CHAPTER 51: CHAPTER 51: HEY... DON’T CRY, OKAY?

Oliver came back quietly, his footsteps soft against the floor. Athena didn’t even realize at first, she was standing by the window, looking out into the night. The moonlight spilled through the glass, painting her pale hair in silver.

When she heard the door open, she turned slightly, and her lips curved into a smile when she saw him walking toward her. "You’re back already," she said softly.

Oliver’s eyes softened as he came closer. "Did you miss me that much?" he teased lightly.

Athena rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide her smile. She turned back to face the window again, and before she could say another word, his arms slipped around her waist from behind. He rested his chin gently on top of her head, pulling her closer until her back was flush against his chest.

She let out a soft sigh, leaning into him without hesitation. The steady beat of his heart pressed against her shoulder, and for a moment, everything felt still.

"Miss me already?" Oliver murmured again against her hair, his voice warm, low, and teasing.

Athena smiled faintly. "I was a second away from storming into your room," she admitted.

Oliver chuckled, the sound deep and smooth in her ear. "I would’ve liked that," he said. "Finding you barging in like that."

"Don’t push your luck," she replied, tilting her head slightly to look at him.

"Too late," he whispered, brushing his nose lightly against her temple. "You make it very hard not to."

Her breath hitched slightly, and she turned her eyes away again, watching the night sky instead. "You’re so full of yourself."

"Only when it comes to you," Oliver said without missing a beat, tightening his arms around her.

Athena felt her lips twitch upward again. "You’re impossible," she murmured.

"And you’re beautiful," he countered softly, his tone shifting, more sincere this time.

The words made her still for a second. Her fingers brushed his arm gently as the warmth of his embrace settled deeper around her. The night outside was quiet, but inside, her heart beat a little faster, calm and wild at the same time.

Oliver smiled against her hair. "Stay like this for a while," he whispered. "Just... you and me."

Athena didn’t answer. She didn’t want to either. But her silence said enough, she didn’t want to move from his embrace.

For a while, silence filled the room, that quiet, gentle kind that didn’t need words. The only sound was their breathing, soft and steady, and the faint hum of night outside the window. Athena lean her head against Oliver’s chest, and she could feel his heart beating beneath her back.

But something shifted. She felt it before he said anything, the way his chest rose differently, the small pause in his breath, the slight tension in his arms. It wasn’t big, but it was enough for her to notice.

Athena frowned a little. "Oliver?" she called softly.

He hummed in response, but didn’t say much.

She tilted her head slightly in his arms, enough to see his face. "You’ve been quiet," she said, searching his expression. "What is it?"

Oliver’s gaze flickered away from hers, his lips pressing into a thin line. He hesitated.

"Oliver," she said again, her tone firmer this time. "What’s wrong?"

He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "It’s... nothing serious," he started, but his tone betrayed him, that little crack she always caught.

Athena didn’t buy it. "You’re lying," she said bluntly. "Just say it."

Oliver looked down, his jaw tightening. "I might have to travel soon," he said finally, his voice quiet, careful, almost too careful.

Athena blinked, the words taking a second to sink in. "Travel?" she repeated.

He nodded once, still not meeting her eyes. "It’s business. Something important came up."

"When?" she asked, her voice low.

He hesitated again, that silence that always came before he said something she wouldn’t like. "Next week," he said at last.

Athena froze for a second, her fingers tightening slightly against his shirt. "Next week?" she echoed, her tone sharper now.

Oliver sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "It’s sudden, I know. But I can’t really avoid it."

She stared at him, her chest tightening. "How long?"

He blinked, pretending not to hear it. "Athena..."

She cut him off, eyes narrowing. "How long, Oliver?"

His lips parted, but the words stuck for a second before he finally said it, quiet and reluctant. "Two months."

Her heart dropped. " Two months."

She stepped back slightly, shaking her head as if trying to process what she just heard. "Two months?" she repeated again, this time in disbelief. "You’re serious?"

Oliver reached out to touch her hand, but she pulled away before his fingers reached hers. "Athena, listen..."

