" I have never wished ill upon the wellness of the Empress, all I have ever wanted was for her to feel like she belonged " he insisted. The ability people had when it came to lying truly was amazing
"How exactly did you ensure she 'belonged'?" I enquired barely holding in the anger rising from within
"I-I told them she was cursed" he matured, barely meeting my eyes
I scoffed "Right, since nothing more says 'belonging' like a cursed princess with no one to love her. That's bullshit and you know it"
"I was only trying to help you Your Highness" he muttered, his voice and body shaking
I could feel the little the last thread of patience unravelling, each word he spoke was like a poison creeping in to shut down my whole immune system
"Help me?" I smiled, though there was no warmth in it. "Fine, I'll grant you the pleasure of helping me… one last time"
-
"And then what happened" Athena asked, her curiosity provoked
"Well he's dead now" Deimos replied, his tone flat
"You killed him?" Athena asked eyes winded in disbelief
"Yes…, but you don't seem particularly happy about it or is it just me ?" Deimos asked, a hint of defensiveness in his voice
"Do you realise if there was any chance of me baring an heir the doctor you just killed would be the one to find out since I don't know…, he was my doctor since I was a child?" Athena said those last words very sarcastically
"And who said I cared about whether we have a child together or not, there are many other ways to deal with the heir situation, we can give it to a child we adopt or even pass it on to a relative or just let the legacy die. But what I will not be doing is jeopardising your mental health for the sake of having a child. I am your husband, Athena. When you get hurt, I feel like I am dying inside. Why is it that you can't see that? Or is it that you just don't care at all" Deimos asked, his voice shaking, biting his lip, struggling with his frustration
"Why can't you understand that I care about your legacy,? I'm doing absolutely everything I can to grow a family with you " Athena pleaded, her eyes filled with a dam of water promising to overload soon
"I never said I wanted a damn child, Athena! My priority is your safety," Deimos shouted in frustration evident as he ran a hand through his hair
"I would like some time alone" Athena said, turning her gaze away. It was then the weight of his words struck him- he had truly messed up
"I'm…, I didn't mean to yell baby" he stammered, desperate to prevent any more misunderstandings in their relationship
"I just want to rest, please leave me be," Athena said, her voice barely in a whisper
"Then rest, but I'm not going anywhere," he insisted sliding under the blankets next to her, intent on staying by her side
"Just fuckin leave Deimos!" she almost shouted, her voice breaking with emotion
"I'm sorry," he pleaded, wrapping his arms tightly around her
"You can yell at me, hit me, but please don't push me away" he urged resting his head against her shoulder
"I hate you," she whispered, the words hitting him like a stone thrown into the canal, sending ripples of pain through their carefully built, once-fragile connection
"I hate myself too, but I still love you," Deimos replied, pressing a gentle kiss on her shoulder, hoping to soothe her anguish