CHAPTER 38

"Let me go, Helios!"

No matter how much I screamed in the room we had entered, no one outside could hear me because it was a bit far from the hall where the party was happening. He didn't listen to me and walked toward the soft bed. I gasped loudly when I felt his hand on my butt.

He slapped it hard. I squeezed my eyes shut from the sting of the slap, but there was something strange I felt in my body when he did that. I was annoyed, but why was there a hint of an unfamiliar sensation coursing through me when he slapped me?

"You stay here," he said coldly as he suddenly dropped me onto the soft bed.

I glared at him sharply, my hands pressed against the bed to keep myself from lying down completely. My chest rose and fell, and I kept my eyes on him.

Why aren't weapons allowed here?

"You have no right to order me around, Helios. You don't own me," I snapped at him angrily, pointing a finger at him.

I stood up completely and ignored him. I walked toward the closed door to leave. I heard the sound of his footsteps coming toward me, but I ignored it. Just as I was about to grab the doorknob, I felt Helios' hand stopping mine from opening the door.

"You sure?" he whispered softly, his warm breath brushing against my ear. "Are you sure that I didn't own you, Hexia?" he repeated.

I frowned at what he said. I kept my eyes on his right hand, now resting on mine, which was gripping the doorknob. The silver ring on his pinky was noticeable, and I could feel it pressing against my skin. The warmth of his palm on mine was impossible to ignore.

My heart started to beat faster as his words echoed repeatedly in my mind. I felt him undo the tie of my mask at the back, causing it to fall to the floor.

"I made you moan my name. I made you come with my mouth and my finger. Isn't that enough proof that I own you?" His voice was rough, as if trying to seduce me.

I clenched my left fist and shut my eyes tightly. The memory of what happened between us at Hyperion's house and on Isla de Brawl quickly flashed in my mind. I was breathing rapidly, and no matter how hard I tried to forget it, I couldn't. He wouldn't leave my thoughts, and that infuriated me.

"Are you joking?" I laughed sarcastically at him. "It was just a mistake. All of that was a mistake, and you know it yourself, Helios. We were just carried away by our bodies."

I quickly turned around and pushed him hard. He stumbled back because of what I did. Now I could clearly see his face, no longer hidden by a black mask. His hair was disheveled, and a few buttons of his white polo shirt under his black vest were undone. Even though he looked a bit disheveled, he still appeared clean in my eyes. When I looked up, our eyes met.

His ashen eyes were hazy, and I couldn't tell what other emotions were playing in his gaze.

"Do you think I'm joking?" he asked me sarcastically. "And no, Hexia. Not everything we did was a mistake."

"What's your problem? Why did you bring me here?" I demanded.

I stepped back when I saw him coming toward me. His face showed no emotion until we were just a foot apart. He was so broad I could almost hide behind him, and his chest looked like it could be a pillow. I had to look up at him since he was taller than me, even though I was wearing heels.

His eyes seemed to hypnotize me again when our gaze met closely. His eyes darted around as if he were memorizing my face.

"I need you to answer this. What is your husband's name, Hexia?" he asked me firmly.

I quickly glanced at a small drawer next to me and saw a glass there. I grabbed it and slammed it against the wall while looking at him. I pointed the broken glass shards at him. He took a step back, and I saw the corner of his lip rise as if he were amazed by what I had done.

Instead of being scared, he seemed proud of what I had done to him.

"Why would I tell you Atlas' real name?"

He chuckled softly at what I said, and I saw in his eyes that he looked sad and hurt.

Something ached in my chest when I saw that, and I wanted to ask him what was wrong and why he was sad. Why would you do that, Hexia?! Atlas has told me countless times to kill Helios, but why does it never happen?

My hand trembled as I pointed the shard of broken glass at his neck. My head was tilted back, and my gaze was still sharp. But he seemed indifferent to my angry stare. In fact, he seemed to enjoy that I was irritated with him.

"If you won't tell me his real name, you know there's another way we can get closer to your husband, don't you?" He leaned slightly and brought his face closer to my ear. "And that way is to kill you, Hexia. Kill Atlas' wife. Because we know she's important to him."

I calmed myself down, closed my eyes for a few seconds, and gasped softly when I saw how close Helios was to me, his lips almost touching mine. I couldn't back away because I was cornered against the closed door.

"Why don't you just do it, Helios?" I asked him boldly. "We both have the same goal, don't we? Why don't you kill me? That's what you want to do to me, isn't it? To kill Atlas' wife," I said emphatically.

I didn't immediately react to what he did next. He simply pulled off his long-sleeved white polo shirt, and the buttons scattered across the floor of the room. My eyes widened as he grabbed my hand, which was still holding the shard of broken glass.

"What are you doing," I said weakly, as if his actions hadn't fully registered in my mind.

"You know we both want the same thing, Hexia. So why don't you go first?" His voice was soft, and he spoke slowly. "I know you want to kill me, don't you? Why don't you do it now? Kill me with that shard you're holding."

