Aaron
My phone rang beside me, abruptly waking me from my somber slumber. I squinted at the nightstand, where my phone displayed an unknown number in flashing digits. A frown creased my face as I sat up, feeling the grips of a pounding headache—presumably the aftermath of the alcohol I had consumed last night. It was clear I had slept all day.
I picked up the phone and answered with a weary, "Hello."
"Well, hello, Mr Lozano," a very familiar and unpleasant voice sneered from the other end, "I guess you've found alcohol as your sole companion instead of Athena. Good job."
This bastard...
"What the hell do you want, Tristan?"
"Nothing! I just wanted to give you some good news—your dear Athena faced two disastrous leaps in her pregnancy, the second one being a while ago. I guess I can drag her to her grave within a week."
"What?! What the hell are you talking about?"
"I'm sure you heard me correctly. I believe the boy has grown to be eight and a half months old. From what Sebastian described, it seems the conclusion I've come to is that the boy growing inside your Athena's belly is quite active. I don't know why, but I have this feeling he's trying to hurt his mother," his laughter buzzed from the other side, "Alas, his little attempt will be futile since I've already written their fate."
Calm down, Aaron! You can't just kill him yet.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Tristan? If you want revenge, go after that monster, Sebastian, not Athena. She's innocent in all of this. She doesn't deserve the pain!"
"Oh, Shut up. You have no right to tell me who deserves pain and who doesn't. Deep down, you want that child dead too because if he dies, your path to Athena will be clear, and you can manipulate her more easily," he chuckled, "I've done nothing compared to what you have. I'm only planning to take a few lives, including yours, while you, Mr Lozano, have taken at least hundreds. So, I suggest you keep your mouth shut about this matter. That child will be the reason for her death, and no one can stop it."
"You know, you're right about one thing. I've taken the lives of at least hundreds, and I don't care if I have to kill that child to save Athena. I will do it. You won't succeed, Tristan. She will not die."
"What will you gain? You might save her by killing that child, but she'll never forgive you or accept you in that way. You can save her, but you still won't have her. All she cares about is her child and Sebastian. Trust me, it's better to let her die in my hands. You won't be able to bear the sight of her despising you to her core."
His fake sympathy only fueled the raging fire within me that I had been trying to suppress ever since Athena chose Sebastian over me.
"I couldn't care less about that, Tristan. I know how to take what's mine, with or without their consent. But remember one thing: you will not be able to kill her. If her death is meant to be, it won't be at your hands." With that, I cut the call.
***
Athena
Sebastian seemed unusually hesitant when he handed me the medicines, his worry evident as we waited for the pain to subside. Thankfully, the drug worked without any adverse effects, as we both realized with relief. Despite that, my body still felt cold, and Sebastian helped by embracing me in his arms.
"I didn't ask you about this before, but... why do you have these marks on your hand?" I inquired, my fingers gently tracing the faded cuts on his hand, almost as if they were meant for writing something.
He cleared his throat, emitting a small chuckle that sounded somewhat forced. "It's a long story."
"I have nowhere else to be. Tell me."
With a sigh of defeat, it seemed he had given up trying to keep it to himself. The truth spilled out, just as I had imagined it would.
"I did it that night, I sent you away. I needed peace because all my sins were playing before my eyes, everything I did to you, and... all the crimes I committed. So I wrote your name here, so deep that I thought it wouldn't fade in this lifetime, but it faded away," he said, his voice heavy with regret, "It didn't even take one month for it to fade away, as if even God didn't want me to have any memory of you, to own anything related to you, even if it's just your name engraved on my skin."
"Oh, Sebastian..." I moved closer to him and embraced him. He rested his chin on my shoulder, burying his face into my neck, seeking comfort in my presence. Slowly, I felt his rapid heartbeat calming down.
He wouldn't be able to live if I lost this battle. He couldn't live without me.
"I tried deepening the marks every day, but it just didn't work. So I eventually gave up and accepted it as my misfortune to be rejected of that privilege. I accepted the fact that I don't deserve you."
"Look at me, Sebastian," I gently cupped his face in my hands, locking my eyes with his, "Don't ever say that you don't deserve me. You do deserve me—my soul, my heart, and every part of me. I belong to you, only you. I am yours, Sebastian. I am only yours."
"I love you," he exhaled, pulling me even closer.
"I love you too, my big baby," I chuckled, and it earned a small snicker from him.
"Well...Well... I love you too as well," a sudden female voice rang out, causing both of us to snap our gazes in the direction of the door. Cora's familiar face unfolded before us, a gleeful smile tugging at her lips. "I know all about manners and knocking the door; however, your door was wide open. So this is all I could do."
"Oh, stop acting fucking decent, you would have barged in even if the door was locked," Sebastian rolled his eyes, which made me laugh.
"Hey, that's rude," I playfully slapped Sebastian's arm and turned to Cora, "Come in, Cora. Don't mind him."
"Sure thing," she walked inside the room. "Besides, I actually don't take his words seriously anyway. But tell me, is he troubling you? If yes, then I can punish him for you. I am one year older than him, so I seize the right to discipline him."
"No, it's fine, Cora. He's not troubling me at all," I smiled, "Instead, he's been taking care of me a lot! You see, he stays with me in his arms all day long."
"Glad to hear that," Cora smiled, taking a seat at the edge of the bed. "Have you not been taking rest, Athena? Look at you. You look so tired and you've gotten skinnier."
She lifted her hand and brushed away a strand of hair from my forehead with concern. "Are you sure he's not troubling you?"
"I am sure, Cora," I chuckled, "He's being the best mate possible."
"You are spared because of your kind mate, Sebastian," she shot a withering glare in Sebastian's direction before she focused on me, "Now tell me, how's your pregnancy going? I didn't get much info from Sebastian; he barely bothered to pick up my phone, let alone keep me updated on your health. The last I heard, you were facing some serious complications. Are you alright?"
As her eyes bore into mine, it was evident that Sebastian had kept her in the dark about the storms we were weathering.
Taking a deep breath, I mustered the courage to reveal the truth. Slowly, I lowered the duvet, exposing my baby bump, and a shocked gasp escaped her lips as her eyes widened in disbelief.
"You see," I began, "The main complication lies in my baby's growth."