Chapter 59 Double Blow
Byron froze, his hand gripping the phone tightly as Gideon’s words echoed in his mind. Heather. The name alone sent a surge of guilt and anger through him.
“You were taking a shower?” Gideon scoffed, his voice seething with disbelief. “You were taking a shower, and you didn’t answer your phone to help her? Athena was almost killed, Byron!”
Byron’s mind spun, the reality of the situation crashing over him. Athena had been in grave danger, and he hadn’t even been there for her. He had been so caught up in the distractions of his own life, so wrapped up in the engagement with Heather, that he had ignored the one person who truly mattered.
“I didn’t know… I didn’t know she was in danger.” Byron’s voice was a mix of disbelief and frustration. He let go of Gideon’s collar, the full weight of his negligence sinking in. “She called me? She really tried to call me?”
Gideon nodded, his jaw clenched. “You don’t understand, Byron. She was literally fighting for her life, and you weren’t there. You weren’t even aware of it.”
The words hit Byron harder than anything else could. His breathing quickened as the reality of his failure consumed him. His mind raced back to the phone call he had ignored, the images of Athena’s sad photos from Instagram—now, he understood. It had all been a cry for help, for connection, and he hadn’t responded.
“I have to find her,” Byron muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
He rushed to the desk, hastily grabbing his jacket, his hands trembling. Gideon stepped forward, his voice sharp. “We’ll find her. But you need to get your head together. We can’t afford to waste any more time.”
Byron shot him a look, his eyes dark with a mixture of guilt and determination. “You think I don’t know that? I’m the one who failed her.” He gripped his phone, his fingers now steady. “Where the hell is she now?”
“I’m tracking her whereabouts now,” Gideon responded, typing quickly on his own phone. “We’ll find her, Byron. But you need to focus. Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment.”
Byron nodded, his mind clearer now, but the weight of his failure still clung to him. I failed her… I wasn’t there when she needed me the most.
Gideon glanced at him one more time before turning to the door. “Stay focused. Athena’s counting on you.”
Byron’s gaze shifted to the photos on his desk, the ones from Athena’s Instagram. A knot tightened in his chest as he saw how she had suffered, how she had fought alone, without him by her side.
And as the minutes ticked by, every second felt like an eternity.
Athena sat quietly in the backseat of Juliana’s car, her mind still spinning from the events of the past few days. The mess with Byron, her narrow escape from the kidnappers, and now this new chapter in her life where everything seemed uncertain.
She glanced out the window, seeing nothing but the blur of the passing countryside. Her phone was still off, but she could feel its weight in her bag, knowing that Byron’s calls would have been flooding in by now. She didn’t want to think about him. Didn’t want to deal with his confusion or guilt.
She had made her decision. She was done.
“Athena?” Juliana’s voice brought her back from her thoughts. “You still with me?”
Athena nodded absentmindedly. “Yeah. Just… thinking.”
“I get it,” Juliana replied softly. “I know it’s been rough. But you can’t keep running away forever. You deserve peace. You deserve happiness. Whatever happens, you need to do it for yourself now.”
Athena’s lips parted, ready to say something, but she found that no words came. She wasn’t sure if she even knew what that peace looked like anymore, or if she would ever truly feel free of everything that had haunted her for so long.
But one thing she knew for sure was that, for the first time, she was finally in control. It felt foreign, yet empowering.
As Juliana drove on, Athena made a quiet promise to herself: she would find her own way forward. One step at a time, no matter what.
And for once, she wouldn’t let anyone, especially Byron, pull her back.