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“The wedding date remains uncertain. He’s still dealing with the woman his family approves of, but he’s assured me that once that’s resolved, we’ll tie the knot and I’ll be the most joyful bride
ever.
Athena couldn’t even fake a smile. She stood motionless until Emmett noticed her change in mood. He quickly interrupted Aliana’s speech.
“Don’t you have work soon? Shouldn’t you be going?”
Aliana’s face hardened, and she let out a derisive snort before heading to the bathroom. As she passed Athena, she couldn’t resist a jab,
“Don’t fret, Ms. Athena. Love manifferently for everyone. My fiancé, for example, shows his deep affection by lavishing me with his time and resources.”
With that, Aliana departed, leaving an awkward silence in her wake.
Emmett, visibly uncomfortable, grasped Athena’s hand and kissed it softly, his voice urgent.
“Athena, allow me to explain…
“It’s unnecessary” Athena cut in, her tone composed yet detached.
“Love is expressed in various ways, I get it,” she continued, maintaining eye contact. “I understand you’re occupied, so you can’t spare time for me. But I also know…”
Athena’s words trailed off as emotion overwhelmed her. She paused, suppressing her pain, before finishing quietly, “I know you care for me.”
“Sadly, you care for her more.
She kept this thought to herself, though it gnawed at her inside. As she gazed at Emmett’s face, tears silently rolled down her checks.
Noticing her tears, Emmett embraced her, offering his usual comfort as he whispered soothingly.
“Once we’re wed…”
A brief shadow crossed Emmett’s eyes. “Once we’re married, things will improve.”
Will they really, Emmett?
The question echoed In Athena’s mind, though she remained silent. She had given him countless chances, living in his fabricated fantasy for years.
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But this time, she would no longer believe in his affection.
The evening before the wedding, the agent had electronically transmitted all the documents to Athena.
At that moment, Emmett held her from behind, his voice persistent as he joked about having a child together. He insisted it must be a boy.
When Athena saw the foreign text notification flash on the screen, Emmett frowned. “What’s that?”
Athena, maintaining her composure, turned off the screen and casually replied, “Some foreign poems. I’m preparing my wedding vows for tomorrow.”
Emmett, hearing this, immediately relaxed, tightening his grip as he pulled her close with a gentle smile. “Wife, you truly love me, don’t you?”
He lifted her gently, placing her on the bed, his eyes gleaming as he leaned over her. “From now on, you must continue loving me like this, okay?”
Athena’s gaze lingered on him, and with a playful smile, she asked, “What if I stop loving you?”
“You won’t, he murmured, kissing her eyelids tenderly.
“Neither will I, he added, his voice lowering. “Remember our pact: whoever falls out of love first will be struck by lightning.”
Athena let out a soft laugh, the sound melodious in the quiet room.
For the first time, she reached up and gently tousled his hair, her touch tender. “Yes, struck by lightning.”
For some reason, Emmett felt a growing uncase, an instinctive sense that Athena had discovered something he had hoped to keep hidden,
But it didn’t matter anymore. He only had to endure a little longer.
Once they were married, Aliana’s baby arrived, and he could bring the child home and pass it off as his and Athena’s. After securing the Davidson family’s legacy, everything would fall into place. He could do as he pleased, no longer bound by this charade.
Yet, in that moment, a strange ache tugged at his heart.
The silence stretched between them as they lay side by side, physically close yet emotionally distant. Neither spoke, both lost in their thoughts, the weight of unspoken words hanging heavily.
Just as sleep was about to claim them, Emmett’s phone rang, the sound jarring in the night’s stillness. He hastily left, his footsteps echoing in the quict.
In the darkness, Athena’s eyes flickered open, her gaze following his retreating figure.
