"How is he doing, Doc?"
A woman in a white coat with a stethoscope draped around her neck let out a small sigh. She glanced briefly at her patient, who had just been transferred from a small hospital on the outskirts of the city, before turning her gaze back to someone she had never met before, her expression somewhat difficult to interpret.
"It looks like further examination is needed. So far, there are no signs that the patient will regain consciousness. The head injury seems quite serious."
Silent, one of Arthur's subordinates could only sigh softly. He turned his eyes back toward the small window in front of him, his heart aching as he watched his superior lying there, helpless, with several injuries on his body.
"So you can't determine exactly when he'll wake up?"
The doctor, who had also examined Athena before, slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't make any further
Arthur’s head throbbed as he slowly opened his eyes, the harsh fluorescent lights above him making him squint. His body ached all over, and every movement felt like a battle against his muscles.He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through his ribs, forcing him to clench his jaw. How long had he been out? Where was Athena? The last thing he remembered was chasing after her, determined to find her, and then—darkness."Sir?"A familiar voice broke through his disoriented thoughts. One of his most trusted men rushed to his side, relief evident in his eyes."You’re awake, sir. We were starting to worry and—""Where is she?" Arthur’s voice came out hoarse, barely more than a whisper. He ignored the burning in his throat and tried to swing his legs over the edge of the hospital bed."Sir, please. You’re still too weak.
"Mrs. Athena, is your purpose in holding this press conference to explain that your marriage to Mr. Leon has been fine amidst all the bad news?"Cameras flashed relentlessly as journalists fought to be heard over one another. Athena looked a little nervous. She was clearly unprepared for all this even though she was the one who planned this activity in the first place.Yes, this is indeed her plan. But it's not entirely like this. Initially, she just wanted to stand in front of the many camera flashes alone or at least be accompanied by Arthur. She wanted to explain her collaboration with the man's company. She certainly didn't expect to be accompanied by Leon, who had clearly caused her so much suffering."Is it true that you filed a police report against him, Mrs. Athena? If so, why are you standing here with him today?""Yeah, did he force you to be here? Are you being threatened, Mrs. Athena?"
As soon as the press conference ended, Leon wasted no time in dragging Athena into his car. The moment the doors shut, the charming mask he had worn in front of the cameras shattered."What the hell was that Athena?!" he snapped, his voice filled with barely contained fury. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "You were hesitating! Do you think I didn’t notice? Do you want to ruin everything for me?!"Athena remained silent, her nails digging into her palms. She knew that arguing with Leon would only make things worse. He was furious, and when Leon was angry, he became unpredictable."Answer me!""I did everything you asked," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I said what you wanted me to say.""Not well enough!" he barked and scoffed. Leon turned to her, his dark eyes filled with menace. "You’re lucky I was there to clean
"No! It's—""Let us examine all this evidence first, Mr. Leon. You can testify later!"Leon tried to evade but the odds were stacked against him. With a sharp glance at Arthur and Athena, he clenched his fists tightly again. His brain was trying to think of a quick escape in this situation, otherwise he would end up in prison for a long time."All of this evidence is very sufficient, sir. I hope from today he can be arrested immediately. Moreover, he had previously committed a lot of crimes that harmed many people," Arthur added, occasionally returning Leon's sharp glance with his stern gaze.Athena, who witnessed all this again, could only remain silent with a transfixed gaze. She still couldn't believe it, even though in her heart she felt very happy with Arthur's presence.Didn’t Leon say that the man was unconscious for days after being brutally beaten by hi
"Arthur…"As soon as Arthur stepped into the car, Athena couldn't hold back her emotions any longer. She threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest as tears spilled down her cheeks."I’ve got you. You’re safe now," he whispered against her hair. Arthur caught her immediately, wrapping her in a tight embrace. She clung to him, burying her face into his chest."I was so scared!" she admitted between sobs. "I thought I’d never see you again. I thought—""I told you I’d come back for you," he murmured and pulled back just enough to cup her face in his hands. His thumb brushed away her tears. "I’d fight through hell to reach you!"A fresh wave of emotion washed over Athena. She pressed her forehead against his with sobs that had not subsided. Her lips occasionally opened as if she was about to say something, but unfortunat
