Chapter 101\u00a0<\/p>\n
Athena\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words hit me like a slap across the face. His voice was cold, harsh, completely different from the Tristan I\u2019d always known.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes were empty, distant, like he was looking through me instead of at me. Like I was nothing more than a ghost haunting his\u00a0<\/p>\n
hallway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
[\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had to hold myself together. I couldn\u2019t fold like I always did. My body wanted to crumble, to make myself small and disappear, but I\u00a0<\/p>\n
forced my spine to stay straight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had to remind myself this was Tristan, no matter what cruel words came out of his mouth, he wouldn\u2019t actually hurt me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But my body didn\u2019t get that message. It was already shutting down, going into that protective mode I knew too well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hands started shaking first, then my knees. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stop the trembling that was spreading through my entire body like poison.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The familiar panic was creeping up my throat, making it hard to breathe. Without thinking, I took a step backward, then another.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That seemed to snap him out of whatever drunk haze he was in. His face changed, the coldness melting into something that looked\u00a0<\/p>\n
like horror.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAthena, I\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said, his voice completely different now. He tried to move toward me, but I was already backing away, my body moving on pure instinct. \u201cI swear I\u2019d never hurt you. I didn\u2019t mean\u2026.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t wait for him to finish. I turned and ran up the stairs, my heart hammering against my ribs. I slammed my bedroom door behind me and leaned against it, sliding down to the floor as my legs gave out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The shaking was getting worse. My whole body was vibrating with fear and something else I didn\u2019t want to name. Memories of Daxon tried to surface, the way his voice would turn cold before his fists started flying, the way he\u2019d look at me like I was nothing, less than\u00a0<\/p>\n
nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I whispered to myself, pressing my palms against my temples. \u2018Not happening. I won\u2019t let it happen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I owed it to myself to be strong. I wouldn\u2019t let anyone break me again, not even Tristan. Especially not Tristan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I won\u2019t give anyone the power to break me,\u201d I kept repeating, fighting back the tears that wanted to fall. My voice was shaky at first, but it got stronger with each repetition. \u201cI\u2019m Athena Slade. I\u2019m strong and brave. No one can break me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took deep, deliberate breaths, the way the therapist had taught me months ago. In for four counts, hold for four, out for four. Slowly, my racing heart began to calm. The trembling in my hands started to ease.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
8:47 Wed, Jan 7\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 101\u00a0<\/p>\n
Athena\u2019s POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u0b39\u0b01\u0b1a\u0b3f (100)\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words hit me like a slap across the face. His voice was cold, harsh, completely different from the Tristan I\u2019d always known.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyes were empty, distant, like he was looking through me instead of at me. Like I was nothing more than a ghost haunting his\u00a0<\/p>\n
hallway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had to hold myself together. I couldn\u2019t fold like I always did. My body wanted to crumble, to make myself small and disappear, but I\u00a0<\/p>\n
forced my spine to stay straight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had to remind myself this was Tristan, no matter what cruel words came out of his mouth, he wouldn\u2019t actually hurt me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But my body didn\u2019t get that message. It was already shutting down, going into that protective mode I knew too well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hands started shaking first, then my knees. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stop the trembling that was spreading\u00a0<\/p>\n
through my entire body like poison.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The familiar panic was creeping up my throat, making it hard to breathe. Without thinking, I took a step backward, then another.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That seemed to snap him out of whatever drunk haze he was in. His face changed, the coldness melting into something that looked\u00a0<\/p>\n
like horror.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAthena, I\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said, his voice completely different now. He tried to move toward me, but I was already backing away, my body moving on pure instinct. \u201cI swear I\u2019d never hurt you. I didn\u2019t mean\u2026.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t wait for him to finish. I turned and ran up the stairs, my heart hammering against my ribs. I slammed my bedroom door behind me and leaned against it, sliding down to the floor as my legs gave out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The shaking was getting worse. My whole body was vibrating with fear and something else I didn\u2019t want to name. Memories of Daxon tried to surface, the way his voice would turn cold before his fists started flying, the way he\u2019d look at me like I was nothing, less than\u00a0<\/p>\n
nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I whispered to myself, pressing my palms against my temples. \u201cNot happening. I won\u2019t let it happen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I owed it to myself to be strong. I wouldn\u2019t let anyone break me again, not even Tristan. Especially not Tristan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t give anyone the power to break me,\u201d I kept repeating, fighting back the tears that wanted to fall. My voice was shaky at first, but it got stronger with each repetition. \u201cI\u2019m Athena Slade. I\u2019m strong and brave. No one can break me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took deep, deliberate breaths, the way the therapist had taught me months ago. In for four counts, hold for four, out for four. Slowly, my racing heart began to calm. The trembling in my hands started to ease.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
8:47 Wed, Jan 7\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 101\u00a0<\/p>\n
100\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked at the clock on my nightstand, 6:15 AM. In a few hours, I\u2019d have to face the world. I\u2019d have to walk into that office and pretend everything was normal. Orion would be back from dealing with Liam\u2019s emergency, and we\u2019d all be working together like nothing\u00a0<\/p>\n
had changed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I could do this. I had to do this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took one last deep breath and pushed myself up from the floor. My legs were still a little unsteady, but they held me. And that was\u00a0<\/p>\n
something.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I walked to my dresser and pulled out clothes for work, a navy blue dress that made me feel professional and put\u2013together, low heels that I could walk confidently in. Every choice was deliberate, designed to make me feel strong.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The shower helped wash away the last of the panic. Hot water had a way of rinsing off more than just soap and shampoo. By the time I stepped out, I felt more like myself again. Not completely, but enough to function.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took extra time with my makeup, covering the slight puffiness around my eyes, adding color to my pale cheeks. When I looked in the mirror, I saw someone who looked calm and collected. Someone who had her life together.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Memories Drifted Into Soft Silence by Kyx Frost 101 Chapter 101\u00a0 Athena\u2019s POV\u00a0 His words hit me like a slap […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-second-gear-of-love-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26258\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}