Dark Revenge Of An Unwanted Wife: The Twins Are Not Yours!

A few hours ago?

Ewan's head swam with questions, and then with fatigue. He staggered on his feet, slightly irritated when he felt Athena supporting him—he wasn't some charity case!

That irritability morphed into red-hot anger when Antonio stepped forward and gently removed Athena's hands from his waist.

"If he needs a support system, I can be that," Antonio asserted.

Not wasting a moment, Ewan swatted Antonio's hands away, tears of humiliation burning behind his eyes. "Get your stinky hands off me!"

"Damn, dude! I'm just trying to help! If you don't want it, get your ungrateful ass inside the car and drive off," Antonio barked, folding his arms across his chest and blocking Athena.

Meanwhile, behind him, Athena worried if she had made a good call, considering how irate and unreasonable Antonio was behaving. Why did he have to announce it in front of Ewan like that? Did a man's ego have to be so damning? She clicked her tongue and stepped away from his protective stance.

"Antonio, quit it," She stated, keeping her voice steady.

Turning to face Ewan fully, she felt her heart drop at the pain etched across his handsome features. Had she caused that?

"Is it true? You accepted to be his girlfriend a few hours ago? When was that? Was it because of the truth—"

Athena shook her head immediately, aware of where Ewan was headed. "It's not that. I... I just felt it was the right time to move on relationship-wise…"

She left her answer incomplete. There was no way she was telling Ewan that she had accepted Antonio simply to silence her heart, which had gone rogue without her consent. She could learn to love Antonio; he was a good man and had been a great friend for a long time.

But Ewan… Nah, he was a whole different case—sinfully attractive and utterly captivating. She still cherished her life and the control she had over it.

"You don't need to explain anything to him, Athena. He isn't worth it," Antonio spat, and Athena bit her lip to suppress the urge to tell him to shut his mouth and get into his car. She understood male ego and possessiveness, yet she wasn't enjoying this.

"Antonio, that's okay."

But her gaze remained steadfast on Ewan, which clearly displeased Antonio.

"Alright then, I'm sorry. Can we go inside, or maybe step outside and talk? I'm in need of you…"

Athena shut her eyes in anger when she felt Ewan's anger triple a multiple fold—at the implied meaning of the last clause, when she felt what Antonio was doing; he was blantanly disregarding her!

She turned to give him a piece of her mind finally, but Ewan was already walking away.

"I will see you tomorrow, Athena. I hope you have a good night."

Athena turned away from Antonio, her earlier irritation forgotten in her haste to speak with Ewan, but when she faced him, she was met only with his back and the sight of his hunched shoulders, weighted with dejection.

She watched, heart heavy, as he walked to his car and drove off. Why did she feel this way? She shouldn't be concerned. She shouldn't feel bad for accepting Antonio.

So why…? Her train of thought was abruptly derailed when Antonio draped an arm over her shoulder.

For a fleeting moment, Athena considered shrugging him off. But doing so might tip him off that something was wrong. She didn't want anything to be amiss.

"Don't mind the puppet. Does he think he has a chance with you after everything that's happened?"

However, Athena wasn't in the mood for this; she didn't want to discuss Ewan right now. It was late, and she needed to sleep. Tomorrow was bound to be long.

"Antonio, can we do this tomorrow? I had a long day," She sighed, observing the flash of anger in his eyes.

"I'll make it up to you tomorrow and the next day. With all the recent activities surrounding Morgan…"

"Yeah, I get it." Antonio interrupted, drawing her closer, a soft smile creeping onto his lips—reminding her of the man she had come to know. Ewan seemed to bring out the worst in him.

"But must you work with him? Isn't Aiden doing enough of a good job? Including the other agents that work with you? And what about me? I can help."

Athena chuckled softly. "You? You're a busy man. And as for Ewan, you don't have to worry about him. He has his uses, yes, but he isn't the one I said yes to."

"Damn right, he isn't," Antonio muttered, his voice deepening as he searched Athena's eyes for permission to kiss her.