"Excuse me, Mr. James, Mrs. Athena."Arthur’s fingers hovered over his phone, about to check the multiple missed calls and the message about Reyna. However, before he could reach for it, the door swung open, and a nurse entered, pushing a tray of food."It's time for your meal," the nurse said with a warm smile. "You need proper nutrition to recover quickly.""I suppose there's no escaping this, huh?" Arthur sighed, leaning back against the pillows. Athena, who had been standing beside him, smirked."Not unless you want me to report you to the doctor, sir." The nurse chuckled, making Athena chuckle too. She quickly picked up a tray of food that was handed to Arthur."Don’t worry, nurse. I’ll make sure he eats everything!""Thank you. Don't forget to finish your meal afterward." The nurse gave a knowing smile before setting the tray down on t
"Sir..."Athena immediately shifted her position to sit up. Not only that, but she also quickly moved away from Arthur, unwilling to become the subject of gossip."What's the matter?" Arthur asked briefly, his gaze slightly cold.Yes, the warmth he usually showed Athena was gone. When he was with his subordinates, Arthur was always like this—strict and commanding, earning the respect and obedience of everyone around him."Miss Reyna... Miss Reyna, sir!" The man in the black suit stammered.Arthur’s heart instantly felt like it had stopped beating upon hearing his sister’s name."What about Reyna? She's okay, isn't she?" Athena interjected, her face just as worried."Yes, what’s wrong with my sister? Speak clearly!"Nodding, Arthur’s subordinate stepped closer and showed him several messag
"Damn! The phone is completely unreachable!"Holding back his frustration, Arthur gripped his phone tightly. Athena, still by his side, gently stroked his muscular arm. She gazed at him with a sorrowful expression, though deep inside, she remained extremely curious about the true relationship between Arthur and his stepmother.After receiving news that Reyna had yet to be brought home, Arthur hadn't explained anything to her. He had only been trying to leave the hospital, though she had eventually managed to convince him to stay for further treatment. Yet, he kept trying to call his stepmother repeatedly while instructing his men to search for possible locations where Reyna might be."Reyna...""She'll be okay, trust me!" Athena slowly took the slim device from Arthur’s grasp before gently caressing his handsome face. She wanted to ease his tension, especially when she noticed his brown eyes gl
"Reyna—""You think you can take him from me? After everything I’ve done? I won’t let you, bitch!"Reyna kept getting closer, forcing Arthur—who had only just realized her presence—to instinctively shield Athena behind him. His eyes widened, just as shocked as Athena. He never imagined that someone he had always treated like a sister would do something so dangerous to the woman he loved."You’re not a killer, Reyna. Put the gun down!" he said, trying to bring her back to her senses, even though he was still torn between belief and disbelief."I won’t let her take you away from me again!" Reyna just gave a faint smile before her gaze turned sharp again. "I can’t lose you! Not after everything I’ve done for you!""Reyna—""Stay out of this!" she screamed. Her face was twisted in hatred and desperation. "You kept ignoring me while I kept falling more in love with you, Arthur! And now she’s pregnant, you’re just going to go back to her like nothing ever happened?!""Reyna, please..." Arth
"Wh–what?"Athena froze. Reyna’s words rang through the hallway like a bullet to the chest. Her breath caught. Her legs trembled. Her heart? Of course, shattered.Athena stared at Arthur, hoping—no, praying—that he’d deny it. That he’d scream it was a lie. But all she saw was confusion. Horror and silence."You... you really did this?" she whispered, barely able to form the words. "How could you—""I didn’t know what happened, dear. I swear! I don’t remember anything. She just..." Arthur stepped forward, reaching for her, but she pulled away.Athena’s tears, the ones she had tried so desperately to hold back, finally poured down her cheeks in torrents. Her body trembled with grief. Reyna, witnessing her pain, sneered with cruelty. Folding her arms across her chest, she stepped closer, her gaze sharp and arrogant."Believe it or not, but your perfect Arthur and I are closer than you think!""Reyna, stop it!""What? I’m just telling her the truth," she replied without a hint of guilt. "
"Hey!"Feeling the gentle caress on his strong jawline, Arthur tried to open his eyes. Still overwhelmed by sleepiness, he reached for the slender waist of the woman who seemed to be resting against his chest—only for his eyes to suddenly narrow sharply as he realized who was actually with him."What the hell is this?!"His heart stopped in an instant. Arthur woke with a pounding head and a mouth dry as ash. He blinked blearily, only to see Reyna lying beside him beneath the sheets, smiling like a cat that had just devoured the canary."You were amazing last night," she said casually, brushing her fingers through her hair. "I didn’t think you had it in you. I like it!"Shaking his head, Arthur then changed his position. With no clothes clinging to his body and the body of the woman beside him, he had expected it. But he quickly tried to deny it. "I don't understand. What are you talking about? How did you get here? And where are we now?!""You don’t remember?" Reyna asked with a tilt