But she didn’t. Her chest felt heavy, her throat tightening. Without saying another word, she turned sharply and walked toward the middle of the room. Her steps were fast, uneven.

"Athena," Oliver called softly, guilt lacing his tone as he moved after her.

But she didn’t answer. She didn’t even look back. She just kept walking, her mind too full, her heart too full, the warmth from before replaced by something heavier.

Athena stopped halfway across the room. Her feet refused to move any further. The sound of Oliver’s voice lingered behind her, soft, worried, hesitant and it made something inside her twist painfully.

She clenched her fists by her sides, her nails digging lightly into her palms. The silence between them stretched, heavy and suffocating, before she finally turned around.

Her white hair caught the faint light from the window as she faced him again. Her chest rose and fell unevenly, and the hurt in her eyes was clear, quiet, raw, and unfiltered.

"So, that’s it?" she said softly, though the calmness in her tone barely hid the crack beneath it. "You’re just going to drop that on me like it’s nothing?"

Oliver ran a hand through his hair, his expression conflicted. "Athena, I didn’t want to tell you like that..."

"Then how did you want to tell me?" she cut in, her voice sharper now. "In a note before you left? A phone call after you’ve already gone?"

He sighed, stepping toward her. "That’s not fair..."

"What’s not fair," Athena interrupted again, taking a step back, "is you making decisions like this without even thinking of me." Her voice wavered slightly, but she held his gaze. "You just said it like it was some random errand, Oliver. Like two months isn’t a long time."

He took another step forward, his tone gentle, "Athena, I didn’t mean for it to sound like that. I just..."

"Then what did you mean?" she asked, her words quieter now but cutting all the same. "You weren’t even gonna say anything if I didn’t ask. Oliver, is that it now?"

Oliver looked at her then, really looked at her and his expression softened with guilt. "You know I wouldn’t lie to you," he said quietly.

Athena laughed bitterly under her breath. "No, you just tell half of it and if I hadn’t pestered you, you wouldn’t have said a thing."

Her words hit him harder than she thought they would. He swallowed hard, unsure what to say next, and the silence that followed felt heavy, the kind that fills every inch of the room until it’s hard to breathe.

Athena looked away first, her gaze falling to the floor. "You’re my boyfriend, Oliver," she said finally, her voice breaking just a little. "You’re supposed to talk to me. To tell me things, even if they’re hard. I don’t care how important this business trip is, it feels like you’re choosing it over me."

His face softened instantly, pain flickering in his eyes. "Athena, that’s not true," he said, moving closer until he was just a step away. "You know that’s not true."

"Then prove it," she said quietly, lifting her gaze back to his. "Because right now, all I feel is... left behind."

Her voice cracked at the end, and it broke him.

Oliver reached out, gently cupping her face in his hands. His thumbs brushed the dampness that had formed near her eyes, and he whispered, "Hey... don’t cry, okay? You know I’d stay if I could."

Athena didn’t pull away, but she didn’t lean in either. "Then why can’t you?" she asked, almost pleading.

Oliver’s jaw tightened. He didn’t answer right away, because he couldn’t. "It’s complicated," he said finally, and that only made her chest ache more.

"How? It’s not that hard to do. Just choose me. Find a way to make it work. Oliver you’re the CEO, you can do anything, except if you don’t want to do it." Athena whispered.

That made him flinch. "Don’t say that," he said quickly, his tone firm now. "You know I love you, Athena. More than anything."

She stared up at him, searching his eyes, looking for something solid to hold on to, but what she saw only confused her more. The love was there, yes, but it was obvious he had already chosen work over her.

She wanted to cry, throw tantrum, do anything, throw things, just to express her anger, her pain. But what would that make her? She would be ungrateful and inconsiderate.

Her shoulders dropped slightly, exhaustion replacing anger. "Then stop making me doubt it," she said quietly.

Oliver stood there, speechless. He reached out again, brushing a stray strand of her white hair behind her ear. "I’ll make it up to you," he said softly. "I promise."

Athena didn’t respond immediately. She just looked at him.