Chapter 137 CHAPTER 137
The Last Chance
Ares stood by the tall window in his room, phone pressed to his ear, his face blank, almost lifeless. Tokyo’s skyline burned faintly in the distance, the night air brushing through the half open blinds.
“She’s still downstairs?” Lila’s voice purred from the other end of the line.
“Was,” Ares muttered. “They’re probably packing by now. I just told them.”
Lila gave a short laugh. “Good. It’s for the best, Ares. You don’t need them dragging you down.”
Ares said nothing, his thumb tapping the edge of the window frame. The lights outside reflected in his eyes like cold fire.
“You did what you had to do,” Lila continued. “Don’t second guess it. She would’ve left you eventually. Women like Tessa always do. You can’t build peace with guilt.”
Ares exhaled, long and low. “I’m not second guessing.”
“Good.” There was a smile in Lila’s voice now. “I’ll see you tomorrow. We’ll talk about your next move. I’m proud of you for taking charge.”
He ended the call without replying, tossing the phone onto the dresser.
For a moment, he just stood there, breathing. His chest rose and fell slowly, controlled, as though he was trying to convince himself that this was strength and not regret.
Then the door opened.
He turned sharply.
Tessa stood there.
Her face was pale, her eyes red and swollen, strands of hair sticking to her cheeks. She had stopped crying hours ago, but her soul looked like it hadn’t stopped bleeding. She closed the door quietly behind her, her breathing uneven.
Ares’ voice came low, cautious. “Tessa, I thought I made myself clear.”
“You did,” she said, stepping closer. Her tone was cold, too calm for the storm behind her eyes.
“Then why are you here?”
She laughed dryly. It wasn’t humor. It was disbelief. “To ask you that same question.”
Ares frowned. “This isn’t the time…”
Before he could finish, she slapped him.
The sound cracked through the room.
Ares froze, his jaw turning slightly with the blow. The sting burned, but he didn’t move. Didn’t even look shocked.
Tessa’s hand trembled in the air before she dropped it. Tears streamed down her face again, silent, furious.
“That’s for humiliating me in front of everyone,” she said hoarsely. “For destroying what little peace my kids had left.”
Ares finally turned his head toward her. “Don’t start…”
“Don’t start?” she repeated, her voice rising, shaking. “Ares, you’ve done nothing but start. From the moment I met you, it’s been chaos, betrayal, and hurt, and I stayed—God, I stayed…because I thought maybe, just maybe, this time you’d fight for us.”
Ares ran a hand through his hair, pacing. “You don’t understand…”
“Then help me!” she snapped. “Help me understand! Because I’m standing here trying to figure out how a man who swore to love me could turn around and treat me like a stranger in his house.”
“It’s not your house,” Ares said quietly.
That broke something in her. She stared at him like he had just slapped her back.
“Wow,” she whispered, nodding slowly. “You really said that.”
He clenched his fists, forcing his tone to stay calm. “Tessa, this isn’t about you. It’s about…”
“My kids,” she cut in sharply. “It’s always about them, isn’t it? They didn’t ask for this, Ares. They didn’t ask to be dragged into your pride war or your mother’s hate. They didn’t ask to be called names or to hear people whisper that they don’t belong.”
Her voice cracked, but she didn’t stop. “You said you loved them. You said you’d protect them. And yet every time someone comes for them, you let it happen. You let your mother humiliate them. You let strangers question who they belong to. You let me stand there alone in front of everyone while you did nothing.”
Ares turned, his voice firm now. “Don’t act like I didn’t defend you, Tessa. I’ve been fighting battles since the day you walked into my life.”
“You dragged me and my kids into your life…why does it feel like I’m always losing?” she interrupted, her tears flowing harder. “Why does it feel like I’m the one paying for your mistakes?”
He said nothing. His silence was worse than anger.
Tessa shook her head slowly, biting back another sob. “You know what hurts the most? Not what you said downstairs. Not even that you want me gone. It’s that you made my kids feel unwanted. Again.”
Ares’ eyes flickered, but his jaw stayed tight.
“They’ve seen enough trauma, Ares,” she said, her voice soft but heavy with exhaustion. “More than most adults ever will. And I’m done. I’m done letting you use love as an excuse to break them again.”
“Tessa—”
“No,” she cut in, raising a trembling hand. “You listen. You’ve made your decision, I’ve made mine. But I’m giving you one last chance—one last time to think carefully before you lose everything.”
He stared at her, saying nothing.
She took a step closer, her tears glistening in the low light. “After this, I’m walking away. Me and my kids. And you will never see them again. Not in pictures. Not in memories. Not even in your dreams. Because I won’t let you keep messing with their lives. You can take everything else from me, Ares, but not them.”
The words hung between them, heavy and final.
Ares’ expression didn’t change much, but something inside him flickered, something small, sharp, and buried deep. He took a slow breath. “Get your kids,” he said quietly. “And your friends. Leave.”
Tessa blinked, her lips parting in disbelief.
“Don’t do this,” she whispered.
“I already did.”
Tessa wiped her face, shaking her head as if trying to wake herself up from a nightmare. “You’ll regret this one day.”
“No,” he said flatly. “Never.”
Her voice cracked as she spoke again. “You think throwing me away will fix you? It won’t. You’ll still wake up alone. You’ll still hate yourself for what you did. Because deep down, you know I’m the only person who ever saw you for who you really are.”
Ares’ breathing grew uneven. “Enough, Tessa.”
She stared at him a long time, memorizing him, his cold face, his tired eyes, the man she once swore she could save.
“Goodbye, Ares,” she whispered. “For real this time.”
Then she turned and walked to the door.
Her fingers lingered on the handle for just a second. Then she opened it and stepped out, the light from the hallway spilling across her face. Her shoulders were shaking, but her steps were steady.
Ares didn’t move.
He stood there, frozen, staring at the door long after it shut. The faint echo of her footsteps faded down the hall, then disappeared completely.
He dragged a hand down his face, his throat burning. He turned back toward the window, but Tokyo’s skyline no longer looked like light, it looked like fire.
He exhaled shakily, gripping the edge of the table until his knuckles went white.
Downstairs, the sound of drawers opening and boxes being moved reached faintly to his room. Tessa’s quiet voice, soft, broken—floated up with the rustle of packing. The kids’ laughter wasn’t there this time. Just silence.
Ares closed his eyes and whispered under his breath, voice low enough that no one could hear:
“Go, then.”