Chapter 43 Athena
ATHENA
A week had crawled by since the incident. A long, slow, excruciating week.
Seven days with no updates on Dominic’s condition.
Seven days of silence where his heartbeat was the only confirmation he was still here.
Alec had told me he barely made it through surgery.
My father hadn’t just tried to kill him, he’d made sure he left Dominic broken, bones shattered beyond recognition.
The hospital refused us access. His room was locked down and heavily guarded.
For the first time, I feared the odds weren’t in our favor.
I hadn’t left the hospital. Not once. Not for food, sleep, or even air. Alec came and went, returning with dark circles under his eyes. He was still out there doing Dominic’s work while Dominic lay unconscious.
I probably looked awful. I felt awful, but I didn’t care.
I wasn’t moving until I heard something—anything.
I sat on the same bench outside the ICU, tapping my foot anxiously.
That’s when Alec appeared, dressed in civilian clothes and looking just as hollowed out as I felt.
He sat next to me without a word. I didn’t look at him, but I felt the weight of his gaze.
“You need rest, Athena,” he murmured. “Go home. Shower. Eat. I’ll stay and I’ll call if there’s any change.”
We’d had this conversation a hundred times. And a hundred times, I’d refused. Alec sighed and leaned his head against the wall, adjusting beside me like he was settling in for another long wait. After a beat of silence, he spoke again.
“You know you need to talk to your family, right?”
“Are you serious? After what they did to Dominic?” I barked out a bitter laugh.
It was laughable. Coming from him, of all people. Alec—Dominic’s closest friend. The man who had once looked at my father with pure venom in his eyes. But when I turned to face him, his expression wasn’t bitter. It was warm and patient.
“Yeah,” he nodded. “Because I know what it’s like not to have one. Your dad? For all his brutality, he’d burn down the world for you.”
I’ve chosen my side,” I snapped. “I don’t owe them anything.”
Alec cracked a small smile, one that reminded me of Dominic’s rare, devastating ones—the kind that always melted something inside me.
“You were lucky, Athena. You grew up with people who would risk everything for you. That’s not something Dominic or I ever had.”
His words settled heavily on my chest.
“One conversation,” he said gently. ‘‘That’s all.”
I didn’t expect this from Alec, but maybe he was right. My mother hadn’t seen me in weeks. Ace and I hadn’t spoken since Alec decked him. And my father…well, you can guess.
“What if he doesn’t make it?” My throat tightened.
Alec let out a low laugh—not mocking, but filled with quiet confidence.
“He will. He’s a tough bastard. He’s survived worse, and now? Now he actually has something worth living for.”
“What do you mean?” I frowned.
He lifted a hand, cutting me off. “Don’t feed me that bullshit, Athena.
Not me.” His voice was soft but firm. “I’ve known Dominic since we were kids.
His world’s always been pitch black. That’s how he survived, but then you happened.
You brought color into his world. You gave him something worth losing. That scares the hell out of him.”
I realized I was clutching my shirt, like my heart might tear right through it.
“If it weren’t for me, none of this would’ve happened,” I whispered. “He wouldn’t be in that hospital bed.”
Alec shook his head. “That’s where you’re wrong. He chose this. From the moment he met you, he started changing the game, and he let it happen.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but Alec’s next words stopped me cold.
“He could’ve killed your father, Athena. You and I both know that, but he didn’t. Not because he couldn’t, but because he knew if he did, he’d lose you.”
The world tilted. My breath caught. Could it be true? Could Dominic—violent, merciless, unstoppable Dominic—have chosen to die for me?
“You really believe that?” I asked.
“I know it, and I think you do too.” He squeezed my shoulder gently. “Go to your family. If there’s any change, I’ll call.”
I wrapped my arms around him tightly. Who would’ve thought Alec would become the person I trusted most? But then again, I never thought I’d fall in love with the man who kidnapped me, either, and yet, here I was.
