Chapter 31 ATHENA
ATHENA
“Are you sure you don’t want to go?” Mason’s thumb brushed over my shoulder gently as we lay curled up on my bed, Mean Girls playing faintly in the background. “My sisters want to see you. You know I’m the only one who’s allowed in your house for now.”
“I’ll see them at my mom’s birthday party.”
Truth was, the last thing I wanted tonight was to be dragged into a loud bar, surrounded by my father’s men, watching over me, and Ace glued to my side like he had been every day since I got back. Another reason to stay home.
“Then I’m staying, too,” Mason said after a pause, like the idea of leaving me even for a second was out of the question. “If you’re not going, I’m not going.”
I paused the movie and sat up just enough to put space between us.
“Go have fun, Mason. You give up enough of your life to babysit me.”
“I do it because I want to.”
“And I want you to go out and enjoy yourself,” I whispered. But really? I just wanted to be alone. He huffed and sank deeper into the pillows.
“You want me partying while you lie here, reliving everything? No fucking way.”
That look again—the one that said broken. The same look Ace gave me. They thought I was traumatized, tortured. Changed.
If only they knew. If I told them the truth, the ones needing therapy wouldn’t be me, so I keep it buried.
I buried Dominic Stone like he never existed, and like I didn’t fall for the man who wants my family dead.
And yet, even now, lying beside Mason, safe and comfortable, my mind drifts back to him.
Mason’s hands are warm, gentle, familiar, but they don’t set fire to my skin like his did.
Mason told the press we were in a relationship, and I didn’t correct it.
I let everyone believe it, because arguing felt pointless.
This is what I wanted once. So why does it feel so fake now?
“I told you,” he murmured, fingers brushing my cheek, “you’re my priority. I was a fool before. I’ll never forgive myself for letting you slip. You have no idea how hard it was when you were gone.”
I believed him. I could feel the sincerity in his voice. He’s trying and he cares.
“Everything will be different this time,” he promised. “We always wanted this, us, right?’’
The words felt stuck in my throat, but I forced the smile.
“Yes,” I lied. Or maybe I was just trying to convince myself.
“Then you have me,” Mason said, his eyes lighting up. “Now, tomorrow, for the rest of our lives—hell, even in the next one. You have me.”
I kissed him. I kissed him like I was trying to erase every kiss that wasn’t his. Like I could overwrite the past with his lips, and he kissed me back like he meant every promise, like I was his forever. But even as I kissed him, my heart was still somewhere else.
A knock on the door snapped us apart, breathless.
Mason’s cheeks flushed bright red when Ace walked in, his face pale and unreadable.
He didn’t say a word, but the look in his eyes said it all.
Mason stood up, pressed a kiss to my forehead, and left quietly.
When we were alone, Ace crumpled onto the edge of the bed, head in his hands, his body shaking slightly.
“Ace,” I said, my voice sharp with panic. “What’s going on?”
He didn’t respond. Just kept pacing, pulling at his hair.
“Ace,” I said again, louder this time, stepping in front of him and grabbing his shoulders. “What the hell happened?”
It felt like forever before he finally looked up at me.
“Uncle Angelo’s been shot,” he said, his voice raw. “Three times. An hour ago.”
My stomach dropped.
“Two of his guards died on the spot. They’re fighting for Angelo’s life right now, but they don’t think he’ll make it through the night.”