ATHENA

"Will you pick me up again, Mummy?" my little prince asks, his voice hopeful and sweet.

I turn to face him with a huge smile.

"Of course, baby. I will. I can even pick you up every day! Is that what you want?”

He nods eagerly, his curls bouncing as I lift him into my arms and start tickling his sides.

He bursts intoughter, wriggling with delight.

"Mummy, stop! You''re making meugh!"

"That''s the point!" I tease, kissing his cheeks again and again until he squeals.

The bell rings, and I walk him toward his ss.

His little hand grips mine tightly. I crouch down and fix the cor of his shirt before brushing a kiss to his forehead.

"Be good, okay?"

"I will. I love you, Mummy."

"I love you more, baby."

He lets go of my hand and runs into ss, waving at the door before it shuts behind him.

I exhale slowly, letting the warmth of the moment soak in for a second before I turn and walk toward the parking lot.

My steps halt as I notice a familiar face leaning against my car like he owns it.

My chest tightens, my smile instantly vanishing.

"I don''t want to see you," I say, coldly.

He steps forward and tries to reach out,

"Athena-"

I jerk my arm back, but his fingers manage to graze my skin, catching my wrist.

"No," I snap, and without hesitation, my hand flies up....

SMACK!

The p echoes through the parking lot, making his head snap to the side as his cheek redens instantly.

"Don''t you ever touch me again," I hiss, my voice cold and furious. "You lost the right to say my name the moment you betrayed me."

Noah blinks, stunned, holding his jaw.

I don''t give him a chance to speak.

I walk around him and open the car door.

"Athena, Alex had a heart attack." He announces, making me halt my hold for a second before I quickly recover.

"He will be fine. He has the form, after all." I spit.

His eyes widen in shock, "He does?"

Iugh. But there is no humor in it, "Why? Are you disappointed that you betrayed

me for nothing? Were you expecting me to have given it to you instead?"

"Athena. I..." He runs a hand through his hair. "I didn''t tell my parents about the form. I know you won''t believe me, but I didn''t. I love you. I would never betray you."

I scoff.

Love.

"You King men are all the same. Get the fuck out of my way or else I''ll run you over!" I open my car door and sit.

He must know I''m not bluffing because he moves out of the way as I drive off.

I grip the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turn white.

My breath is shaky and uneven. I''m so angry I can barely see straight.

Alex had a heart attack?

Good.

He has the form now, doesn''t he? He''ll survive.

He always survives while I''m left picking up the shattered pieces of trust, over and over again.

Love?

What a joke!

Hot tears blur my vision as I swerve into the nearest empty parking lot and m the brakes. The silence inside the car screams louder than any words could.

I bang the steering wheel once, twice, then I let out a cry so raw, I surprise even myself.

They used me.

Again.

Every kiss.

Every whispered promise.

Every "trust me" and "you''re safe with me."

Lies.

All of it.

"I should have known," I whisper as the angry tears begin to fall. "I should''ve known."

The ache inside me spreads like wildfire, consuming every ounce of softness I once had.

I trusted Alex. I let him hold me. I slowly let him back in again.

Noah too.

He had been there pretending to be my friend, my backup, while he schemed behind my back.

iming love while he sold me out and had the nerve to y innocent!

Never again.

I swipe my tears away roughly and stare at my reflection in the rearview mirror.

No more crying.

No more soft-hearted mistakes.

They want me cold?fn9d10 Content originallyes from F?ndNovel/fn9d10

They''ll get it.

After taking in deep breaths, I start my ignition again and drive to work.

I won''t let them ruin my day.

I pull into the hospital parking lot and smooth down my scrubs.

I''m ready to walk in and save lives. But the moment I step into the hospital lobby, I

know something is wrong.

The air feels different.

Everyone''s heads are tilted down

toward their phones. They are whispering and when they nce up, their eyes dart straight to me.  s

One nurse bumps into a cart and another resident stumbles on his steps.

My brows knit.

What the hell is going on?

I keep walking, ignoring the way conversations cut off as I pass.

The elevator dings open and I''m about to step in when I hear my name being

shouted behind me.

"Athena!"

I turn to see Isabelle rushing down the corridor toward me, her eyes wide and her

face pale.

She doesn''t stop until she''s right in front of me, nearly breathless.

"Is it true?" she demands, shoving her phone into my hands.

"Is what true?" I ask, already feeling my chest tighten.

"That bastard. Did he steal your form?" her voice trembles with a mixture of

panic and fury.

"What?" I blink, confused. "What are you talking abou-"

"Look at the article!" she snaps, thrusting the screen closer.

I lower my eyes to the phone and a gasp leaves my lips.

[Breaking News: Billionaire Alexander King steals a Cardiac Drug from the Late Dr. Dawson''s Unreleased Research. News

vel

reaching us is that he has b

suffering from a heart problem and that could be the motivation behind such a drastic move. But questions.....]  s

I skip the heading and scroll down.

["... Says they had developed a breakthrough drug to prevent early-stage heart failure... projected to earn billions... anonymous source imet came from Dr Dawson''ste parents'' work, entrusted to her... insider theft suspected..."]  s

How did they get this?

I feel the walls closing in. The corridor is spinning. Everyone''s staring.

Everyone knows.

"Please tell me it''s not true," Isabelle whispers beside me.

But I can''t think of a response to give her. My mind is spinning as I feel my heart

crushing.

Surely Zayan wouldn''t do this would he?

It had to be someone else.

Because if he was the one who leaked this information, I''m done for.

"Where is Zayan?" I ask Isabelle. Ignoring her question.

"Don''t deflect, Athena!"

"WHERE IS HE?"

"I don''t know! He hasn''t been seen today.n asked me to take his shift but he

didn''t exin why."