Thank you for reading! Please do leave me a review on the main page if you can. It helps the book a lot. I appreciate you all!
ALEXTALK ABOUT A SHITTY DAY!My mood was already sour from the fight I had with Mum on my way to work. She wants to give half of my wealth to Athena. Fucking half!To a fucking murderer and cheater!As if that wasn't crazy enough, Athena had to summon Ethan Sinclair. How the fuck does she even know him?Did they have a little reunion of meet and greet?Let's meet each other's relatives dinner?I don't even think I've ever had a conversation with the Sinclairs. I've known about them but not been interested enough to speak to any of them… well …until Zayan.Just the thought of those two scheming has my heart twisting in anger!Promising each other marriage?I almost laugh at the audacity!She dared.She actually dared to bring another man, Ethan Sinclair of all people! into my office to demand her reinstatement, to demand Zayan’s reinstatement. She didn’t come begging or pleading. No, she walked in here like she had some kind of right, like she wasn’t the one who ruined everything.
ALEXI'm many things, but stupid is not one of them. I also know what it takes to have a baby, and I've never touched Leah, nor have I ever kissed her.Is she another liar?I clench my hands into fists as I step back, feeling disgusted at women's desperation to have anything. “Get out of my office.” I growl. “Alex, the child is really yours.” She pushes, ignoring my cold glare. “I've never touched you Leah, it takes semen to knock someone up, and I'd know if I placed my dick where it shouldn't be.” My voice is cold even to my ears. Leah flinches but maintains her stance. Is she dense or what?“Remember that night?”“What night?”Leah sighs, looking hurt like I just slapped her. She moves behind and takes a seat on the couch. “Remember that night when you came home so angry, I tried to comfort you with my body. We were in the heat of the moment, and I ended up getting pregnant. I couldn't tell you because Athena had just gotten pregnant too. So I left to give birth abroad.”That's
ATHENATwo days later….“I don't know how it came to this, my dear. But always know that you're welcome and this is your home.” Giana pulls my hands into hers. Today marks four months since I got divorced from Alex, and this is the first time I'm facing his grandmother. I had no idea what to say to her, especially since it felt like it was my fault.I lost the baby, and I have no way of proving otherwise. “I'm sorry I robbed you of the chance to see Rayen grow.” I whisper as tears roll down my face.My wounds have never healed, and every day is harder. Giana's grip on my hands tightens, her warmth a stark contrast to the cold emptiness inside me. Her eyes, filled with a depth of understanding I don’t deserve, shimmer with unshed tears. “My sweet girl,” she murmurs, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “You didn’t rob me of anything. Life is cruel, and sometimes, it takes more than it gives. But you… you are still here.” I shake my head, the weight of grief pressing down on my
ATHENASLAP!I hit him so hard his face pauses on the side from the shock of my delivery!How dare this scumbag mock me after everything he’s put me through?The anger I feel right now can't be explained. He blames me. I get it, but this is the last stroll, and I've had enough!Especially when I look at the baby he's holding, he doesn't look more than five months old and if my math is correct, that means the asshole cheated on me and got us pregnant at the same time!“How dare you?” I spit, my voice trembling with rage, heartbreak, and months of bottled-up pain. “You cheated, lied, humiliated me, and now you use my son’s name to mock me?”The room is frozen. No one speaks. Even the baby in Leah’s arms starts to whimper at the sudden tension in the air.Alex slowly straightens, his jaw clenched, cheek reddened from the blow. He looks stunned, like he didn’t expect me to still have fire in me after all he’s done.“Don’t you ever speak to me like that again,” I snap, my chest heaving.
