ATHENA

 

Have you ever been through hell?

 

People have different versions of it. Mine is staring right at me with cold eyes and disgust that he could vomit me.

 

And that’s the most pathetic thing about me. Knowing all this and still holding onto that sliver of hope. That maybe….

 

“I knew it! sneaky little bitch aren’t you?” Ariana taunts.

 

“She is her mother’s daughter indeed!” Gia adds.

 

Leah stands there. Like a damn wet cat and that is annoying as hell. Seeing her pretend to be a damsel in distress pisses me off.

 

Because I’ve seen her eyes when she looks at me.

 

Trust me, I know a bitch when I see one. And Leah Woods,  sure is on the top of the mean table.

 

Alex’s voice slices through the tension like a blade.  Like everyone else is just noise he is trying to tune out.

 

“The guests have started arriving.” His tone is calm and controlled—like he didn’t just throw me to the wolves. “Let’s not make a scene. We can discuss this later.”  He stands and grabs Leah by the hand and walks away.

 

My mouth opens and closes but no words come out. Someone should slap me.

 

I need a reality check.

 

Ariana looks ready to argue, her jaw tightening, but she holds back. Barely. I see the way her fingers twitch at her side like she’s fighting the urge to follow them and tear Leah apart right here and now.

 

She knows how to bide her time though. She always does.

 

She’s the most feared lawyer in Velmoria City, after all.

 

“Fix your son before I fix him!” She hisses to her husband.

 

“Athena, don’t worry sweetheart.  We know how to deal with a vixen like her! We won’t let history repeat itself, especially in my family!”

 

Right.

 

History.

 

Another factor is why I’m in this damn mess in the first place.

 

So, apparently,  Leah’s mother,  Julian, was Mr. Wood’s mistress who was married to an expecting wife. But after discovering her husband’s extracurricular activities,  she had a heart attack and died with the baby.

 

Peter, was shamelessly able to marry the cause of his wife’s death but thank God society is unforgiving and has shunned away the woods.

 

Everyone rises to greet the arriving guests, slipping into their masks of wealth and power. Smiling. Laughing. Pretending like there wasn’t nearly a war at this very table.

 

I do the same.

 

Except, to the public I’m not Alex’s wife.

 

I’m just a fortunate orphan who received a scholarship from the Kings Foundation and happens to be at every event.

 

Whispers would go on but Alex would squeeze my hand, and whisper, “Focus on me. What they think doesn’t matter.”

 

And it made me fall for him even harder.

 

How he changed overnight baffles me. Yes, the deal was to divorce after three years but I thought that….

 

Noah steps closer, his voice low. Pulling me out of my thoughts.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

I force a small nod. “Of course.”

 

“You don’t have to lie to me, Athena. You know that.” His voice is soft, almost sympathetic and I hate it.

 

I turn and force a smile,  “Seriously, I am good.”

 

But my mind is elsewhere.

 

Searching.

 

For the one person I can’t see.

 

Alexander King…

 

“Excuse me.” I give him a small smile as I weave through the crowd, the hall is effortlessly captivating and it has more people than I usually see at the events they host.

 

Shouldn’t Alex have pulled me aside to talk?

 

I don’t even know what I’m expecting.

 

An apology?

 

An explanation?

 

Maybe to talk things over?

 

The wind hits my face and I pause to compose myself. I wrap my hands around myself as I walk toward the pool area and freeze.

 

Not because of the cold but because of what I see.

 

My breath catches.

 

Leah is in his arms.

 

Her slim fingers clutch his jacket, her body trembling as she buries her face in his chest. Her shoulders shake—crying.

 

Of course, she’s crying. I did call her bullshit out after all.

 

Alex is holding her.

 

His back is to me, From my angle it looks like he’s shielding her from the rest of the world.

 

From me.

 

My heart shatters as the scene slaps me. In the face when Leah notices me…

 

She lifts her head, just enough to look at me.

 

Tears glisten in her eyes, her lips trembling as she sobs into Alex’s jacket. But then—

 

Then, she smiles.

 

A slow, cunning smile.

 

A deliberate, taunting, victorious smile.

 

I feel my heart shatter all over again.

 

Alex’s arms around her. Leah’s tears soaked into his jacket. The way he doesn’t push her away.

 

I take a step back. Then another.

 

The walls feel like they’re closing in.

 

I need air.

 

I need to get out.

 

But before I can disappear before I can pull myself together—

 

Leah’s voice drifts through the air, soft and breathless.

 

“Alex,” she whispers, just loud enough for me to hear.

 

“Hmmm?” He responds.

 

“I love you.”