Chapter 6
Athena stared at the text message, her emotions swirling so violently that she missed her step on the stairs and tumbled down. The child she had carried for over a month was lost, turning into a pool of blood that slipped away from her body.
The agony of the miscarriage was
compounded by its incompleteness. Alone in the sterile hospital room, Athena lay still as cold instruments scraped away the remnants of her baby. The clotted blood and tissue were flushed away, vanishing as if they had never existed.
When she finally awoke, her heart was shattered into pieces, and with it, the wedding she had once dreamed of.
Ever since Aliana had returned, every act, every whisper, had been a fresh wound, each one carving deeper into her heart. The love she had so freely given to Emmett had been drained dry, leaving her a hollow
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shell.
Standing before the grave, time seemed to stretch on forever, her legs growing numb from the stillness. Finally, Athena wiped away the last of her tears and made the call to arrange for her parents‘ graves to be relocated.
“Dad, Mom, I’ll bring you home. From now on, we’ll be free from the Davidson family.”
She joined the team handling the
relocation and spent five long days isolated from everything in her quiet, rural hometown.
During that time, Emmett called her repeatedly, his voice dripping with sweetness, asking where she was and why she hadn’t come back.
At first, Athena answered with a few dismissive words and ended the call, but this time, Emmett didn’t give her the chance to hang up. Instead, he video–called
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her directly.
“Athena, should we make our wedding even more extravagant?” Emmett’s smile was warm, his voice tender as always.
“Just the thought of marrying you soon keeps me awake with excitement.”
Athena forced a smile, a bitter taste rising in her throat. She wanted to tell him to stop
pretending.
After everything, wasn‘ t he tired of the endless games?
But she couldn’t bring herself to say it. After all these years, she had truly loved
Emmett.
“Athena, why are you spacing out again?” Emmett‘ s frown deepened, clearly irritated. “Is something more interesting
than me?”
Athena snapped back to reality, quickly redirecting her gaze to the screen, focusing
on Emmett‘ s face.
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The background behind him seemed unfamiliar, an unfamiliar space she didn’t recognize. It wasn‘ t home. Athena hesitated for a moment before replying,
“I’m in Skyridge, preparing a wedding gift for you.
Emmett‘ s eyes lit up, his smile widening in delight.
A long time ago, they had cuddled up in bed, watching videos together.
Emmett had pulled Athena close, watching as couples visited Skyridge to create matching household items, something they had promised to do one day.
“Why did you go by yourself?”
Emmett‘ s playful annoyance was evident as the camera shook. He grabbed his coat, ready to move.
“Wait for me. I’m coming to Skyridge to find you!”
But Athena stopped him. “No need. I’ll
be back tomorrow.”
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At Emmett’s words, Athena’s gaze sharpened. He frowned deeply as though a great injustice had been done to him.
“You don’t want to see me?”
“No,” Athena replied coolly, her lips barely moving. “I just don‘ t want you to see the gift I’m preparing in advance. It would spoil the surprise.”
Emmett‘ s brows relaxed slightly, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. “Fine,” he said, his voice laced with arrogance.
“I’ll let it slide… this time.”
Blowing a kiss toward the screen, he added, “I’ll be waiting for your surprise.”
Athena gave him a faint, unreadable smile. Without any change in her expression, she signed her name on the immigration. application form. She hoped, for
Emmett’s sake, that this surprise would be enough to shatter whatever illusions he had about their future.
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Afterward, she returned to Ravenloch.
She had already submitted the necessary materials to the agency and paid for expedited processing.
The agency’s response came swiftly, confirming that she could cancel her household registration in the U.S. They would arrange a new identity for her abroad, complete with permanent residency rights.
If she wished, the entire process could be completed within three days.
Three days; that would have been the date of their wedding.
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