Chapter 52: Chapter Fifty One

Eros

I sat in the dimly lit bedroom, my gaze fixed on Athena’s sleeping form. The slow, steady rise and fall of her chest should have reassured me, but the pallor of her skin and the faint creases on her brow only deepened my unease. 

She looked fragile—too fragile. I had barely moved from my seat since Dr. Moreau had left, declaring her stable. But those words did nothing to quiet the storm raging inside me.

With a heavy sigh, I turned the slip of paper between my fingers, rereading the message. The words seared into my mind, their weight pressing heavier on my chest with each passing second.

"I didn't forget about you, Athena. You think you're safe? You're not. I'm watching you."

Scarlett.

My grip tightened, my knuckles whitening as the paper crumpled slightly in my grasp. I had let Athena talk me out of confronting Scarlett before, but this was it. No more waiting. No more hesitation. Scarlett had crossed a line she wouldn’t walk back from.

My pulse pounded with fury, a familiar fire coursing through my veins. But before the rage could fully consume me, a sudden whimper from the bed had me snapping my head up.

Athena stirred, her brows furrowing as she twisted beneath the sheets. A broken sob slipped past her lips, her body tensing as if she were fighting something unseen. Her hands clutched at the sheets as though she were trying to hold on to something—anything.

“No,” she whispered, her voice raw with fear. “Please… don’t…”

Her voice, hoarse and pleading, sent an icy bolt through my spine. Her fingers clenched tightly, her entire body rigid with distress. Then, suddenly, she cried out—a sharp, desperate sound that shattered the stillness of the room.

I was beside her in an instant.

“Athena,” I murmured, brushing damp strands of hair from her face. She flinched violently at the touch, her breaths coming in ragged gasps.

I tried again, my voice firmer this time. “Athena, wake up. You’re safe.”

“No! Stay away—”

“It’s me.” I caught her shoulders, grounding her before she could thrash any further. “Athena, it’s me.”

Her eyes flew open, wild and unfocused, still trapped in the grips of her nightmare. For a moment, she didn’t see me—only the lingering horror of whatever haunted her sleep. But as her gaze finally locked onto mine, the panic ebbed, recognition replacing the terror.

A soft, choked sob escaped her lips as she sagged against me, pressing her forehead to my shoulder. A single tear slipped down her cheek.

“Eros… I—I thought—”

“Shh,” I whispered, my thumb gently brushing the tear away before wrapping my arms around her. “I’m here. It was just a dream.”

But I knew better. It wasn’t just a dream. It was a memory—a wound that refused to heal.

I held her until her trembling subsided, until the tight grip on my shirt loosened slightly. Then, pulling back just enough to see her face, I searched her face.

She shuddered, attempting to sit up, but I guided her back down. “You need to rest.” I said.

She shook her head weakly. “I—I can’t." she whispered. "It felt so real.”

I cupped her face, my touch firm yet careful. “It’s over now. No one’s going to hurt you.” I assured her.

She parted her lips to respond but hesitated, exhaustion dragging her down again.

I exhaled sharply. The rage simmering beneath my skin threatened to boil over. I couldn’t do this anymore. I couldn’t just sit back while Scarlett continued to torment Athena. My hands balled into fists at my sides.

“I’m done waiting.” My voice was low, dangerous. “Scarlett has gone too far. I’m going to her. Tonight.”

“No.” she said quickly, her fingers tightening around my wrist, her grip weak but determined. “Not yet.”

My jaw tightened, my entire body going rigid. “Not yet?” I scoffed, incredulous. “After everything she’s done? After this?” I threw the note onto the bedside table. “She’s not going to stop until—” I cut myself off, unable to say the words aloud. My voice dropped, raw and edged with fury. “I won’t let her keep doing this to you.”

Athena’s fingers curled around my hand, cool against my heated skin. “We have to be smart, Eros. She’s expecting you to retaliate. She wants you to act on impulse, to be reckless.”

I wrenched my hand away and stood, raking a hand through my hair as I paced the room like a caged predator. “Waiting is what put you in this position,” I snapped. “I should’ve stopped this before it got this far. I should’ve—”

“You should trust me,” Athena interrupted softly.

I stilled. My chest rose and fell with barely restrained anger. “You want me to trust you? When you’re the one suffering the most? When every time you close your eyes, you relive it?”

She lowered her gaze, fingers twisting in the sheets. “I’m not saying it’s easy. But if you go after her now, she wins. She wants you to lose control.”

I gritted my teeth. “So what? We let her get away with this?”

“No,” she whispered. “But we wait for the right moment. When we can take her down for good.”

Silence stretched between us, thick with tension. Finally, I exhaled sharply and sank back down onto the bed, rubbing my hands over my face. The urge to act was nearly unbearable.

My jaw flexed, my muscles wound tight as a coiled spring. “And how long do we wait, Athena?" My voice was quieter now, but no less lethal. "Until she breaks you completely?”

She met my gaze, unwavering despite the exhaustion in her eyes. “You once told me patience wins wars.”

My breath hitched. I had told her that once. And she was using my own words against me.

I let out a harsh breath, frustration rolling off me in waves. “This isn’t just a war to me,” I muttered, my voice raw. “This is something I need to end. And waiting makes it unbearable.” My fists clenched. “I hate this.”

Athena’s grip on my hand softened, her thumb tracing slow, soothing circles over my knuckles. “I know,” she murmured. “But you’re not fighting alone.”

My rage simmered, restrained only by her quiet strength. I wanted nothing more than to storm out and tear Scarlett’s world apart. But Athena’s presence anchored me, forcing me to hold back—at least for now.

Leaning in, I pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. “Fine,” I said, though my voice was laced with warning. “I’ll wait. But the second she slips, Athena—I won’t hesitate.”

Athena nodded, her fingers tightening around mine. “Neither will I.”

I held her close, unwilling to let go. As much as I hated waiting, for her, I would. But Scarlett’s time was running out.