Chapter 28
Athena tugged at the corner of her lips, a bitter smile forming as tears welled up in her eyes, unbidden.
“The night of the miscarriage, I called you eighteen times. It wasn’t until the nineteenth call that you finally picked up. Do you remember what you said to me?”
She paused, her gaze shifting coldly to Aliana. “You told me not to disturb you, that you were busy.”
Athena’s voice dropped to a mocking whisper, the words laced with pain. “You were probably busy accompanying Aliana for her prenatal checkup, right?”
“You‘ re quite the playboy, juggling two women pregnant at the same time. Are you proud of yourself, Emmett?”
For a heartbeat, the silence on the hillside was deafening, as if time itself had frozen.
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Finally, Azrael staggered backward, a pained sigh escaping him. The tension was broken, and everyone snapped back to reality.
“Grandfather!” Emmett rushed forward, gripping the elderly man, panic in his eyes. He turned on Athena, his voice a mix of anger and fear. “Athena, how could you say something so shocking? Are you trying to kill Grandpa?”
“Scoundrel, shut your mouth!” Azrael‘ s voice cracked as he steadied himself, his tears flowing freely like a child‘ s.
After what seemed like an eternity, Azrael spoke through his sobs, his voice heavy with regret. “Athena, it’s all our fault. The Davidson family owes you. Please, give us a chance to make it right.”
Athena’s heart twisted, her voice
trembling as she whispered the words that haunted her. “But my child is never coming back.”
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Before Athena could utter another word, Emmett’s voice broke through the silence.
“We’ll have another child. I know I’ve
for
hurt you, and I’m truly sorry everything. I won’t make the same. mistake again, I swear. Please, give us another chance.”
“I know I was wrong, and I can’t bear to see what we’ve become. Just think about it, Athena. I’ll wait for you, no matter how long it takes.”
It was the first time Emmett had ever shown such vulnerability to Athena, and for a moment, she didn’t know how to
react.
Seeing the uncertainty in her eyes, he pressed on.
“You once promised you’d help me fulfill all my wishes. My wish now is simple: I want you to forgive me and be with me. Please, make it come true, just like we promised.”
The promise they’d made in the
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beginning lingered between them, and Emmett‘ s words tugged at Athena‘ s heart. But this time, it would be different. She had made up her mind.
With a resigned smile, Athena met his gaze. “You‘ ve lied to me too many times, Emmett. Now, let me lie to you.”
“There’s no future for us. Not anymore.”
She said it with quiet certainty, her words cutting through the weight of their shared history.
She hadn’t come back to the country for Emmett or to revive their love. If they hadn’t insisted on finding her, she would have kept her past, the pain of her lost child, buried forever.
Athena turned away without a second glance, her every step a quiet declaration that there was no hope left for Emmett. The past ten years, once filled with so
many shared memories, now felt as though they had never existed.
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As she approached the gate to board the plane, a sudden thought struck her: Emmett had once promised to take her around the world. But those promises had been hollow, broken long before they had even begun. In the end, it was Aliana, not her, who held his heart.
Just as she was about to board, Athena‘ s phone buzzed. Her new number had somehow found its way into Emmett‘ s hands, and after a brief pause, she answered the call.
Emmett‘ s voice was shaky, soaked in alcohol, his words slurred. When he heard the call connect, there was a moment of disbelief in his voice.
“Your call finally went through…”
He sobbed, his voice cracking. “Can you love me again?”
Athena said nothing, letting him beg in vain, the weight of his words hanging in
the air.
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Only when the final boarding call sounded did she speak, her voice steady, unyielding.
“There’s no future for us anymore.”
She ended the call swiftly, her heart a quiet echo of the past she was leaving behind.
