I started to speak but he raised his hands higher.
I’ve let you say everything you have to say, every angry word and accusation, but now it’s time to listen to me.”
too?”
I closed my mouth and stared at him, feeling something uncomfortable shifting in my chest.
“Do you think Athena doesn’t love her kids the way you love them?” Orion asked, his voice steady but hard. “You think she’s not scared of losing them
He moved closer and I could see something fierce in his eyes.
“Remember you’re not the only one that lost a child.”
The words hit me like a physical blow and all the anger that had been burning inside me died down in an instant, replaced by something cold and
horrible.
Oh my God.
What have I done?
Athena had lost a child too, had carried a baby that never got to take a breath, had blamed herself for not being able to protect them.
She’d told me once that she was terrified of failing as a mother again, terrified that she wouldn’t be able to keep these babies safe.
And I’d just thrown that fear in her face, had told her she was reckless and careless with their lives.
“F**k,” I said, and my hands went to my hair, fisting in it roughly and pulling hard enough to hurt.
Orion turned his back to me and started walking toward the door.
“Where is she?” I asked slowly, my voice coming out rough and broken.
He stopped but didn’t turn around.
‘In a place you can’t see her tonight,” he said. “You need to rest, the both of you, you’ll see her tomorrow.”
He still didn’t turn, just walked out and closed the door behind him.
He was angry.
I knew he was angry even though he’d kept his voice level and calm.
He was pissed but he was holding himself back, controlling it in a way I clearly couldn’t.
All the years of his and Sarah’s marriage and I’d never once heard him speak to her the way I’d just spoken to Athena.
He’d always respected her in his actions.
1/3
11:00 pm G P P P
Chapter 344
Maybe he did when I wasn’t around but I doubted it, that wasn’t who Orion was.
He’d trusted me with his sister, didn’t even disagree when I decided to man up and fight for my feelings, had stood by us through everything.
And the only thing I’d ever done was hurt her over and over again.
I moved to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face, staring at my reflection in the mirror.
I looked like hell.
My eyes were bloodshot and there were dark circles under them, my jaw was tight with tension and I could see a vem throbbing in my temple.
I freshened up mechanically, going through the motions without really thinking about what I was doing, then laid down on the bed fully clothed.
her?
But I couldn’t sleep.
How could I when Athena wasn’t by my side, when I knew she was somewhere else hurting because of words I’d said, because of the way I’d looked at
F**k.
How do I make this right?
What do I do?
I stared at the ceiling and watched shadows move across it as cars passed outside, counting the hours until morning, until I could see her and apologize and try to explain that I’d been scared out of my mind.
mally
The next morning came slowly, each minute dragging by like an hour.
I was sure I looked like a ghost because I hadn’t slept at all, hadn’t even closed my eyes for more than a few seconds, had just laid there waiting for daylight to break through the windows.
I almost ran down the steps when I heard voices in the living room.
When I got there Orion and Sarah were sitting together discussing something in low voices but as soon as they saw me they stopped talking.
Sarah didn’t even turn toward me, the smile she’d had on her face disappeared completely.
As I got closer to the dining area she stood up abruptly and excused herself from Orion, walking past me without making eye contact.
She was pissed at me, they all were. They might all be thinking that I don’t deserve Athena, and I deserve whatever they were feeling.
I deserve all of it.
When she was gone I turned to Orion and asked him the question that had been burning in my mind all night.
He looked at me and I could see my unspoken question reflected in his eyes but he didn’t say anything, just went back to looking at his phone like whatever was on the screen was more important than anything I had to say.
‘Where’s… Athena?” I finally asked, the words coming out hesitant because I knew he might not tell me.
2/3
11:01 pm GP PP.
Chapter 344
He looked up at me and I thought for a moment he wouldn’t answer, would just ignore the question entirely.
‘She went back to her apartment,‘ he said finally, his eyes dropping back to his phone.
The color drained from my face and I felt my stomach drop.
“Why?” I asked, hearing the panic in my own voice.
“Because you’re being a jerk, Sarah said, coming back out from the kitchen with a cup of coffee in her hands. “Someone risked her life and the life of her unborn kids for you but you decided to let your pride out, decided that being right was more important than being kind. I’m beginning to regret my
decision now…”
I had nothing to reply because she was right, my mind was just circling around the fact that Athena had left, that she’d gone back to her apartment instead of staying here where I could see her and talk to her.
Was she done with me?
Was she about to call off the wedding?
“You want to call off our wedding?” I heard Athena’s broken voice behind me.
Had I said that out loud?
But that wasn’t what I meant, that wasn’t what I was thinking at all.
I stood and turned around and saw her standing there in the doorway looking small and fragile and devastated.
“You want to call off the wedding?” she repeated, and I could see tears already forming in her eyes.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
