Athena’s POV - Present
“I don’t know who I am without him.”
The words left my lips in a whisper, barely audible over the crackling fireplace of my best friend Emma’s living room. My fingers curled around the warm mug of tea she had forced into my hands, but it did little to chase away the chill inside me.
Emma sat across from me, legs tucked beneath her, her sharp hazel eyes watching me closely. Too closely.
I didn’t want to see the pity there.
She sighed, running a hand through her auburn hair. “Athena… you were never with him. Not really.”
I swallowed hard, staring at the swirling liquid in my mug. She was right. Eryndor had never truly been mine. He had never wanted to be mine.
But the bond had been there. The tie between us. Even if it had been one-sided, even if he had never felt it like I did… it had existed. And now, it was gone.
The emptiness left behind was suffocating.
Emma sighed, leaning forward. “I knew something was wrong. You always looked so—” She hesitated, searching for the right word.
“Tired?” I offered bitterly.
Emma nodded. “Tired. Drained. Like you weren’t really living.”
I let out a shaky breath. “I wasn’t.”
I told her everything. The way he had ignored me. The way he paraded other women in front of me, bringing them into our home, into our bed. The way he looked at me like I was filth, like my existence was a stain on his life.
The way he had rejected me.
Emma’s hands clenched into fists as I spoke, her knuckles turning white. Her eyes burned with fury, her lips pressing into a thin line. “That bastard,” she muttered under her breath.
I let out a humorless laugh. “You don’t have to tell me that.”
Her expression softened slightly. “I just… I hate that you went through this alone.”
I stared at the floor. I didn’t have a choice. My father had made it clear—my job was to be obedient. To be Eryndor’s Luna, no matter how he treated me.
I had tried to endure it. Tried to pretend that one day, he would see me.
But he never had.
And now, I was nothing.
Emma suddenly stood, setting her mug down with a decisive clink. “That’s it.”
I blinked up at her. “What?”
She placed her hands on her hips, determination blazing in her eyes. “I can’t stand seeing you like this. You need a distraction.”
I frowned. “Emma—”
“Nope.” She cut me off, shaking her head. “I refuse to let you sit here, drowning in heartbreak over that piece of trash.”
I sighed. “What are you suggesting?”
A slow, mischievous grin spread across her face. “We’re going out.”
My stomach dropped. “Out… where?”
Her grin widened. “To a bar.”
I immediately shook my head. “Emma, I don’t—”
“Athena.” Her voice was firm, her hands settling on my shoulders. “When was the last time you did something for yourself?”
I opened my mouth—then closed it. Because I didn’t have an answer. My entire life had been dictated by duty. By expectations. I had never been allowed to just be.
Emma saw the hesitation in my eyes and pressed forward. “Come on. Just one night. No thinking about Eryndor. No thinking about your father. Just… fun.”
Fun.
I didn’t even remember what that felt like.
She grabbed my hands, squeezing them. “Please, Athena. You deserve this.”
Something inside me wavered. What did I have to lose?
I took a deep breath. “Okay.”
Emma squealed, grabbing my wrist and practically dragging me toward her bedroom. “Yes! I already know exactly what you’re wearing.”
A small, reluctant smile tugged at my lips.
Maybe, just maybe… I could forget.
Just for one night.