---- Chapter 2 Athena POV: | hung up the phone, my thumb hovering over Eliot' s name for a second too long before | locked the screen. | wiped the lingering tear tracks from my cheeks with the back of my hand and forced my body to move. | crawled back into bed, pulling the covers up to my chin, my mind racing a million miles a minute while my body felt like it was encased in lead. | had to appear normal. | had to be the same trusting, naive Athena he had so carefully cultivated. A soft knock came at the door before it swung open. Hardin stood there, silhouetted by the hallway light. He was impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, his dark hair perfectly styled. He looked every bit the charismatic CEO. Every bit the liar. "Athena, darling," he said, his voice a warm, gentle caress. "Are you feeling alright? | have the premiere for Morrison Dynamics 'new charity initiative tonight. | was hoping you'd come with me." A tremor wracked my body. | bit the inside of my cheek, hard, the sharp pain grounding me. | had to keep it together. "I'm just a little tired," | mumbled into the pillow, my voice thick ---- with feigned sleepiness. "It won't be long," he coaxed, sitting on the edge of the bed. His hand came to rest on my hair, his touch a toxic brand against my skin. "It's important. Please?" "Okay," | whispered, the single word feeling like a betrayal of the rage screaming inside me. An hour later, the car pulled up to a sprawling, modern art gallery. The entrance was flanked by photographers and reporters, their cameras flashing like a swarm of fireflies. And standing at the top of the steps, bathed in the brilliant lights, was Carina. She was wearing a stunning scarlet dress that clung to her every curve, a triumphant smile playing on her lips. My blood ran cold. My body went completely rigid as Hardin got out and opened my door. "Hardin, you made it!" Carina called out, gliding down the steps towards us. "Carina, you look breathtaking," Hardin said, his eyes drinking her in. He turned to me, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "Athena, this is Carina Sparks, our new creative director. Carina, this is Athena Reyes." It took every ounce of my self-control not to flinch. Carina' s eyes, a cold, calculating blue, raked over my simple ---- dress with disdain. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Athena. Hardin has told me so much about you." She linked her arm through his. "You know, you look a little pale. Why don't you go get changed into something more... appropriate? We have a dressing room prepared." Before | could protest, Hardin was gently steering me towards a side door. "She's right, you do look a bit washed out. Go on." The dressing room was small and opulent. A rack of designer dresses stood in the corner. | was pushed inside, the door clicking shut behind me. One dress, a complicated affair of silks and sequins, was laid out on a velvet chaise. The zipper was intricate, impossible to manage with one hand. The door opened again. Carina stepped in, a smirk playing on her lips. She closed the door and leaned against it, crossing her arms. "Don't waste your time," she said, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "You're not welcome here. He's mine, Athena. He always has been." "I'm not going to fight you for him," | said, my voice surprisingly steady. The words tasted like ash in my mouth, but they were true. Memories of college flooded back. Arguing with the dean, presenting my meticulous notes and early drafts, only to be told there was no definitive proof Carina had stolen my work. | had fought then. It had gotten me nowhere. ---- "Good," Carina purred, pushing off the door. She walked towards me, her heels clicking ominously on the marble floor. "l m glad we understand each other. Here, let me help you with that." She reached behind me, her fingers brushing against the zipper. | tensed, a primal sense of danger raising the hairs on my arms. Suddenly, a searing pain shot up my arm. Carina had grabbed my right wrist, her fingers digging into the scarred, tender flesh. She twisted, a cruel, deliberate motion. A cry of pain escaped my lips. "Stop! You're hurting me!" | grabbed her hand, trying to pry her fingers off my wrist. The pain was blinding, a white-hot agony that radiated from my wrist all the way to my shoulder. The curtain to the dressing room was ripped open. Hardin stood there, his face a mask of confusion that quickly morphed into anger. "Athena! What the hell are you doing?" His eyes were fixed on my hand gripping Carina' s. Carina immediately collapsed against him, her face crumpling into a mask of pain. "Hardin," she whimpered, cradling her own hand. "She... she attacked me. | was just trying to help her with her dress, and she grabbed my wrist. | think it's broken." Hardin' s face darkened. He looked at me, his eyes cold and ---- hard. "Apologize to her. Now." "What? No!" | protested, cradling my own throbbing wrist. "She ' s lying! She' s the one who hurt me!" "Don't be ridiculous," Hardin snapped, his voice dangerously low. "Carina wouldn't hurt a fly. I've known her for years. She's the kindest person | know. Now, stop making a scene and apologize." My world tilted. The gaslighting was so blatant, so absolute, it left me breathless. Carina, ever the actress, dabbed at her dry eyes. "It's okay, Hardin. Maybe she's just not feeling well." She looked at me, a flicker of triumph in her eyes. "But my mother's vintage pearl necklace... it was a gift. | took it off before coming in here. Could you just get it for me from the main gallery display? I'd feel so much better if | had it." Hardin's expression softened instantly as he looked at her. "Of course, sweetheart. Anything for you." He didn't even glance at me. His gaze flicked back to me, icy and commanding. "Go get it." My heart felt like a lead weight in my chest. | turned without a word and walked out into the blinding lights of the gallery. The necklace was displayed in a glass case. | numbly asked an attendant to retrieve it. As | took the delicate strand of pearls, my hand, weakened by ---- the fresh wave of pain, trembled. The necklace slipped through my fingers. It hit the polished floor with a sickening clatter, scattering pearls like tiny, broken teeth across the marble. Carina gasped dramatically. "My mother's necklace! Athena, how could you be so clumsy?" "I'm sorry, |..." "Sorry?" she scoffed, already turning to Hardin, her lower lip trembling. "Hardin, | think... | think | want to go home. This evening is ruined." Hardin wrapped a protective arm around her. His glare towards me could have frozen fire. "This is an important night for the company, Athena. Carina is our guest of honor. Apologize, and then pick up every single one of those pearls." | stared at him, my mind reeling. This was the man who had promised to spend his life protecting me. "Hardin, she did this on purpose," | whispered, my voice cracking. "Enough," he commanded. "Apologize." Defeated, | mumbled a hollow "I'm sorry," and knelt, my knees protesting against the hard floor. My fingers, clumsy with pain and humiliation, fumbled to gather the tiny, rolling spheres. A sharp sting on my finger made me hiss. A sliver of glass, ---- likely from a broken champagne flute, had embedded itself in my fingertip. A tiny bead of blood welled up, ruby-red against my pale skin. | looked up at Hardin, a silent plea in my eyes. He was looking down at my hand, his expression unreadable for a brief moment. He saw the blood. But he remained silent. "Ugh, don't get blood on them," Carina said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "You know what, just leave them. Hardin, darling, you can just buy me a new one, can't you?" 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