Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
I thought I was dead. Just a ghost. Phoenix Godwin, forever haunting Olympus Manor.
But then she came…
“They left Daphne’s sister here. Alone,” I say.
Athena nods, obviously she already knows that, too.
“What does dear ol’ Dad say about this baby?” I ask. “He wanted Daphne dead. Why does that suddenly change?”
“A Godwin is a Godwin,” Athena says. “If the baby turns out to be a boy, then even better. You know him. He wants a mighty bloodline. Ares is dead, and you and I sure aren’t going to give him grandchildren. So this is his only hope.”
Her reminder of how I have failed my father once again doesn’t sting like it would have when I was younger. I’ve become numb to my inadequacies.
“So, does he plan on having her killed after the baby is born?”
Athena’s eyes darken. “Every child deserves a mother.” A long pause breathes between us as her words sink in. “Godwins deserve the best. No way in hell is our father going to allow another Godwin to go through life without a mother. He won’t allow another mother to leave a child, and I can’t say I blame him. So Daphne was smart. She saved her life by getting knocked up.”
The walls are closing in on me. the air in this attic growing thin, heavy with the stench of lies, deceit, cover-ups, and hatred. This conversation needs to end.
“Ares would be in jail right now if he didn’t die in that accident. Because of her. Because of what she did.”
Athena nods. “You don’t have to tell me, but it is what it is. Besides, why do you care? You hide up in that attic all the time. You don’t have to see her around like I do. So you have nothing to complain about. And Apollo is… different lately. He never seemed to love Daphne before, but now he’s a fucking weak-kneed, pussy-whipped ass. It concerns me in regard to where his head is. Apollo and I haven’t always seen eye to eye in how Medusa is run. And Ares was always on my side in the boardroom. Now that he’s dead… I’m afraid I’m going to get outnumbered in votes.”
I don’t want to talk about business anymore. I most certainly don’t want to talk about Daphne Godwin for another second.
A knock sounds on Athena’s office door, and she motions for whoever did it to enter. “I got to go. But vitamins are coming. And it wouldn’t kill you to take a walk or something.”
“Or something,” I say as I end the connection.
I scan all the monitors before me, taking in every detail of every office, every hallway, every elevator of my family empire. But I’m constantly drawn to the woman in the room below me. I could stare at that monitor for days without ever coming up for air.
The hours tick by, and I start to feel like the stalker I am again. A predator. But I can’t stop. I can’t tear my eyes away from the screen. I need to know she’s okay. I need to know she’s safe. And so I sit here, in the darkness of the attic, watching her. Waiting for the moment when I can finally have my revenge on whoever hurt her.
Days turned into weeks since she first arrived, and still I sit here, watching her. She’s getting better, the bruises fading, the cuts healing. But I can’t shake the feeling of anger, of desperation. I need to know who did this to her. I need to make them pay.
Before Ani, I lost track of time, of reality. It was just me and the screens.
But now, the sound of her breathing is the only thing keeping me grounded.
I’m losing my mind more and more with every year of my life. It’s like I’m trapped in some sort of twisted reality. I can’t leave, can’t tear myself away from this attic without extreme work and discomfort. I’m trapped here, watching the outside world.
But she’s not on the outside.
She’s here.
And, as the days go by, I think about her more and more. I watch her every move, memorizing every detail of her face, her body. It’s wrong, but I can’t help it. She’s a drug, an addiction, and the more I watch, the more I need.
I get bolder, taking risks I never would have before. I leave the attic, sneaking down to the guest room to watch her from a closer advantage point. It’s dangerous, and I could get caught at any moment, but I can’t stay away. I need to be near her, to feel the heat of her skin, the sound of her breathing close by.
And then, one day, she wakes. She sits up in bed, rubbing her eyes, and for a moment, our eyes meet on the screen. I freeze, feeling like I’d been caught. But she doesn’t seem to notice me, doesn’t seem to realize I am there. She doesn’t see the hidden camera.