I looked down at his chest as the shard of glass he was holding slowly pierced his chest. It wasn't very deep, but blood was still oozing out. I watched as blood dripped continuously as he slowly cut his own chest. I was holding the shard while he was holding my hand, and he was guiding me on how to injure himself.

"A-are you crazy?" I stammered.

I tried to pull my hand away, but he wouldn't let go. His grip on my hand tightened where it was holding the shard. I could feel the stinging of my palm as I realized the shard had penetrated my skin a little deeper. Our blood mixed with Helios' because a part of the shard had cut his hand.

"I know, Hexia. I'm fucking crazy, and you know who I'm crazy about?" he asked me maniacally as our eyes met again.

That look... It said that he was crazy about me. That's what I see in his eyes now.

My palm, numbed from the wound, no longer felt the pain. But the fresh wound on his chest was still red, especially with the blood that continued to drip and stain his white long-sleeved polo.

"Let go of my hand," I said firmly.

Why was it that whenever I was with him, I felt like all my strength was leaving me? It was as if he was draining it all, which was why this was happening to me. I was losing my strength to fight him and to follow Atlas' orders.

"You should know who I'm crazy about, Hexia," he whispered to me. His expression seemed almost pleading. "You know exactly who I'm crazy about."

I furrowed my brow and pushed him away with all my might. It seemed like he was losing strength too whenever he was with me because he didn't resist my push. He took a step back, looking at me softly. He didn't seem to mind the blood dripping from his chest. The cut on his chest was long, and I couldn't help but look at it, worried.

Why was I worried about him!? I was worried about my enemy!?

A pang of pain shot through my chest as I watched him. We both felt weak whenever we were together. It was as if something was whispering in my mind that we were each other's weaknesses.

"Atlas is your husband, Hexia. I know you're not telling the truth just to stay safe, but I know he's your husband. You're good at playing safe, you don't speak or agree when they ask you about your husband because if they confirm that you're really Atlas' wife, they'll use you against your husband," he took another step towards me, and our positions were the same as before.

Cornered behind the closed door, I looked up at him. When I looked at the wound on his chest, there was only a little blood coming out, and his long-sleeved white polo was already stained with his own blood.

I leaned back against the door and couldn't move when Helios bent down to rest his forehead on my left shoulder. My heart was beating so fast, it felt like I was racing. I didn't know if I was feeling this way because I was nervous or because of something else.

"I knew it," he whispered softly, his forehead still resting on my shoulder. "I'm too late. I'm already too late, he's your husband now. I'm jealous. Why do I feel jealous? You're mine, Hexia. You've always been mine, not his."

I looked down at him with a frown and laughed awkwardly at what I heard.

He must be crazy. Jealous? Of what? I shook my head and touched his shoulder, pushing him away because I was starting to feel weird. I'd rather fight him or try to kill each other than have this happen. I was confused and honestly, I didn't like it

"You're crazy. I'd rather we both get hurt than this, Helios. First of all, you don't own me," I said to him seriously. I turned away from him and spoke again before turning the doorknob to open the door. "And no matter what you do, I will never tell you or anyone else Atlas' real name. Remember that," I said emphatically.

I was about to turn and open the door when I heard Helios' reply, which stopped me.

"I saw your birthmark behind your left ear. It's just a bit familiar, and I think I've seen it before."

I quickly clenched my fist and felt like I went deaf for a moment because of what he said. A long, deafening silence filled the room as I stared blankly behind the door.

The times when I wasn't Valentina but still Sarah Dayanghirang immediately came to my mind. Those were the times when I almost cursed myself because I didn't like my physical appearance. Times when I wanted to just lock myself in my room and not go to school because of the hurtful words I would get just because of my looks.

All of that seemed to come back to me in a flash because of what Helios said. I guess it was also my fault for not having it removed because there was something in my heart that told me not to because it was my birthmark. And because of Helios, I felt like I wanted to go back to the time when I had it retouched and have this birthmark removed.

My chest heaved up and down, and I couldn't stop the tears from welling up in my eyes. I glared at Helios when I faced him. I moved quickly and attacked him.

"Fuck you! Why do you always have to butt in, huh!?" I shouted at him when I got close to him. He was dodging all the punches I was throwing at him. "You talk too much, and why don't you just let me leave this damn room!"

I was not calming down. I was breathless from what I was doing, but I didn't feel tired because of my anger.

"What's wrong with you? Can't you calm down—"

"I'm going to kill you!"

My heart was pounding uncontrollably fast with rage. I shoved him hard, causing him to sit at the edge of the bed. I kept throwing punches at him, even though he managed to dodge them. My hands moved so quickly in an attempt to hit him, and eventually, he fell back completely onto the bed. With my eyes blazing, I climbed on top of his chest and continued punching him out of pure anger and frustration.

"Calm down, Hexia—"

"I can't calm down!" I snapped at him. I roughly removed his arm that was covering his face and elbowed it. He didn't block it immediately, so I hit him. "I can't calm down because of you, meddler! Who are you, huh!? Why don't you just shut your mouth and stop saying anything? All of you people say too much! You'd better shut your mouths if you don't have anything good to say!"