Taking her silence as affirmation, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers—chaste at first. Then he attempted to deepen the kiss, to push past her lips, feeling her hesitation.

He understood that she had been out of the dating scene for a long while, yet he knew he had been patient for long enough. This time, he would give it all he had!

Fortunately for him, Athena allowed him to slip his tongue inside her mouth, pulling her into an unsteady state of numbness, before gently pushing him away.

Antonio smiled, noticing the flush on her cheeks and her unfocused gaze. He drew her into his chest, dropping a kiss on her hair. "Thank you, Athena. I promise to be the best boyfriend ever." He muttered, planting another kiss on her forehead.

Meanwhile, Athena's mind was engaged in a baseless comparison, even though she didn't want it to be. It seemed her mind… had a mind of its own.

She found herself steeling her heart, forcing herself to think of Antonio and not Ewan, while inhaling the scent of Antonio's shirt. This internal battle confirmed to her that she had made a good choice in selecting Antonio as her date.

"Goodnight, Antonio… I will hold you to your promise…" She murmured in a hoarse voice, after disengaging from the hug, meeting his gaze shyly, which gleamed with happiness.

"I will see you later then. Have a good night, my love."

Inside the Thorne mansion, Athena sighed in relief when she heard Antonio's car zoom away from the property. She slumped onto one of the empty sofas in the quiet living room. It seemed everyone had already gone to sleep.

Even though she was hungry, she thought about resting a little before heading to the kitchen. However, fatigue overcame her, and she fell asleep without realizing it.

She didn't know she had dozed off until a touch on her shoulder roused her.

"Athena, wake up!"

Forcing her groggy eyes open, she exhaled softly when she noted Chelsea and Gianna standing a few feet away from her.

"Girl, we've been waiting for you forever! Good thing Gianna suggested we wait in the sitting room… otherwise, we would have waited in your room for nothing," Chelsea began, taking the spot beside her on the sofa.

Gianna, noticing her friend's state, muttered an excuse and hurried into the kitchen to microwave some of the sumptuous dishes Florence had made for Chelsea, seeing her as an esteemed guest.

"You're too tired to talk…" Chelsea continued, placing a palm over Athena's forehead. "Your body is burning up."

Athena clicked her tongue. "Already doctoring me up? You forget I'm a doctor too…" She pointed out with a tired chuckle.

Chelsea laughed. "That's why you need me. Most doctors neglect their own health until another professional points things out to them."

Athena wondered if her friend was talking about her current state or if it was a veiled reference to her mental health regarding the nightmares and trauma. How much had Gianna already shared?

"I hope you're not planning to become my therapist?" Athena jested, darting a look at her friend.

"And what if I am?" Chelsea teased back.

Athena laughed, shaking her head. "That won't work. I get that you're a psychologist, but I'd prefer someone else. Will you remain professional while doing the job?"

There was a significant pause. "I can try," Chelsea replied, her tone earnest.

Athena shook her head. "That won't work, and we both know it. We want someone who won't be tempted to cut off someone's head while hearing my story."

Chelsea chuckled, allowing Athena to rest her head on her shoulder. "Must you make sense all the time?"

"Of course! So, when is your friend arriving? The psychologist?"

"He actually arrived with me yesterday and is waiting at a hotel…"

"A male?"

"Yeah, do you have a problem with that? If so, I can find a female one if that would make you more comfortable…"

"No, it's okay," Athena insisted, her drowsy eyes catching Gianna entering the room with a cake on a tray.

"Something to keep your mouth busy while the food warms up," Gianna said with a wink, gesturing for Athena to sit up.

Athena obeyed immediately, recalling the hunger pangs stirring in her stomach. The delicious soup she had consumed at the restaurant had quelled her hunger earlier, but the tempting cake in front of her ignited it once more.

"Thanks, Gianna," She muttered, taking the fork, pausing when her phone dinged with a text.

Thinking it was Ewan, she hurriedly opened her phone, but her heart plummeted to ice when she read Aiden's text.

'It's the Minister of Health.'