Chapter Eighty
Chapter Eighty
Athena
For a moment, I just stood there, staring at the flowers, then up at him. I reached out slowly, hands trembling just a little, and took the bouquet from him.
“Thank you,” I whispered, barely trusting my voice.
And just like that, the ache of being forgotten was replaced with something softer, something warmer. A smile tugged at my lips.
"I have a gift for you," he said with a smile.
"What is it?" I asked, surprised. "You really didn’t have to get me anything else—this bouquet is more than enough."
"I left it in my car," he replied, his tone casual.
"Again?" I let out a small, surprised laugh.
"I'm getting old, what can I say?" He joked, chuckling at himself.
I rolled my eyes playfully. "I’d hardly call you old. You’re only thirty-one."
He gave me a lopsided grin. "Well, come on then—let’s go."
I followed him out of his office, pausing briefly to drop the bouquet on my desk before catching up with him at the elevator.
As we descended, I glanced at him and asked, "So... remember the three thousand euros you gave me all those years ago?"
"I gave it to you," he said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Don’t even think about paying it back."
"Okay," I replied quietly, not daring to push further.
When the elevator doors opened to the underground parking lot, we stepped out and walked through the electronic doors toward his designated spot.
Parked beside his car was a sleek, brand-new silver Mercedes Benz AMG GT 53, its paint glistening under the lights. I stared at it, curious.
Maybe it was Juan Jose’s. He had a thing for flashy, fast cars. Then again, it looked more like something Meredith would drive. There was no license plate, though, so I couldn’t be sure.
"This seems like the kind of car Juan Jose would buy for Meredith," I said aloud, studying it.
"Why do you think that?" Eros asked, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"It just feels like her kind of car," I said with a shrug. "Stylish, fast, bold. No plates though, so I can’t be sure."
"Well, it’s not Meredith’s," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a key fob. "It’s yours.”
I looked from the key fob in Eros's hand to his face, confused. "What do you mean it's mine?"
"Exactly what I said. It's yours," he replied casually. "I bought it for you."
My gaze shifted to the sleek car parked nearby. I felt a wave of disbelief wash over me. “I can’t accept this—it’s too much,” I said, shaking my head. “Thank you, really, but… no.”
“It’s a company car, Athena,” Eros said, raising a brow. “I noticed you don’t drive to work. I’d like to believe it’s not because you don’t know how to drive. Am I wrong?”
“You’re not,” I admitted. “I can drive. Lysander and I just thought it’d be wasteful to have two cars, so we carpooled.”
“Carpooled,” he repeated, frowning. “Past tense?” His brow creased in concern.
“He’s... busy now. He’s being considered for a promotion—to a non-equity partner,” I explained quietly.
“That’s not an excuse,” Eros snapped.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Didn’t I tell you to stay out of my marriage?”
Eros rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I’ll say it anyway—your husband’s a douche.”
“You don’t even know him. He’s not—” I stopped mid-sentence, catching the rise in my voice. I inhaled deeply, counted to ten, and let it go. “Let’s just move on.”
“Fine. Let’s,” he said with a shrug. Then, with a teasing grin, he held the key fob up, dangling it in front of me. “So, does this mean you’ll take it? Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, Athena.”
“You didn’t use your personal account for this, did you?” I asked, eyeing him warily.
“It’s a company car,” he repeated. “What does that tell you? You can use it as long as you’re with Belmonte Group. The car’s registered under the company, if you want to check.”
I hesitated, then reached out and took the fob from his hand. I didn’t want to seem ungrateful. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, grinning.
\~~~~~
Two days later
The soft clinking of glass echoed through the living room as I set down my cup of tea. Rain lashed against the floor-to-ceiling windows, drawing hazy, frantic lines down the glass like the thoughts racing in my head.
On the kitchen counter, the key fob sat in eerie silence, the silver emblem glinting under the light—mocking me, really. A symbol of everything unraveling.
Lysander leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, his gaze locked on the key fob like it was poison.
“You still have it,” he said, voice sharp and flat.
I didn’t look up. “It’s a company car.”
“Don’t insult me, Athena.” His tone rose, trembling at the edge of fury. “We both know it’s not.”
“It is,” I said, lifting my eyes to meet his. “It came with a company tag, full corporate insurance, and it’s registered to the company. Eros made sure of all of it.”
His jaw tightened. I could practically see the words forming behind his teeth before he spit them out. “Of course he did. That’s just like him—always so damn generous. Especially with my wife.”
I felt my chest tighten. I stood my ground. “He gave it to me on my birthday. I tried to give it back, Lysander. I didn’t want it. But he insisted. Said it was part of my executive package.” I exhaled, voice trembling. “What was I supposed to do? Walk away and look like I didn’t deserve it?”
“You should have,” he snapped. “Or at least had the decency to return it once you realized what it was.”
My fingers curled into fists at my sides. “That car was the first thing anyone gave me without a catch. No manipulation. No debt owed. No guilt attached. Not even from Eros. He never asked me for anything in return.”
Lysander let out a humorless, bitter laugh. “You’re naive if you believe that. Men like him don’t do favors for free. He’s playing the long game.”
I stepped forward, the calm I clung to slipping through my fingers. “And you? You monitor my phone calls, control my bank account, isolate me from my friends—and you call that love? Eros treats me with more respect than my own husband.”
The silence that followed pressed down on us like a lead weight.
Then something changed in his face. The fury darkened. I saw the twitch of his hand at his side.
“You ungrateful little—” he started, then his arm lifted.
For a heartbeat, everything was still.
I gasped and took a step back. His hand didn’t touch me—it just hovered in the air, fingers frozen in place—but it didn’t matter.
That moment shattered everything.
The illusion. The hope. The marriage I kept trying to pretend could be saved.
My heart thundered in my chest. “Did you just try to hit me?”
He stared at me like he didn’t recognize himself. “I—Athena, I didn’t mean—I just—”
I was already moving. Grabbing my coat with trembling hands, adrenaline pulsing through every vein.
“Athena, wait!” he called, rushing after me. “Please, I didn’t mean to—don’t leave like this. It was a mistake. I lost my temper!”
I wrenched the door open. The roar of the storm rushed in like it had been waiting to consume me.
Rain hit my skin the moment I stepped outside, cold and relentless, soaking me to the bone. I didn’t care. I walked, no destination in mind, just the overpowering need to get away—from the house, from him, from the memory of who I used to be.
His voice echoed behind me, calling my name over and over again. But all I heard was betrayal. A betrayal that screamed louder than the thunder above.
And suddenly, I was back in that parking garage. My birthday.
Eros stood there, keys in hand, a quiet smile on his face. “Happy birthday,” he’d said.
I stared at the car, stunned. “I can’t accept this. It’s too much.”
He chuckled, warm and effortless. “It’s a company car. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, Athena.”
I hesitated, torn, then finally took the keys. His fingers brushed mine—steady, no pressure. Just calm.
He made it feel like a gift, not a trap.
And now here I was, stumbling through the pouring rain, thinking of him.
Soaked, humiliated, heartbroken.
Behind me, Lysander stood on the porch, his white shirt clinging to his frame, rainwater soaking him as he kept calling my name.
But I didn’t turn back.
I couldn’t.
Not after that.
Not after him.
Not after nearly being struck by the man who once vowed to protect me.