Chapter 46I could hear Tristan calling after me, his long strides echoing in the hospital corridor as he tried to catch up. L "Athena!" His voice carried that commanding tone he used when he expected people to listen.I didn't stop. I kept walking, faster now, my heels clicking against the polished floor. The fluorescent lights above felt too bright, too harsh, making everything look stark and ugly."Wait up!" I felt his hand grab my arm, spinning me around to face him.My face was burning with anger, my whole body trembling with rage I could barely contain. When I turned to look at him, I saw him flinch at whatever expression was on my face."What is it?" I snapped, my voice sharp enough to cut glass.For a moment, he looked genuinely shocked that I'd screamed at him. Then he quickly masked his surprise, slipping back into that calm, controlled demeanor he always wore when things got difficult."Why won't you tell me what's going on?" he asked, his voice carefully measured.I folde
Chapter 45She let out a laugh that we both knew was completely fake. "Ha. Ha."I wanted to get up and leave right then, or maybe practice some of the fighting techniques Kiara had taught me. But I forced myself to stay calm and focused on my phone instead, refusing to take the bait.She was clearly trying to start something, hiding behind her victim status like it gave her permission to be cruel. I wasn't going to engage in whatever game she was playing."You love him," she continued, her voice taking on a mocking tone that made my skin crawl. "I know you have feelings for Tristan. I can see it in the way you look at him."My jaw clenched, but I kept my eyes on my phone screen. She was definitely trying to provoke me, and I knew Tristan would be furious if I caused a scene with an injured woman in a hospital bed.Besides, I'd been working on controlling my emotions, learning to stay calm in difficult situations. I'd heard worse things than this. Whatever poison she wanted to spill c
Chapter 44The casual way he said it, like spending time with me was something he genuinely enjoyed rather than just tolerated, made warmth spread through my chest.Maybe lunch wouldn't be as awkward as I'd feared. Maybe we could just be siblings grabbing food together, like normal people did. Maybe I was overthinking everything."There's that new sandwich place down the street," I suggested. "Leah says their turkey club is amazing.""Sounds perfect," he said, then reached up and gently brushed a strand of hair away from my face.I froze, shocked by the intimate gesture. My eyes widened as I stared at him, wondering what he was doing, why he was touching me so tenderly when we I thought we'd keep things simple between us.His eyes locked with mine for a moment that stretched too long, his fingers lingering near my cheek before he slowly pulled his hand back."The hair was bothering you," he explained quietly.I was surprised again, because Tristan hardly ever explained himself. He us
Chapter 43Yup! Exactly what I needed to hear. That was a wake up call.Athena, you're his sister. "Yeah, I'm sure he won't." She nodded her head."You guys should talk it out when he comes" I stared at her with a smile."We will don't worry. Hope Kiara didn't miss me too much" I joked trying to get the conversation off me."Of course she did. You'll come around soon, right?""Yea I would" we both walked into my office catching out on the day before that I wasn't present.We walked together toward my office, catching up on the work I'd missed the day before. Leah filled me in on customer calls, parts orders, and the general chaos of running a busy garage. I was grateful she didn't ask why I'd been absent – maybe because I was technically her boss, or maybe because she could see I wasn't ready to talk about it.What would I have said anyway? Sorry I missed work because I'd nearly overdosed.I threw myself into paperwork, using the familiar routine as a shield against my racing though
Chapter 42"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he said, looking genuinely apologetic.I immediately turned my gaze away from him, staring at anything and everything except his face. The counter. The cabinets. The coffee maker. Anywhere but those eyes that had been looking at me so intensely last night."It's okay, just my reflexes," I said quickly, trying to sound normal and probably failing completely."How was your night?" he asked, and his voice sounded perfectly casual, like nothing had happened between us at all."Fine. Fine," I said way too quickly, trying to look busy with anything I could find.There was a pause, and then he asked, "What are you doing?"My heart stopped completely. This was it. He was going to bring up the kiss. He was going to ask me what the hell I thought I was doing yesterday. Or maybe say, what happened yesterday was inappropriate and that we needed to pretend it never happened. What was I supposed to say? That I'd temporarily lost my mind?I'm going to
Chapter 41Tristan didn't respond to my kiss. He just sat there like a statue, completely frozen. That's when the reality of what I'd done crashed over me like ice water.What am I doing?I jerked away from him as if his lips had burned me. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. That was a mistake," I blurted out, already scrambling to my feet."Ath..." he started, but I didn't stick around to hear whatever he was going to say. I bolted up the stairs like the house was on fire, taking the steps two at a time.I shut my bedroom door behind me with more force than necessary and leaned my back against it, sliding down until I was sitting on the floor. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might explode right out of my chest."Oh my God! What did I just do? What have I done?" I covered my face with both hands, still unable to believe what had just happened.I'd kissed Tristan. On the lips. While he was telling me about losing his mate and unborn child. What kind of person does that?Nice one,