Hearing those words, Arthur shook his head as if denying a truth too painful to accept. He took a step forward, reaching out to grab the wrist of the woman standing before him, but Athena had already stepped back, her eyes silently pleading with him—don’t."We’re over, Arthur. I’m sorry I never got to say goodbye back then. I just… I couldn’t bear to see you hurting and—""And falling apart!" Arthur cut her off sharply, running a hand over his face, overwhelmed. "Goodbye or not, I still felt it! Every inch of it! Don’t you see that?""I’m sorry. I just…""Why?" His voice cracked, raw with pain, as she struggled to find her words. "Why him? Why choose him over me? Hasn’t he done enough? Hasn’t he already broken you, made your life hell, and—""Enough! Please!"Arthur shook his head again, this time more desperately. His eyes locked onto the woman in front of him, her body trembling as she sobbed—just like him, if not even more heartbreakingly.How did it come to this? What made her giv
Throughout the ride, Arthur couldn’t shake his assistant’s words from his mind. Every part of them rang true. No matter how much time passed, Leon, Crystal, and Caroline would never let him or Athena live their lives in peace. They would never be satisfied, not even now when he and the woman he loved were already suffering under the weight of their cruelty.If they truly had joined forces to weave this trap around him, especially with Reyna relentlessly working to tear him away from Athena, he genuinely didn’t know what else he could do. If Athena were still by his side, none of this would feel so overwhelming. He wouldn’t be lost like this, drifting without direction, weak and broken, like a man abandoned for days in a barren, merciless desert."Sir... it seems your persistence has finally paid off."His assistant’s voice pulled him back from the chaos in his mind. Arthur snapped his gaze forward, eyes narrowing slightly at the sight of a woman stepping out of a taxi. Her face was h
"Mr. James! Did you just meet with Mrs. Athena inside? Has she returned? What’s your response to the rumors claiming that Mrs. Athena intentionally dropped her charges against Mr. Leon to reunite with her ex-husband?""Yes, Mr. James! As the person closest to her these past few months, surely you have something to say. Is the news true? Please, Mr. James, we've been struggling to reach her!""Yes, is your visit today connected to all this? Are you planning to cut ties and cancel your company's collaborations with hers out of disappointment? Rumor has it you only pursued the partnership to get close to her. Do you now feel betrayed, Mr. James? Played for a fool?"The flood of questions rained down without pause, each word sharpened by the blinding flash of camera lights. Stepping out of the Athena family’s corporate building, Arthur James hadn't anticipated the swarm of reporters that awaited him, hungry for a headline.Who had tipped them off? And how had the rumors spiraled so viciou
"Sorry..."Not far from the city's chaos, in a modest apartment tucked inside a quiet complex, Athena sat curled in a chair by the window.She had rented the place under a false name, using forged documents—anything to disappear. She knew Arthur would look for her, and that was exactly why she had to vanish. It was the only way to protect both him and Reyna from more pain."I'm sorry, prince. I'm so sorry," she whispered again, though the words barely reached her ears anymore.Tears welled as she hugged her knees to her chest, forehead pressed to the cool glass. The world outside carried on—cars passing, voices rising—but none of it touched her.The ache wasn’t just emotional anymore. It lived in her body now—tight in her chest, heavy in her limbs. Across the street, a couple walked hand in hand. The man leaned in to adjust the woman’s scarf, s
The rain didn’t fall that night, but the sky remained gray as if it understood that someone was lost in the deafening silence.In the room that once echoed with laughter, Arthur sat alone. The chandelier's dim light reflected dully in his lifeless brown eyes. His fingers gripped his phone tightly, as though he were holding on to the last pieces of hope, now almost completely shattered.Athena’s name was still displayed on the screen. And just like so many times before, there was no answer. He took a deep breath, trying to push down the tightness in his chest while replaying every memory he had of her."Ah, that tickles! Let me go!"That voice still sounded so soft in his ears—the way she giggled as he kept kissing her neck. The echo of her laughter was something he could never forget. Her gaze and her smile always warmed his heart, as if he could still feel them now."Where are you now?" he murmured, barely audible. "Why did you have to leave without a word? Didn’t you say you loved s
"Baby...."When Arthur opened his eyes the next morning, the first thing he reached for was her—soft skin, steady breath, that familiar warmth he’d grown addicted to. But his hand touched only the cool, empty sheet beside him. Frowning, he sat up, blinking through the haze of sleep."Baby?" he called out softly, expecting her to answer from the bathroom.Silence.He waited a few seconds, listening. Still nothing. Throwing back the covers, Arthur climbed out of bed and padded to the bathroom door knocking lightly."Baby? You in there?"No answer.A chill crawled up his spine as he slowly pushed the door open. Empty. Pristine. The room smelled faintly of her perfume, but there was no trace of her presence. No running water. No voice calling back.He turned around, eyes scanning the bedroom again. Her clothes