“Go ahead,” she replied, her voice soft and surprisingly encouraging. “I’ll wait for you.”
She paused before adding, “Oh, by the way, the wedding gift I got for you is at home. Don’t forget to take it.”
“Yes, ma’am, wife!” Emmett replied with his usual cheer, planting a kiss on the phone before quickly ending the call.
Athena, with deliberate calm, navigated through the online portal, cancelling her number with a few swift clicks. She took the SIM card, the final thread connecting her to the life she had known, and tossed it into the nearest trash bin.
With her suitcase in hand, she took one last look at the airport before she walked away, leaving behind the place she had called home for 28 years.
At the same time, Emmett found himself tangled in a web of coaxing words from Aliana.
The night before, she had used the threat of suicide to pull him back into her orbit. And now, as she tried to close the distance between them, he abruptly pushed her away.
“You’re fine now. I need to leave.”
For some inexplicable reason, he felt a growing discomfort, as though something precious was slipping away from his grasp.
“You’re marrying her tomorrow. Can’t you make it up to me tonight?”