone drops ten million on a dress, the financial world panics.They thought I’d lost my card. That some thief was out there playing dress-up with my future.But no. I signed the authorization myself and left a copy with the boutique, just in case I change my mind and want a refund later.Not that it matters.Ten million is nothing compared to how much I’ll be entitled to once the vows are said, and my last name is King.“In a few minutes," I remind them with a sparkling smile, "Alexander King will be your son-in-law. Do you have any ide
LEAHI swallow hard, my hands trembling so badly I have to clutch them behind my back."No," I say, my voice cracking. "Of course not! Alex, you know me...""Do I?" he asks, tilting his head, his green eyes unreadable.The assistant stands frozen behind the counter, the dress draped over her arm like a dead body.I force a smile, blinking fast to hide the sting in my eyes."I’ll just... call Daddy," I say quickly. "He’ll transfer the money right now. It’s no big deal."Alex chuckles a low, dangerous sound that makes my blood turn to ice.Is he testing me?"Of course," he responds, "Call Daddy."His words are laced with mockery, but I ignore it. I'm sure it's a test.One I'm not going to lose!I've come too close to the goal to let it slip off my hands. I yank my phone out of my purse so fast it almost flies across the room.Dialing my father’s number, I press it to my ear, forcing a smile at Alex.He watches me, hands still shoved casually into his pockets, like he’s enjoying every