Chapter 189. You Reminded Me of My Strength

Athena 

"Athena?" Tristan said, concerned, propping himself up on his elbow to look at me better. "Are you okay?"

I couldn't speak. Couldn't move. Because I knew exactly which message he was talking about. Exactly which day, which hour, which moment that message had arrived.

I could still remember it like it was just yesterday.

It had been my wedding day to Daxon. I'd been sitting in the bridal suite, feeling trapped and suffocated, the walls closing in on me. 

The dress he'd chosen hung off my frame after months of barely eating. The makeup caked thick to hide the bruises. The silver necklace he'd given me that morning sitting heavy and cold against my throat like a collar.

I'd felt so weak. So powerless. So lost in a life that didn't feel l