Chapter 263 He Will Love Her
Byron sat there in the growing darkness, his thoughts a tangled mess. The video on his phone, a glimpse into a time when Athena’s smile was a constant in his life, played on loop in his mind. It was as if everything had been so simple then—her love, their connection. But now, the distance between them was so vast, he couldn’t bridge it no matter how hard he tried.
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration building. He had never been one to lose control, to be vulnerable, but with Athena, everything felt different. Every word she said, every action she took now seemed to push him further away, and the more he tried to reach her, the more she slipped through his fingers.
The pain in her voice when she had spoken, the way she had demanded freedom, it stung him deeply. He wanted to fix everything, to make her stay, but how could he when she no longer wanted to be there? The guilt gnawed at him—the guilt that maybe, just maybe, he had pushed her into this corner.
Byron thought back to what Athena had said earlier. “Mr. Crawford, I used to be kind to you. Can you do me a favor and let me go?” Those words echoed in his mind. She had asked for freedom, something that he hadn’t been able to give her. And yet, the thought of letting her go was unbearable.
He knew he had hurt her. The marriage had been a business arrangement, yes. But he hadn’t expected this. He hadn’t expected her to suffer this much. And despite everything, despite the public’s opinion and the way she had been treated, Byron had never wanted to hurt her. His love for her had been genuine, but somewhere along the way, it had become entangled in the expectations, the pressure, and the things he couldn’t control.
As he sat there, the weight of it all pressing down on him, Byron finally understood something he had been blind to before: love wasn’t enough. He had always assumed that if he loved Athena enough, everything would fall into place. But love couldn’t fix everything. He couldn’t fix her hurt, her need for freedom, her desire to escape the life he had placed her in.
In the end, it wasn’t about whether she still loved him. It was about whether he could let her go, even if it meant losing her.
He stared at the video of her smiling at him, a painful reminder of how things had once been. The world outside had grown quiet, and yet the turmoil inside him only intensified.
Byron stood up abruptly, his thoughts spinning. Maybe, just maybe, this was the beginning of something he wasn’t prepared for. Letting go of Athena wasn’t just about her—it was about him too. He had to face the reality that sometimes love meant stepping back, giving someone the space they needed, even if it broke his heart.
He could still love her, but he had to let her go.
With a heavy heart, he locked the phone and turned off the screen. It didn’t matter anymore. He had to make peace with this. He had to.
For a moment, Byron stood still, the weight of everything settling over him like a heavy blanket. He knew that this was the hardest thing he’d ever done. But perhaps, in time, it would be the right thing.
And as he walked away from the sofa, the night stretched out before him, uncertain and endless. The future was unclear, but Byron was certain of one thing: it was time to let Athena go.