The ride home was quiet, but my mind was in chaos. My heart beat erratically as I wondered what waited for me. When the car stopped in front of the house, the guards flinched in surprise. One of them fumbled for his phone, probably to announce my arrival.
Seconds later, the door opened, and there he was. My father, standing tall and unreadable. He looked at me like I was a ghost come home. He waved a finger when I reached him.
“Follow me.”
We walked in silence. The mansion was quiet, eerily so. No footsteps or whispers. Just the echo of our shoes on marble floors. He led me to his office and gestured for me to step in first, and I did. He closed the door behind us. I turned to face him, arms crossed.
“Just because I’m here doesn’t mean I’ve changed my mind.”
“I was wrong, Athena.”
I blinked. The words echoed in the air. He said he was wrong? I’d never heard those words from his lips. Not once. I almost didn’t believe it. He ran a hand through his graying hair.
“All I wanted was to keep you safe. I didn’t think—hell, I didn’t want to believe it. That you could want a man like him.”
His voice cracked. There was no malice there, just defeat. Maybe even understanding. He sighed deeply before he spoke next.
“But your mother reminded me of how our story began, and suddenly, it all made sense.”
His eyes softened in a way I’d only ever seen when he looked at her. He loves her so deeply. It’s such a rare picture to see in this world.
“I was the man no one wanted your mother to love. A monster with a reputation, but she chose me anyway. She stood by me when she should’ve run, and it saved my life.”
A lump formed in my throat.
“How is he?” he asked after a minute.
“We don’t know.” I sank onto the couch. “We’re waiting.” My voice broke. And then I couldn’t stop. I collapsed into sobs. Gut-wrenching, ugly, hopeless tears. My father knelt in front of me and took my hands as he held them close to his heart.
“What happened that night?” I asked, looking at him through blurred vision. “Before I got there. You were going to kill him. Did he say anything?”
He hesitated. Then shook his head.
“He had the chance to kill me, but he didn’t, and that only made me angrier.
He said one thing that stuck with me. I thought he was delirious, but after I saw you with a gun to your head, I understood.
” His voice dropped to a whisper. “He said he’d rather die than live with the thought that you hate him. ”
The world stopped spinning. I couldn’t breathe as I fell to the floor. My heart shattered into pieces, guilt devouring every inch of me. He let it happen. All of it. For me.
My father kissed my hands, just like when I was a child.
“I hope you find it in yourself to forgive me someday, Athena.” He didn’t press me or demand it.
He simply held me while I sobbed like the broken little girl I hadn’t allowed myself to be in years.
Time blurred. It could’ve been minutes or hours before I finally lifted my head, face puffy and flushed from crying.
But my father was still there, still looking at me like I was the only thing in his world that mattered.
I wiped my face and asked, “How’s Ace?”
“He’ll survive,” Dad said with a faint smirk. “His pride took more damage than anything.”
I let out a breathy laugh that sounded too much like a sob. “He probably hates me.”
My father shook his head, his expression soft.
“He loves you,” Dad said firmly. “We all do. That will never change.”
Something inside me uncoiled. For a second, I felt like the little girl I used to be—safe, protected, loved beyond reason. I managed a smile. Just a small one, but it was real.
Dad brought his forehead to mine, cradling my face in his calloused hands like I was something fragile and precious. I hadn’t felt his warmth in so long. Not like this.
“I can’t undo what I’ve done,” he said, eyes hardening. “But I can make Garrett Stone pay.”
—
The conversation with my father had gone better than I expected—surprisingly so. I never thought I’d hear him say those words or take my side, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.
Then came my mother. The moment she laid eyes on me, she broke completely.
She cried into my shoulder, holding me so tight I could barely breathe, whispering that she was sorry, that she should’ve fought harder, seen things sooner.
I owed her a lot more than I could ever say.
If she hadn’t stood her ground, my father never would’ve seen past his own pride and rage.
But there was one more person I had to face.
One more wound I had to risk reopening before I could return to the hospital.
Ace.
