Was she really beautiful? If she was, why had Emmett still betrayed her?

Why had he deceived her like this?

Athena didn’t understand how things had spiraled so out of control. She had no idea how long Emmett had been hiding his lies from her or who that woman was.

She wanted to speak, but words failed her, and tears fell freely, staining her cheeks.

Emmett’s eyes widened in panic. He reached for her face, gently cupping her cheeks as he frantically wiped away the tears. “What’s wrong, Athena? Please, don’t cry. Talk to me. Tell your husband what’s going on.”

His gaze was filled with genuine concern, no trace of deceit in his eyes.

His act was so convincing it was impossible to imagine that just moments ago, he had been holding another woman in his arms.

Athena fought to steady herself, her voice trembling. “It’s nothing… I’m just so happy.”

Emmett let out a breath of relief, his hands tender as he wiped away the last of her tears, coaxing her with soothing words until she calmed.

Before leaving, Athena decided to use the excuse of forgetting something to return to the fitting room.

She approached a staff member and showed them the photo she had secretly taken earlier.

"Is this Miss Aliana She’s also preparing for her wedding," the staff member remarked, her eyes lighting up as she recalled something. She pointed to a high-end custom gown nearby. "What a coincidence. Miss Aliana’s wedding dress is from the same brand as yours and has a similar style. And even her fiancé shares your surname!"

The words hit Athena like a thunderclap. Her face drained of color, her mind struggling to make sense of it all.

On the way home, Emmett glanced at her, his expression filled with concern. After a moment of hesitation, he finally spoke, gathering his courage.

"Athena, why do you look so upset?"

Athena slowly turned her face to him, locking eyes with him, her voice barely a whisper.

"Because today, I saw something I shouldn’t have."

At her words, a flicker of unease passed through Emmett’s eyes, and his demeanor shifted his face, which was growing tense.

"Really? What did you see?"

Athena held his gaze for a long moment before speaking, her voice calm but steady. "I saw someone who looked a lot like you, holding another woman’s hand while trying on a wedding dress."

"Impossible!" Emmett’s reaction was instant and forceful. He shook his head vehemently. "You must have mistaken someone else for me. While you were trying on your dress, I was waiting outside the whole time. I only went to the restroom for ten minutes, and the staff saw me. There’s no way it was me!"

Athena stared at him as he raised his hand, swearing, "If I ever betray you, may lightning strike me down!"

His conviction was so unwavering that Athena almost found herself doubting her own instincts. But after loving Emmett for so long, she could picture him in her mind’s eye, even with her eyes closed. How could she possibly mistake him for someone else?

A sharp pain pierced her heart.

So it was true; there were people who could break their hearts in two, juggling multiple lives, weaving a web of lies so intricate that even they began to believe their own deceit.

"I trust you," Athena whispered, her voice trembling. "I trust that you would never betray me."

After the fitting, Emmett’s friends had arranged a gathering.

When they arrived, the group had already begun a round of games. Upon seeing Athena and Emmett walk hand in hand, the others eagerly gathered around, excited to greet them.

Athena wasn’t particularly familiar with them. She smiled politely and exchanged a few words before quietly heading upstairs, seeking a corner away from the noise.

But soon, voices drifted up from the stairwell.

“Emmett, are you really planning to throw Aliana aside and marry that orphan from your family?”

Athena recognized the voice of one of Emmett’s old high school classmates.

She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but something about the conversation pulled her in, and before she knew it, her feet had stopped moving, her body frozen in place.

“What are you talking about? Of course, Aliana is the most important!”

Aliana? Athena’s mind raced. She remembered overhearing the servants talking about a famous actress who had recently returned to the country. That actress, it seemed, was none other than Aliana Forbes.

“So what are you doing now? Every time there’s a brothers' gathering, you bring her along. Have you forgotten what you promised, Aliana? You swore there wouldn’t be any other woman by your side!”

“Can you stop bringing that up?” Emmett complained, annoyance thick in his voice. “Athena is nothing more than a little distraction to me. My heart still belongs to Aliana. But Grandpa insists I marry Athena and have an heir, or I’ll lose the Davidson family inheritance and forget about being with Aliana!”

“I have to pretend every day like I’m head over heels for her. It’s exhausting!”

His friend sounded doubtful. “Is that really all there is to it? You’ve been awfully kind to Athena. Be careful; pretending like that might make you fall for her.”

Emmett went quiet for a moment. After a long pause, he shrugged casually.

“What choice do I have? She’s an orphan, desperate for affection. Athena is completely smitten with me. If I show her a little kindness now, it’ll be easier to keep her in check when everything falls apart later.”

Athena froze, her face tightening, her body shaking as though a cold wind had pierced her.

She didn’t hear much more of their conversation, but soon, Emmett’s laughter echoed through the air.

“In front of me, Athena is like a dog. With one wave of my hand, she comes running. Don’t worry, I won’t screw this up.”

With a sharp "thud," the drink in Athena’s hand nearly slipped away, but she caught it just in time. Hearing footsteps approaching from downstairs, she quickly grabbed her drink and fled, praying they hadn’t noticed her.

She had been wrong. Emmett hadn’t torn his heart in two. It had always belonged to Aliana, and Athena had been nothing more than a tool in his hands.

Throwing her drink into the trash, Athena leaned against the wall, gasping for air, her chest tightening as though it were being squeezed by invisible hands.

Emmett had been right. She had been nothing more than a loyal dog, responding to his every command, leaving whenever he dismissed her.

