ATHENA

"Hi mummy!" Rayen''s sweet voice reaches me, and my heart instantly melts. It''s been over a month, and I still feel like I''m dreaming.

Everything finally ended. Leah is in prison along with her mother and father. We took everything they had andpensated all the victims. It didn''t bring back what they lost, but it helped a little, and that was better than nothing.

I was moved to the ER and it has been extremely busy. I can barely feel my bones from how exhausted I''ve been.

That''s why I n on opening a foundation dedicated to helping those who can''t afford health care. I would have with the fortune my parents left, but my aunt, being the greedy woman she is, took all my money before I turned eighteen and could im it.

"Hi, baby. How was school?" I ask as I pick him up and pepper kisses all over his cheeks, making him giggle.

"Mummy! Please stop, I''m ticklish!" He screams as heughs.

The sound is like music to my ears, and I can''t help butugh along.

Sometimes co-parenting is hard.

There are days when Ie home craving thefort of my son''s arms only to remember it''s Alex''s day with him. We agreed on a schedule, but life and work tends to break the ns forcing us to bend in otherways.

Shockingly, though, we''ve made a decent team. Civil, even. For Rayen''s sake, we''re trying.

Just as I''m setting Rayen down and about to bribe him with cookies so he''ll do his homework, the doorbell rings.

"Maybe it''s Aunt Izzy." I say to Rayen, who probably can''t hear me as he rushes upstairs. With a shake of my head, I walk towards the door.

"I didn''t-" My words are caught in my throat as I open the door.

Alex.

Standing tall in a crisp navy shirt, with sleeves rolled to the elbows, veins prominent, hair tousled like he just walked off a magazine shoot, and a stupidly unfair smile tugging at his lips.

Ugh.

Why does he still have to look this good? Life would have been really easy if he weren''t easy on the eyes.

"Hey," he says, his deep voice smooth. "Ready to go?"fn99cf Th? link to the orig?n of this information r?sts ?n f?ndnovel/fn99cf

I blink. "Go where?"

He chuckles softly. "I told you earlier. About the stop we need to make."

"Oh. Right," I murmur.

“Did you forget about it?" He whispers the question.

"Nope." I lie.

I totally forgot.

I nce at the clock, then at thefy couch, then back at him. "I just got home

and I''m actually really tired. Maybe I''ll sit this one out."

"It won''t take long." His tone is gentler now, not demanding. Soft and pleading.

That''s new.

Rayen pops out from behind me like a little ninja.

"It''s a short trip, Mummy! We''ll be back really fast!"

"When did youe down, little man?" I ask in shock, I clearly saw him going upstairs.

"Just now!"

I narrow my eyes at my son. "Rayen... did you n something?"

He gasps dramatically. "Nooo000!"

But his giggle and those traitorous dimples say otherwise.

"Hi, Daddy!"

He runs straight to his dad, who scoops him up effortlessly,ughing.

That sound, which is extremely rare, makes me pause, Alex''s real, deepugh.

My eyes meet Alex''s over Rayen''s shoulder. It''s just a second, maybe less, but something passes between us. Something unspoken, thick with tension, memories, regrets... and other things I don''t want to name.

I clear my throat and look away, pretending to fuss with my hoodie sleeve.

"Fine. You cane in. I''ll take a quick shower."

Alex nods. "Take your time."

Take your time.

I pause mid-step.

Alex is many things, but patient is not one of them.

What the hell is going on?

I take a quick shower, and despite my desire to stick around and soothe my body

in the delicious heat of water, I need to hurry.

I tie my hair into a messy bun and throw on my favorite grey sweatpants and an oversized hoodie, silently praying that wherever we''re going is truly a short trip. All

I want is to sleep for twelve hours straight, maybe fourteen.

As I walk back downstairs, I find Alex standing by the window, his phone in hand. But the second he sees me, he tucks it away and stands straighter, his gaze locking on me like I just stepped onto a red carpet instead of just showing up in glorified pajamas.

His eyes trail down my body slowly, deliberately, until my skin burns like he set me on fire with a single look.

"You know," he says, his deep voice lower now, like a secret slipping past his lips,

"I think you look even more beautiful with your hair down."

My heart ms against my ribcage so hard I''m certain he can hear it. My cheeks warm, and my fingers twitch at my sides.

But I clear my throat, masking everything. "Good thing I don''t care what you think,” I toss back casually, ignoring his smirk as I head to the kitchen to scoop up Rayen, who''s too busy munching cookies and humming to himself.

"You ready, baby?"

"Yaayy! Let''s go!"

The drive is filled with Rayen''s voice, buzzing with energy. He''s talking about everything and nothing all at once. School snacks, a book he read, a cartoon he watched, and most importantly, the school trip that''sing up.

"I want to take my spider costume! Is that okay, Mummy?"

"For a school trip?" I ask with augh.

"It''s a superhero-themed bus ride!"

"So Spider-Man, huh?" I tease and he smiles happily,

"Yes! So I can always protect you and Daddy!" He puffs his chest in his car seat, and I smile with pride.

"The bad guys better stay away, my son is Spider-Man!" I cheer, and he nods with pride.

Alex chuckles next to me, and for a moment, everything feels oddly...normal.

Easy.

Like we''re just another family going out for dinner or ice cream.

But then we turn down a familiar road. My smile fades.

No.

It can''t be.

And yet, as we slow to a stop in front of the huge iron gates, I recognize it

immediately.

The house.

That house.

The one I once poured my dreams into. The one I had designed, visualized, and started decorating before it all fell apart. Before betrayal. Before divorce. Before heartbreak.

My chest tightens as I whip my head toward Alex. "Why are we here?" I ask, my voice shaking.

He doesn''t answer immediately, but from how he locks his jaw tight, he knows how much I hate this house.

"It''s a surprise," he says atst, just as the gates creak open.

The evening light hits the stone driveway perfectly, casting a soft golden glow. The house is lit up, warm and grand, and the fountain in the middle glows under the soft exterior lights. It looks magical.

But all I feel is dread.

Just then, two more cars pull in behind us. I turn, surprised, as Ariana steps out of

one, and from the other, Giana emerges slowly with help.

I spin toward Alex, my voice low and demanding. "What is going on?"

Alex looks at me, his eyes softer now, almost vulnerable.

"Trust me. Just once, Athena," he says, opening his door.

"Trust you?" Iugh, "Not even in the next life." I spit, expecting him to re at

me, but he shocks me with a defeated sigh as he opens his car door.