Chapter 50

Athena’s words drained the color from Michael’s face inch by inch, the disgust and hatred in her eyes piercing his heart like a dagger. A searing pain radiated from his chest, and Michael felt his strength draining away.

A memory suddenly flashed through Michael’s mind. His face darkened as he turned to Athena and asked, “What happened to you in the barracks?”

She replied, “What a ridiculous question, Lord Osborne. You’re a man yourself; don’t tell me you don’t know what was going through those men’s minds.”

Michael suddenly raised his voice. “No, impossible! They would never dare lay a finger on you…”

“Michael,” Athena stepped closer, meeting his panicked gaze, her loathing plain to see. “Isn’t this exactly what you wanted? You got what you wished for, ruining me, and now you dare play the good guy in front of me?” She stared him down, her voice cold. “The sight of you now is utterly disgusting.”

A dull ache spread through Michael’s chest. He shook his head helplessly. “No. They would never dare treat you like that,” he muttered.

Athena slowly raised her arm, her long sleeve sliding down to reveal the shocking scars on her forearm. Though nearly a month had passed, the marks were still horrific to behold. She looked at Michael and said coldly, “Are you really too much of a coward to admit what you’ve done?”

Athena forced herself to swallow the bitterness rising in her chest, determined to keep her emotions as calm as still water. She wasn’t looking for sympathy, she was simply stating the facts. Athena’s eyes remained dry, but Michael’s were reddened at the corners.

He stared at Athena’s once smooth arm, now covered in gruesome scars. His voice shook uncontrollably. “How could this happen? How could it turn out like this? Athena, I had no idea they were defying my orders. If I’d known, I would never have let you suffer like this.”

Michael stared frantically at Athena’s frosty expression, hastily defending himself. “That was never my intention! Why didn’t you come to me for help? You had plenty of chances to see me in the barracks!”

In truth, he had been secretly watching Athena all along, making sure she never noticed.

I don’t want Athena thinking I’ll keep spoiling her. I’m only doing this for her own good, he thought.

Athena curled her lips in a cold smile. “I did consider coming to you for help,” she said. “But do you remember how you treated me, Lord Osborne?”

Michael’s eyes widened in sudden realization. The memory hit him. He remembered now.

Once, Athena had escaped from the forced labor unit, her hair disheveled as she came running desperately toward Michael. With her voice choked with sobs, she pleaded, “Michael, please, save me! Save me!”

Michael glanced at her from a distance. Before Athena could get close, he ordered his men to drag her away.

Athena must have snuck out because she couldn’t endure the harsh conditions in there, he thought to himself. All she wanted was for him to take her back home to the Monson family.

He barely glanced at her before turning away, then issued a stern order to his men. "If Athena escapes again, every guard will receive fifty strokes with the cane."

With Michael’s command, the soldiers became even more brazen in their treatment of her, showing no restraint. They dragged Athena back and beat her half to death as punishment for her escape.

They forced her to stay on the freezing ground and allowed her only one meal of spoiled food each day. After that, Athena’s knees were so badly damaged that even walking became difficult, let alone attempting to escape.

Athena had thought she'd grown numb to those soul-crushing pains. But whenever those memories resurfaced, that soul-crushing despair would still make Athena shudder all over, chilling her to the bone. If she could, she would never relive those memories for the rest of her life.

Athena stepped forward, meeting Michael’s panicked gaze. “You, of all people, should know the kinds of torture people face in the military. You knew exactly what would befall a woman in a place like that, yet you turned a blind eye, pretending it was for my own good, just so I’d learn my lesson. Well, I’ve learned it now. Aren’t you pleased?”

Michael stared into Athena’s icy eyes, stumbling back in a panic.

No… this isn’t how it was supposed to be, Michael thought desperately. This was never my intention. I just wanted to—

Athena let out a soft chuckle and swept her hair forward across her chest. Athena deliberately tugged her collar aside, exposing the scar at the nape of her neck to Michael.

She said calmly, “They branded the word ‘shame’ here with a hot iron. They forced me to choose between my face or my body. I chose my body, because if it had been on my face, it would have ended my life.”

Michael’s pupils trembled slightly; there was indeed a palm-sized scar on the nape of Athena’s neck. The skin there was wrinkled and shriveled, but to his confusion, the branding was gone.

She added, “Michael, spare your doubts; I carved that word out of my own flesh with a knife. There are plenty more experiences like this. Do you truly wish to hear about them all?”

Athena closed in on Michael step by step, but he couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze. He couldn’t fathom how Athena had endured such excruciating agony. He remembered that when they were kids, Athena was such a crybaby, even a minor cut would have her in tears for hours. Back then, it always took Michael ages to soothe her.

How excruciating the pain must have been for her, how utterly hopeless she must have felt back then! he thought.

Yet she had steeled herself to carve a piece of flesh from her own body.

Michael could bear the thought no longer. Athena was right that he was no better than the monsters in the barracks.

Michael couldn’t meet Athena’s gaze. His fists clenched so tightly that veins bulged on the backs of his hands. Michael forced himself to speak through the pain in his heart. “The only reason the McGee family seeks to marry you is because Ferris is terminally ill. The doctors say he has less than three years to live. Don’t you dare agree to this marriage lightly.”

Athena looked at him with mild surprise. “So, you came here just for this?”

Michael nodded slowly, his voice barely above a whisper. “Yes.”

Athena gave a soft, humorless chuckle, her expression calm. “You needn’t concern yourself with my affairs, Lord Osborne.”

Now she understood why the McGee family had sought marriage with her. With Athena’s reputation in ruins and Ferris not expected to live long, no noble lady was willing to marry him. So the McGee family set their sights on her instead.

No wonder those noble ladies had looked at me with such pity in their eyes, she thought.

Seeing that she showed no surprise and had even accepted it calmly, Michael asked in confusion, “Since you already know, why not go to Margaret? She dotes on you most. Just say the word, and she’ll surely turn down this marriage proposal for you.”

Athena met Michael’s anxious gaze, gave a wry chuckle, and said, “Why should I refuse? Do you think someone like me has any better options?”

Michael’s pupils dilated slightly, his voice growing urgent. “Athena, I know you’re angry, but marriage is a lifelong commitment. Don’t throw away your future just to get back at me. Even if your reputation is in tatters, must you really marry into a noble house? As long as you’re willing, I can help you find another way…”

Michael’s gaze burned with feverish intensity as he looked at Athena. Yet Athena regarded him with the detached gaze of a complete stranger.

Athena stared straight into Michael’s eyes, enunciating each word. “Michael, by what right do you presume to dictate my life? You’ve already ruined me once; dare you try to ruin me again?”