Chapter 254 I Am a Little Strange Now
Athena recoiled slightly from his touch, her body tense with frustration. The more Byron insisted on this marriage, the more it felt like a prison she couldn’t escape from. She had lived in this cage for so long, but now, it felt suffocating.
“You can’t force me, Byron,” she said, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and desperation. “You can’t just make decisions for both of us. I will not marry you.”
Byron’s eyes darkened, and a flicker of something dangerous crossed his face. He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming, and for a moment, Athena thought he might lose control. But instead, his voice came out eerily calm.
“I can do whatever I want, Thea,” he said, his fingers gently tracing her lips again. “You think you can just walk away from me, but you won’t. Not this time. You’re mine. Whether you like it or not.”
Athena stepped back, the distance between them now feeling more like a chasm. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she couldn’t let Byron see how much his words affected her.
She forced herself to meet his gaze, her eyes filled with defiance. “I’m not yours,” she said quietly, but firmly. “And I’ll never be. You can’t control me anymore.”
Byron’s expression softened for a brief second, the intensity in his eyes momentarily replaced by something else—regret, maybe? But just as quickly, it was gone, replaced by the familiar coldness that Athena had come to fear.
“We’ll see,” he murmured, his voice low and dangerous. “We’ll see if you really can get away from me.”
Athena’s stomach twisted, but she didn’t show it. She turned away and walked back towards the meeting room, her thoughts swirling in a storm of confusion, fear, and anger. What was he doing to her? What was she supposed to do now?
When she entered the room, Liam was watching her, a concerned look on his face. She gave him a tight-lipped smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
Athena nodded stiffly, her hand trembling slightly as she straightened her posture. “I’m fine.”
But deep inside, she knew that nothing was fine. Byron was no longer the man she had once loved, and she was trapped in a situation where leaving seemed impossible. And yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that if she stayed, she would lose herself completely.