I stood in front of his door, hand paused mid-air. He knew I was home, but he just didn’t care to see me. Mom said he’d been quiet since I got back, avoiding rooms I’d just left.
I knocked. No answer, but I opened the door anyway.
He was sitting exactly where I thought he’d be—on the edge of the couch facing the window, watching the world outside as if it had betrayed him too.
He turned his head when he heard me enter, but his expression didn’t change.
He looked right through me and then turned back to the window like I was nothing.
“I just want to talk,” I said softly, stepping inside.
“You’re in my room. Doesn’t sound like I’ve got a choice, does it?”
His tone wasn’t angry. It was worse. Dull and detached. Like he’d already deleted me.
“Ace…” My fingers twisted nervously. “I didn’t mean for things to go this way. I just—”
“What exactly didn’t you mean to happen?” His voice sliced through the air. He turned, eyes sharp. “Didn’t mean to betray your family? Didn’t mean to have your new little guard dog knock me on my ass? Or maybe—maybe—you didn’t mean to pull a gun on Dad?”
“You don’t understand,” I finally managed to say. God, I needed him to understand.
Ace scoffed, and the sound was venomous, laced with something deeper than anger. Disappointment or hurt. The bruise Alec left on his cheek stood out against his skin, still dark and swelling.
“I don’t want to understand you, Athena,” he bit as he waved a hand like he was brushing dirt off his shirt. “You made your choice.”
I flinched. Not at the words, but the way he said them. Final. Like a door slamming shut. Ace had always been blunt and tough, but never with me. I never thought I’d see him look at me like this—as if I was just another enemy added to the list. My throat tightened.
“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” I whispered, stepping closer. “I just—”
“You don’t get to play the victim here,” he went on. “You made your move, now live with it.” I sat down beside him on the couch, even though his entire body screamed for space.
“I know you’ve never felt something like this,” I said softly. “Something so strong towards another person, but please try to understand me.’’
Something flickered in his eyes.
“I know exactly what that feels like,” he admitted quietly.
“What?” I blinked. He still didn’t look at me, just stared straight ahead like he was watching something only he could see.
“I loved before, and when she left, she took a version of me I never got back.”
The rawness in his voice sent chills down my spine. My heart ached. I never knew.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
He finally turned to look at me, and there it was, pain. The same kind I’d felt since this all started.
“That’s why I know how this ends,” he said bitterly. “I was trying to protect you, and you chose him over me.’’
“I didn’t choose him over you,” I whispered. “You’re my brother. I love you. I didn’t—”
“But you did choose him,” he interrupted, hard and unforgiving. “You chose him when you stood in front of Dad. You chose him when your friend hit me, and you just stood there. You chose him every time you didn’t walk away.”
I reached for him, cupping his face with trembling hands.
“You’re important to me, Ace. I don’t want to lose you.”
He recoiled like I burned him, the muscle in his jaw twitching. “Too late.”
“That’s not fair,” I said, voice cracking. “You forgave Mason. You knew what he was doing behind my back, and you still let it happen. But Dominic? You can’t even try?”
“At least Mason didn’t make you pick sides or stand against your family.”
“You think I chose this? You think I wanted to fall in love with someone who’s tangled in a war with my family? You think I’m not scared every second of every day? But I love him and that’s not something I can undo just because it’s inconvenient for you.”
Ace turned back to me, his expression unreadable now. Guarded and cold.
“You’ve made your choice, Athena,” he said. “Just don’t expect me to support it.”
Then he walked away. Just like that. Left me standing in his room, heart bleeding all over the floor, with nothing but silence in his place.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to go back to the version of us that stayed up until 3 a.m. talking about nothing and everything, but that version didn’t exist anymore.
A part of me walked out with him, and maybe it wasn’t coming back.
My phone rang, the sudden sound piercing the quiet like a blade.
I didn’t even glance at the screen. I just answered.
“Hello?” My voice barely made it past the knot in my throat.
“Athena,” Alec said, steady but urgent.
“What is it?”
“Dominic is awake.”