I couldn’t calm the anger roaring in my veins. I’ve never been so frustrated about something before. I should be in tears, but all I felt was a burn taking over my entire body, and it only got worse as she continued.
"My husband played the victim and broke down about how two years of marriage were hell for him, and that I constantly hurt myself just to get his attention. He told them..."
She gulped, stopping, and I wanted to tell her not to continue.
"He told them that I threw myself off the stairs during an argument just to prove a point."
Oh my god.
"I was deemed insane and sent to the psych ward because no one believed my story. Ares was the only one who did. He got me out and rained mayhem on everyone and everything that hurt me."
This time her smile wasn’t sad but one of joy, as if reminiscing about the events.
"Ares is my anchor."
I tried to breathe, but it got heavier, my eyes stinging with tears, but I blinked them away.
I did the only thing I could at that moment. I placed my hand on hers and said softly. "As any brother should be."
I was glad Ares was there for her; at least she wasn’t alone when dealing with everything, but her own father never believed her, and that must have torn her up in shreds.
"Thank you, Cat," she said, amused, suddenly wearing a bright expression. "Talking about this made me feel much better. Now you know everything about me, and we can be besties."
Footsteps approached us, and we turned to it. I tensed when I saw Isaac coming towards us. However, his attention wasn’t on me but on Athena.
"Princess..."
Athena handed me the bottle, rose to her feet, and neared him.
Slap!
I flinched at the abrupt action. Slowly, he turned his head back to her, totally unaffected compared to when I slapped him.
"That’s for what you did to Cat! You moron!"
"Are you alright?" He asked, more worried about her well-being.
I drank from the bottle, suddenly intrigued by this display.
"How is that any of your business? I’m talking about Cat, not me!"
"I was following orders, and that’s not my concern right now."
"No shit!" She walked, and he followed like a dog chasing a bone. "Stay away from me, you clown!"
Now that’s something you don’t see every day. Probably a rare occurrence like the shooting stars.
I peeled my gaze away from them, still shaken after hearing Athena’s story, and for an entire two minutes, my body was numb, and the only thing that grounded me was the burn from the alcohol.
I have always looked at high-class individuals as if their lives glittered like gold, but living in their world now, I realized it wasn’t as it seemed.
I should probably head back inside, but I don’t think I can walk or even think straight right now.
I heard another sound of footsteps, and this time it belonged to Ares. I drew sharply on my breathing when our gaze locked.
I tilted the bottle to get another drink, but it was empty, not a single drop left.
"Hey, honey. You found me," I said, hiccupping.
"Can you stand?"
"I think so..." I said, dropping the bottle before pushing to my feet. "Don’t worry about Athena, she’s—"
Ares’s hand snatched my waist when I got too wobbly with my movement. I shivered when he pinned my body to his.
"You had too much to drink."
"So did you... But unlike you, I can’t handle my alcohol. You should run for the hills before I do something stupid."
His eyes suddenly dared me to, and I felt like biting my damn tongue. Maybe it’s in my blood to always egg him on.
"I-I talked with her..." I began. "Athena, she..." I shook my head slightly before murmuring. "She told me her... story."
Ares narrowed his eyes.
"By that look, I guess she shouldn’t have."
There was a flicker of emotion in his eyes, and I noted mostly anger, but not directed towards Athena or me.
"Not that... she hasn’t spoken to anyone about it except me. You’re special to her."
"I’m not sure how I feel about that." I pushed to stand on my own, hugging myself. "One minute she’s this awful person that keeps trying to invade my life, and next I wanna rage on for her sake. She didn’t deserve what happened to her or how your parents treated her. Parents are supposed to be there for you no matter what. They don’t have the right to leave you behind and expect you to navigate the world on your own. They brought you into this world together. Why do we get to live on our own?"
"Are we still talking about my parents?" he murmured.
I huffed. "Don’t mind me. I’m drunk..."
"Let’s get you inside."
"Do you not want me anymore?" I asked, hating how miserable I sound.
I’m so stupid.
"F-Forget I asked that," I said, attempting to leave, but he swept me off my feet and carried me in his arms.
"You’re a handful," he said as he walked back to the building.
"Wives are supposed to be a handful, but in this case, your contract wife is plenty too much or whatever," I rambled on, not even understanding my blunder.
I buried my face in his neck, letting the smell of smoke, aftershave, and the mix of his manly cologne drown my senses.
I bet he tasted like wine. I used my tongue on his neck, swiping to his sharpened jawline, and he came to a sudden halt.
"You’re tasty." My teeth grazed his jaw before I found my way to his lips and realized he had his eyes on me the entire time, a look I couldn’t explain morphed on his face.
I was already angling my head to connect our lips, but everything blurred, and darkness took over me.