ALEX

"Alex... I...can''t ..mmmffffff"

I tighten my grip.

I''m so fucking angry, I can feel the blood boiling in my veins like acid. My pulse is pounding in my ears, drowning out everything and painting everything red.

Her nails dig into my wrist, but it''s useless. I don''t loosen my grip.

She kicks harder now, making strangled sounds like a dying animal. Her eyes are wild, mascara running down her face as the panic sets in.

I lean in close, my lips by her ear.

"Did you think you were going to walk away clean? Surely you can''t be that delusional or are you?"

She shakes her head, or tries to.

Her hands p weakly at my chest.

"If I have to ask you one more fucking time to confess what you did, I''ll shred you to pieces."

I drop her.

She crumples like a ragdoll, coughing and gasping, her hand flying to her neck. She looks up at me through smeared makeup and horror-stricken eyes. "You..." she wheezes, her voice broken. "You could''ve loved me..."

"You should''ve chosen me!" she screams suddenly, pounding a fist against the tiles her sweat covered hair sticking to her face like a mad woman.

"I did all of this for you! If you''d just looked at me, just once! I love you, Alex!"

I crouch down in front of her, and the look in my eyes shuts her up instantly.

"You don''t know what love is," I say quietly, my voice as sharp as a de against her throat. "Fuck, neither do I but we both know what you did, Is sick and you''ll pay for it."

Tears roll down her cheeks.

"I would''ve been good to him," she sobs. "I would''ve been a good mother if you let me. If you gave me a chance-"

"If you say one more word about my son, Leah." I growl, and her breath hitches.

I stand, towering over her, and coldly button the sleeves of my shirt like I didn''t just nearly strangle the life out of her.

Leah coughs again, wiping her mouth with the back of her shaking hand, but the madness in her eyes flickers back to life like she''s forgotten the hand wrapped around her throat seconds ago.

"You think she''s better than me?" she spits, her voice hoarse. "That whore? That little doctor who ys perfect? You think she will love the twisted side of you? She''ll only Judge you. But I would never, I''ll-"

"Shut the fuck up!"

I take one step forward, "I asked you to confess what you did not spew nonsense or do you want me to drag it out of you?"

She freezes.

The silence is annoying. I should be with my son and Athena. Trying to find a way

to make it up to her and not in this fucking detention center.

My anger boils over making meugh. A cold and quietugh.

It''s the kind ofugh that makes men reconsider their life choices.

The door opens and Athena steps in. Making me smile.

"I don''t hit women," I say, slow and deliberate. "But luckily for me...".

"...Athena does."

Leah''s head snaps up just as Athena steps into the room like a damn storm,posed, beautiful, and deadly.

Athena doesn''t speak. She doesn''t even blink.

She walks right up to Leah and ps her.

Hard.

The sound echoes in the room. It''s the kind of p that silences a room, that

knocks the air out of your lungs before you even register the pain.

Leah flies sideways, copsing onto her hands and knees again, her hair disheveled, and her cheek blooming red with a thin trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth.

Athena stares down at her with fire in her eyes.fn7414 For original chapters go to find?novel/fn7414

"That," she says softly, "was for my son."

She then grabs her by the hair and hits her against the wall, the doors open and the detective and other officers rush in.

"If any of you dare toy your hands on Athena or intervene, I''ll kill you myself." My voice snarls, making everyone halt their steps like they have just been frozen.

"That was for Sloane you pathetic bitch!" She picks her up from her hair making Leah cry out.

Athena releases her in disgust as she fixes her ck coat and turns to me,pletelyposed.

This woman is dangerous.

And I like it.

"You want her back in the chair?" I ask

She shakes her head. "I want her confession."

"And you will have it." I assure her.

I turn to the officers,

"Wipe the blood on her face and put her in the chair."

One of the officers grabs a tissue from the table, lifts Leah by the back of her cor like she''s nothing, wipes her mouth, then shoves her into the chair with a force that makes her yelp.

Leah sits there, stunned. Her lip trembling, her eyes wide,pletely silent now.

I lean in toward her, my voice low.

"Speak carefully now, Leah. Because this time, no Fifth. No games. You get one more shot."

I walk out, with Athena in front of me.

The detective is standing just outside, pale as hell.

"Redo the interrogation," I say, buttoning my coat without looking at him. "And this time, record it."

"Y-yes, sir."

"I want mywyer... I''ll answer your questions but just bring me mywyer." She sniffs and I smile.

I press on the speaker, "Yourwyer should be here now. Give it a few seconds. Wouldn''t want your rights taken away now would we?"

"Alex." Athena tenses next to me.

I turn and ce a strand of loose hair off her face, "Don''t worry, I''ll make everyone

who was involved pay for what they did."

Before she can respond, the door opens.

"Leah, herees yourwyer." I announce.

Her face rxes for a second before a look of horror crosses her features when her eyesnd on who herwyer is.

"Ariana Kings, your assigned attorney." My mother speaks as she takes a seat with a smile.