Chapter 181 Lover?
Athena stared at the screen for a moment, her heart fluttering. She had been trying to keep things as normal as possible, even though everything between her and Byron felt anything but ordinary now. His words caught her off guard again. Getting married? It seemed so sudden, so much like something she wasn’t prepared to discuss so openly. But she knew deep down that there was no going back now.
She quickly typed back, her fingers hesitating over the keyboard.
[Not yet. I think it’s better to wait until things settle down.]
She could almost feel Byron’s gaze through the phone as he read her response. The moments between them had become heavier, loaded with unspoken words, emotions neither of them knew how to express yet.
It only took a few seconds before his response came through.
[It will settle when you’re by my side.]
Athena bit her lip. The simplicity of his message felt both comforting and terrifying at the same time. There was no pretension in Byron’s words, no hesitance. He seemed so sure about her, about them.
But Athena couldn’t help but wonder: was it really about her, or was it just about the situation—the need for stability, the tangled mess of business deals, the expectations weighing down on both of them?
She stared at the screen for a long moment before responding, her heart pounding in her chest.
[What about Heather?]
Byron’s reply was quick, as if he’d been waiting for the question.
[Heather will break the engagement soon. I’m sure of it.]
Athena frowned, unsure of how to feel about that. Part of her wanted to believe Byron, to trust that he was making the right decision for them, but another part of her still couldn’t shake off the uncertainty. Heather had been in his life for a long time, and the way he spoke about her now seemed almost too dismissive.
[You’re sure about that?]
[Yes. I won’t let anyone stand in the way of what I want. And what I want is you.] Byron’s message was blunt, but there was an underlying sincerity in his words that made Athena’s chest tighten.
Her thoughts were a swirl of confusion. She had never thought of herself as someone who would get caught up in a whirlwind romance. She had been content with the quiet life she had before, but now? Now everything was different, and it was hard to tell if it was all happening too fast or if it was the beginning of something that had been inevitable all along.
Before she could reply, another message came in from Byron.
[Please don’t worry. We’ll talk when you get back.]
Athena leaned back against her pillows, feeling the weight of his words. It was both reassuring and overwhelming. The future felt like a maze she wasn’t sure she was ready to navigate, but it was also a path she couldn’t walk away from anymore.
She sent one last message before turning her phone off for the night.
[Okay. I trust you.]
And with that, she let out a deep breath and closed her eyes, unsure of what the next day—or the future—would bring, but knowing one thing for sure: nothing would be the same again.