ATHENALooks of pity.I detest them—and I'd rather not receive any.They feel like quiet judgments wrapped in sympathy. Like everyone’s saying, “poor Athena”, without ever opening their mouths.Noah and Sloane have been so quiet, I didn’t even realize they were still in the room.It’s only when I feel the warm weight of a jacket settle over my shoulders that I notice Noah beside me. He doesn’t say much. He never does when I’m hurting. But the way his eyes soften, the way he avoids looking at Alex’s direction, says everything.He's angry and is having a hard time keeping that in check.“Let me drive you home,” he murmurs.“I’ll come with you,” Sloane says, stepping forward. But Noah shakes his head.“Stick around. Keep me updated.”A flicker of protest dances across her face, but then I give her a small, tired smile. “I’ll call you.”She nods, and I can tell she wants to say something more but doesn’t.I step over to Ariana and pull her into a brief hug, then turn to Giana.She looks…
ATHENA“We can't treat you. Our hospital is full, and if I get you the bill, I bet you won't be able to afford it.” Annie says, and I have to stop everything I'm doing to ensure I heard her right.Annie is PGY-4, so she is a pain in the ass but she is good at what she does and is my senior, so you can only imagine what I have to deal with. “Dr. Please! My father is dying and we won't have enough time to make it to another hospital!” A young girl who doesn't look to be over twenty cries as she begs her to admit her father. “All this begging is time you’re wasting!” Annie snaps, her arms crossed, annoyance etched into every line of her face.I slam the patient chart shut and whirl around.“Excuse me?” My voice slices through the halls of the ER like a scalpel.Annie turns to me with that smug little smile she always wears when she thinks she’s untouchable.“This isn’t charity, Dawson. We have protocols and capacity limits—”“No.” I step forward, fire burning in my chest. “What we have
ATHENAMy heart stutters. That voice.Even if the years had dulled it, even if time had blurred every echo of that night, I’d still recognize it anywhere.Leah.The last time I saw her, she was standing in the doorway of my apartment with Alex’s child in her arms.Rubbing it in my face that she had what I could never give him even if I tried. I looked at the child for the first time, and my heart shattered. He was the spitting image of Alex with his eyes. I shut the door in her face and applied to work in the furthest hospital I could find. And now, she’s here.Why is she here?Dressed in a tailored navy-blue suit with a white coat, her hair pulled back in a bun that does nothing to soften the features on her face. She’s flanked by six doctors, clearly a surgical team, all in identical white coats, all standing like soldiers in formation behind their commander.The same smug expression I remember curls on her lips as she stops just a few steps from me.“Well, well,” Leah muses, her
ATHENAI manage a nod, ice creeping into my veins. “Such wonderful news!”“I’m glad you think so too,” she says brightly, before stepping past me. “I look forward to working with you. I'll teach you so much!”Is it illegal to smack someone's head?It would be great if it wasn't!Her entourage follows her like moths to a flame, leaving behind a cold draft of resentment.“I don't get how people like her end up in delicate places like these!” A voice sounding extremely annoyed reaches my ears, and I turn to find a beautiful redhead. With her arms crossed. Her coat isn’t white like the others, but navy trimmed with gold…Wait!That's a senior attending coat!The badge on her chest reads: Dr. Isabelle Whitmore, Trauma Surgery Lead, Quinns Institute Exchange Program.And beneath it, stitched into the fabric in silver thread: Chief Surgical Consultant, Level V Trauma.I blink. Not knowing what to say. “What's your name?” she asks.“Athena. Athena Dawson.”She looks at me before nodding,
ALEX“Report,” I say to Ryan as I step into the Detention center where Leah is being held as she waits for trial which is the day after tomorrow.Ryan falls into step with me as we walk, and he responds. “She hasn’t said a word. She keeps pleading the Fifth. Detectives can’t get anything out of her. She’s been stonewalling since the moment she was brought in.”I stop walking and turn to face him slowly, my eyes narrowing.“What?”Ryan stiffens, swallowing hard. He looks like he’s seen a damn ghost.I stare at him, my jaw clenched so hard I’m shocked my teeth are not falling off.“Ryan,” I say with deadly calm, “you have ten seconds to explain what the hell you’re talking about.”He flinches slightly, but then his eyes meet mine, “It seems she has someone backing her. Otherwise, why would she be so confident and arrogant with all this evidence against her?”I breathe in through my nose, slowly, carefully. Hoping it will calm me down.It doesn’t. It fucking makes me see red.“She asked
ATHENA“Dr. Athena!” A sweet, small voice calls as the door swings open.Rayen rushes in, a whirlwind of tiny footsteps and excitement, and jumps into my arms before I can even react.I catch him with a soft oof, my arms instinctively wrapping around his tiny frame.His warmth, his smell, his messy curls pressed against my cheek, and it all hits me like a punch to the chest.God, I missed him.It’s only been a week since our last play date, but it felt like eternity. Like some sort of cruel punishment. I had to stay in the shadows to set the trap for Leah, but every second away from him, knowing he was my son, tortured me.I can’t believe this little angel who giggles in his sleep and asks me if clouds cry when it rains is actually mine.The one who slowly took my heart for himself with no plans of returning it back to me.My little prince.“I made you a card,” he announces proudly, leaning back to pull out a folded sheet of paper from his jacket pocket. The crayon strokes are bold a
ALEX“What the hell happened to you?” Luca asks as I walk through the hospital car park. I'm really not in the mood to talk. So I glare at him and grab my car keys. Athena looked stressed so I'm hoping bringing Rayen will calm her mind as we wait for Sloane to wake up. He will be heartbroken once he finds out his favorite aunt is in hospital. I don't even know how to break the news to him. Hell, I don't know how to tell him Athena is his mother. I'm still trying to find a way to explain that.“I just saw Zayan and the whole clan walk into Athena’s room. Aren't you missing out on the party?” Luca asks, and I halt my steps, turning to face him.“What?” He laughs, “She must have told you shit that bled your heart for you not to notice.” I lock my jaw. “Pick up Rayen from his daycare and bring him here. Also-” I pause, stepping closer. “I want you to keep an eye on Athena. I don’t trust anyone else to protect her.”Luca raises a brow, the playfulness fading, “Do you have someone y
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