Her chest ached as she pressed her palm against it, trying to steady her breath, but her vision blurred with the tears she refused to let fall. At least now, she could finally see through the lies. No longer would she debase herself in front of Emmett.

Wiping her eyes, Athena walked back as if nothing had changed. She had no memory of how she had left the scene, but her heart felt as if it had been shattered into a thousand jagged pieces.

All she knew was that she couldn’t go back to him. There was nothing left between them. She could never forgive him.

Whenever she thought back to that day, it felt like reopening old wounds, each memory a fresh cut that stung anew. But as the days slipped by, she had grown numb to the pain. At least now, she no longer cried herself to sleep as she had done in the beginning.

Eventually, Athena took matters into her own hands and dug into Aliana’s past. What she uncovered was both shocking and heartbreaking. Aliana was Emmett’s first love, an unforgotten piece of his heart, a connection that had never truly faded.

Every year, just before Valentine’s Day, Emmett would leave on a “business trip.” But Athena soon realized the truth: he wasn’t flying across the world for work. He was flying for love, keeping the flame alive between him and Aliana.

Aliana’s sudden return to the country, Athena learned, was no coincidence. She was pregnant.

The first time Athena came face to face with the reality of their bond was through an anonymous text. The message was simple but devastating: a sentence and an ultrasound report.

The report was for Aliana and was dated just a week prior.

“Athena, you’ve lost.”

The words hit Athena like a punch to the gut. Her blood ran cold as her world crumbled around her.

From that point onward, the anonymous number became a constant presence in Athena’s life, sending daily updates about Aliana’s every move. And every time, the man standing by her side was Emmett.

Two days ago, the number sent something new: a video. The footage showed Emmett, lips locked in a passionate kiss with Aliana, their chemistry undeniable.

Aliana’s voice echoed in the next message, laced with mocking venom. “Emmett says you’re like a corpse in bed, not even worth one of my toes. Do you really think you’ve secured your place as the young mistress of the Davidson family? In my presence, you’re nothing.”

Athena stared at the text message, her emotions swirling so violently that she missed her step on the stairs and tumbled down. The child she had carried for over a month was lost, turning into a pool of blood that slipped away from her body.

The agony of the miscarriage was compounded by its incompleteness. Alone in the sterile hospital room, Athena lay still as cold instruments scraped away the remnants of her baby. The clotted blood and tissue were flushed away, vanishing as if they had never existed.

When she finally awoke, her heart was shattered into pieces, and with it, the wedding she had once dreamed of.

Ever since Aliana had returned, every act, every whisper, had been a fresh wound, each one carving deeper into her heart. The love she had so freely given to Emmett had been drained dry, leaving her a hollow shell.

Standing before the grave, time seemed to stretch on forever, her legs growing numb from the stillness. Finally, Athena wiped away the last of her tears and made the call to arrange for her parents’ graves to be relocated.

“Dad, Mom, I’ll bring you home. From now on, we’ll be free from the Davidson family.”

She joined the team handling the relocation and spent five long days isolated from everything in her quiet, rural hometown.

During that time, Emmett called her repeatedly, his voice dripping with sweetness, asking where she was and why she hadn’t come back.

At first, Athena answered with a few dismissive words and ended the call, but this time, Emmett didn’t give her the chance to hang up. Instead, he video-called her directly.

“Athena, should we make our wedding even more extravagant?” Emmett’s smile was warm, his voice tender as always. “Just the thought of marrying you soon keeps me awake with excitement.”

Athena forced a smile, a bitter taste rising in her throat. She wanted to tell him to stop pretending.

After everything, wasn’t he tired of the endless games?

But she couldn’t bring herself to say it. After all these years, she had truly loved Emmett.

“Athena, why are you spacing out again?” Emmett’s frown deepened, clearly irritated. “Is something more interesting than me?”

Athena snapped back to reality, quickly redirecting her gaze to the screen, focusing on Emmett’s face.

The background behind him seemed unfamiliar, an unfamiliar space she didn’t recognize. It wasn’t home. Athena hesitated for a moment before replying, “I’m in Skyridge, preparing a wedding gift for you.”

Emmett’s eyes lit up, his smile widening in delight.

A long time ago, they had cuddled up in bed, watching videos together.

Emmett had pulled Athena close, watching as couples visited Skyridge to create matching household items, something they had promised to do one day.

“Why did you go by yourself?” Emmett’s playful annoyance was evident as the camera shook. He grabbed his coat, ready to move.

“Wait for me. I’m coming to Skyridge to find you!”

But Athena stopped him. “No need. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

At Emmett’s words, Athena’s gaze sharpened. He frowned deeply as though a great injustice had been done to him.

“You don’t want to see me?”

“No,” Athena replied coolly, her lips barely moving. “I just don’t want you to see the gift I’m preparing in advance. It would spoil the surprise.”

Emmett’s brows relaxed slightly, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. “Fine,” he said, his voice laced with arrogance. “I’ll let it slide… this time.”

Blowing a kiss toward the screen, he added, “I’ll be waiting for your surprise.”

Athena gave him a faint, unreadable smile. Without any change in her expression, she signed her name on the immigration application form. She hoped, for Emmett’s sake, that this surprise would be enough to shatter whatever illusions he had about their future.

Afterward, she returned to Ravenloch.

She had already submitted the necessary materials to the agency and paid for expedited processing.

The agency’s response came swiftly, confirming that she could cancel her household registration in the U.S. They would arrange a new identity for her abroad, complete with permanent residency rights.

If she wished, the entire process could be completed within three days.

Three days; that would have been the date of their wedding.