Dark Revenge Of An Unwanted Wife: The Twins Are Not Yours! - Chapter 469

Chapter 469: Hurt, Again.

Today was Monday. Another long, draining Monday that felt heavier than the last.

The day had already slipped past evening when Athena left the lab, exhaustion clinging to her like a second skin.

She had gone to work that morning as usual, spent hours reviewing data and patient charts, ensuring the new cure protocol was holding steady. But instead of driving home, to her grandparents and children, she’d returned to Antonio’s house because she needed to fulfill her end of a bargain.

A bargain she probably never should have made.

She smiled faintly at the memory of that night, one after the engagement night—the soft hum of jazz, the taste of wine, and Antonio’s mischievous smirk as he shuffled a deck of cards. She had lost to him in a harmless game, or so she thought, and his “reward” had been that she stayed for a few more days than planned.

Now, packing her bags to leave, she felt only a quiet, guilty relief.

She wanted to go home. To the familiar warmth of her children’s chatter, to her grandmother’s cooking, to the steadiness that had always kept her calm.

Antonio found her in the living room, her small overnight bag zipped and waiting by the couch. He looked freshly showered, hair damp, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up, eyes bright but shadowed by irritation.

“What’s the hurry, really?” he asked, leaning against the wall, voice low but edged with displeasure. “Or don’t you like staying with me?”

Athena arched a brow, unsure how to answer that. “A deal is a deal, Antonio,” she said quietly. “At least respect that.”

A pause. A chuckle.

“Already Kathleen is asking for me. Nathaniel too.”

Antonio’s lips curved into a playful pout. “They have you all the time,” he murmured. “They can wait just a bit.”

Athena snorted softly. “And you’ll have me for a lifetime, remember? So maybe you’re the one who should wait.”

He crossed the distance between them, taking a seat on the armrest, folding his arms. “Maybe,” he admitted, his gaze tracing her face. “But don’t you feel it, Athena? That need to be with me all the time?”

She didn’t.

She smiled, faint and unreadable, reclining slightly in her seat. Did people really feel that? That consuming need?

She tried to recall how it had been when she was with Ewan—before the heartbreak, before the fallout—but the memory blurred like smoke.

Before she could answer, Antonio was talking again.

“I love you, Athena. Obsessively.”

The word made her blink. Obsessively.

She didn’t like it, didn’t like how easily he said it, how proud he seemed of it.

“I love you so much,” Antonio continued, his voice softening. “I think about you every passing second of the day…”

His tone wavered with sincerity, and one hand reached up to cup her cheek. “And it hurts me that you can’t even say it back.”

Athena swallowed. The air between them grew taut, heavy. This topic again. She wasn’t sure how to get around it without hurting him further.

She could lie, say the words he wanted to hear, but the syllables were like iron on her tongue—too heavy to lift, too false to utter.

Her silence stretched too long. Antonio’s hand fell away.

“You’re not going to say anything?” he asked quietly.

“I have nothing to say,” Athena murmured. “You already know these things, Antonio. Whatever I want to say, you already know.”

He scoffed softly, the hurt in his eyes darkening into frustration. “The usual. ‘Give me time.’ How long do I have to wait?”

“I don’t know.” She stood, her tone final, though her pulse was unsteady. “I need to go home. My children are waiting.”

“They’re also mine,” Antonio said suddenly.

Athena froze but said nothing. He was right, practically.

When he reached for her, perhaps to kiss her or coax her to stay, her stomach twisted violently. Nausea surged without warning. She clapped a hand over her mouth, muttered an excuse, and hurried to the bathroom.

Antonio followed, worry clouding his expression.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as she rinsed her mouth and took deep breaths at the sink.

“Maybe I ate something bad?” she managed, wiping her mouth with a towel.

“Or maybe,” Antonio said lightly, “you’re pregnant.”

The words dropped like a stone into still water. Athena paused mid-motion. “What did you say?”

He shrugged, though a hint of a smile tugged at his lips. “I’ve noticed you’ve been tired lately. Taking more bathroom breaks than usual… mood swings, too.”

Athena wanted to laugh, but his tone—that serious, almost triumphant tone—stopped her. “That doesn’t mean I’m pregnant, Antonio,” she said softly, shaking her head. “It could be a stomach bug. Or stress.”

He snorted. “You’re finally pregnant, and you want to hide it from me?”

The humor slid off her face. She looked at him carefully—at his eyes gleaming with something that wasn’t relief or love but a strange, mocking glee. It flickered there just for a moment before he masked it.

“Antonio…” her voice came out low, wary. “What are you saying?”

“I just figured,” he said gently, “that getting you pregnant would solidify things. You know—our future, the wedding, being done with that idiot once and for all.” He smiled, sheepish but proud. “Can’t you see? Fate’s on our side with this one.”

Athena stared at him, disbelief hollowing her chest. “What are you talking about? You used condoms every time we were together.”

She stopped when she saw his face—the touch of something cold in his gaze, the smug curve of his lips that vanished too quickly.

“Antonio…” Her voice trembled. “What’s going on?”

He didn’t answer.

And then she knew. The buzzing in her head turned into a roar. The air seemed to thin around her.

He had lied.

He had planned this.

“You—” she couldn’t breathe. Her pulse thudded hard in her ears, vision blurring at the edges. Her hand gripped her thigh to steady herself.

When he reached for her, she jerked away. “Don’t touch me.”

Her voice came out like steel. The sharpness in it startled even him.

Tears pricked her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She had sworn six years ago never to cry because of a man. But then, she hadn’t expected to be hurt by Antonio in such a way?

Tears teased her eyelids again. Was it from heartbreak? Anger? Or the exhaustion of realizing she had been played again—deceived by someone she had dared to trust?

He had chosen to manipulate her, to strip her of choice.

“Can’t you see, Athena?” he pleaded, stepping closer. “This is for us. It’ll stop everyone from questioning us, from questioning you. It’s for our own good.”

Athena inhaled deeply. Once. Twice. Fighting the wave of panic clawing at her chest. The house felt smaller, darker, like the walls were closing in.

Then, without another word, she slipped the engagement ring from her finger. The delicate diamond winked briefly under the light before she placed it on the table before her.

Antonio froze, eyes wide. “Athena…”

Did he really think she would accept this deceit with wide arms?

“I need to think,” she said quietly. But in her heart, she already knew. There was nothing left to think about.