"Why can't you just let me be happy with how I look?" I said tremblingly, looking down at him. "Why are you reminding me of all that? I'm not her anymore... I'm so far from who I used to be... I killed her a long time ago. She's been dead for five years, and why do you have to remind me of her?" I unconsciously mumbled to Helios while continuing to cry.

I couldn't see Helios' face anymore because of the tears that I couldn't stop falling on his handsome face. He let it be and didn't complain to me at all.

"Hexia."

"Stop talking—"

My eyes widened when he grabbed the back of my neck, and then I felt a warm, soft lip on mine. He kissed me, that's why I couldn't finish what I was about to say.

I don't know why, but I cried even more because of his kiss. With every movement of his lips on mine and every touch of his hand on my body, I felt like I was melting. I could feel my hot tears rolling down my cheek and onto Helios' cheek, but it didn't stop the passionate kiss we shared.

Instead of pulling away from his arms when they wrapped around my waist, I pressed my body closer to him. He gently bit my lower lip, and I did the same to him. Whatever he was doing to me, I was returning it to him.

His hand, which was still caressing my body, moved up to my cheek and gently stroked it while we were still kissing.

"Open your mouth," Helios whispered to me.

We both let out a soft moan when I felt his tongue inside me, as if it were playing with mine. I felt a strange tingling sensation every time he did that.

I automatically opened my eyes when Rafael suddenly came to mind. The face of Helios that I saw when I opened my eyes earlier was replaced by Rafael's face. His face looked like he didn't commit any crimes. He looked like the male version of those women who couldn't break a dish as long as you didn't provoke them. That's what he looked like.

Why do I see Rafael when we're kissing?

I stood up when I realized what we were doing. I got off the bed and unconsciously touched my lips, which I could no longer feel because of our kiss. Meanwhile, I watched Helios lean back against the headboard, his eyes never leaving mine.

I saw the corner of his lip rise. His hair was disheveled, and his long-sleeved white polo shirt was open because some of the buttons had come undone. I didn't say anything about what he said. I bent down and picked up my mask that was on the floor and turned away from him to leave the room.

"You're always running away from me. Just run and escape from me, but I know you'll still come back to me, Cinderella."

Those were the last words I heard before I slammed the door shut. I ran back to the main hall where the party was held. As I got closer and closer, I fixed myself, especially my mask, because we had to wear it.

"Margarita, Mrs. Collazo?" a waiter greeted me when I entered.

I stood at the side and listened to a speech by Cronus on an open second-floor terrace of the main hall. He was wearing a silver mask while his three-piece suit was black, almost the same as the other men here.

"Thank you," I smiled at him and immediately took a sip of the margarita in my glass.

I gasped softly when I felt the sting of the wound on my palm. Thankfully, my gloves were dark red, so it wasn't immediately noticeable. I sighed and ignored the pain in my palm. It was small and far from the artery, so it should be fine.

"There you are, Mrs. Collazo. Atlas has been looking for you since they got out of the meeting hall earlier."

I turned around when a man approached me and spoke. He pointed to Atlas' position, who was standing at the side of the open meeting hall, and beside him was Oceanus, eating something from a plate he was holding. He was constantly looking around as if he were looking for something. I knew he was looking for me.

"Thank you. I thought I'd take a walk around our safe zone because this is my first time here. Thank you again," I thanked him.

"You're always welcome, Mrs. Collazo. I have to go now, I have something else to do."

"Sure."

We exchanged smiles with each other, and then we parted ways. I walked towards Atlas and Oceanus, and I saw that they were already looking at me. I simply raised my hand and waved at both of them.

We both smiled at each other and went our separate ways. I walked toward their spot and saw that Atlas and Oceanus were looking in my direction. I simply raised my hand and waved at them.

"And tonight, the rankings in our organization will change—" I stopped walking towards them when I heard a loud gunshot that startled everyone in the hall.

I thought weapons were prohibited because this was a safe zone! The lights suddenly went out, filling the entire place with screams, and the big moon outside the sanctuary served as a light source because of the large windows.

"Hexia!?" I heard Oceanus shout.

My ears rang, and I tried to follow where Oceanus' shout was coming from. I grabbed the end of my gown and lifted it slightly to run towards their position when a strong hand pulled my arm away from them.

My eyes widened in surprise, and I tried to fight back. I raised my hand to grab the arm of the stranger who pulled me, but he easily lifted me like a toy. I knew then that I had no escape because he seemed indifferent to my struggle in his arms.

I couldn't tell who it was because he smelled of gunpowder, and it was very strong. My nose wrinkled because I smelled it again and I didn't like it. He was so stinky.

"Atlas! Oceanus!" I shouted as I struggled. I didn't know if they could hear me or not.

"Atlas—ouch!"

I touched my neck when I felt something pierce it. My body automatically weakened, like a wilted plant. My eyelids drooped quickly, and I felt a rapid heartbeat before darkness engulfed me and I lost consciousness. This was the first time I felt such a strange fear in my heart.

This isn't good.

SHANGPU