Dear Ex Wife Please take me back by The Every Woman

Chapter 92 ~ A box

ATHENA

My breath catches.

"What?" I whisper. My fingers tighten around the strap of my bag as suspicion, curiosity, and confusion tangle in my chest.

"That doesn't make sense..." What kind of task?"

He doesn't smile, but there's something soft in his eyes. "They knew you'd be here at one point. Your mother planned this visit down to the year. She said you'd come when you were ready."

I stare at him, finding the whole ideal ridiculous, "I have been coming here every year-"

"Except last year." He interrupts me, and my heart jumps to my throat.

Is he a stalker?

Everything inside me screams to be cautious, but something else, a deeper pull, urges me forward. The way he said their names.

The certainty in his voice

Call it a hunch or stupidity, but I feel like I can trust him.

"Where are we going?" I ask, my voice quieter now.

He exhales slowly, almost like he's relieved I didn't walk away. "Just a short walk. There's a box... in my car. Your parents left it for you."

I hesitate for a beat longer, then slowly nod, my heart pounding loud in my ears. This is how people end up dead.

"Okay,” I say, my voice sounding more stable than I feel. "But if this is some kind of-"

he cuts in gently. "You'll understand soon,

who has faced death twice, I'm pretty good at

follow him down the cemetery path, leaves crunching beneath our steps, I can't help but feel like my life

sedan parked

car feels... creepy,

medium-sized box wrapped

gently on the hood of the car. "Just like they asked me

my heart racing, unsure whether to

like a

I'm feeling pretty much the opposite, so instead of running,

you?" I finally ask, my voice trembling. "Why you? Why not

at the box. "Because I was never supposed to be known. Your parents hired me when you were five. I was their bodyguard, but also their shadow. A

the family photos, Athena. I was behind them. Always watching. Always protecting. You didn't know me because

bodyguard?

his eyes growing distant. "They were working on something: revolutionary. A

stop

One injection, and it could reset the heart's rhythm permanently. No

at him,

the people funding it? They saw dollar signs, not Your parents wanted

accessible. The investors didn't. They wanted control, patents,

were killed," I whisper, the truth

answer, but

go weak. I lean against the

told me it was a

opportunity and

you and to keep you from digging too soon, I stayed in the shadows and watched the Kings take you under