Aiden's POVI swallowed hard when my mom asked for Artemis who they both know as Hera. I have been praying since they entered that they would not ask of her, but my mother eventually did.Martin looked at me, and I gave him a sign not to say anything, and he understood immediately.“So how was your trip?” I asked to bury the question she asked.“The trip went well. As you can see, I'm looking okay and smiling,” my mother replied, smiling the more at the. “I even got some things for you and Hera.”“You have not answered your mother's questions_ my father intruded. “Where is Hera?” Why does this man have to always intervene in matters that don't concern him? What should I say? I can't think straight; I don't know what to answer them with.“Is something wrong?” My mother asked, she noticed the look on my face. “Did you guys have a fight?”“If we fought, it would have been better. At least she wouldn't be in the danger she is right now” I said in my mind.“No, Mom!” I answered. “So wher
Aiden's povMy father walked in with the doctor. The doctor was ready to discharge me and my father was ready to take me home. The doctor checked me one more time, and he concluded that he was going to continue the treatment for me at home.My mother began to pack my bags and everything that belonged to me, and in a few minutes, we were leaving the hospital through the back door.Before we got to the entrance, Martin had already gotten the car ready and was waiting for us to come out so as not to attract people.My father helped me into the car, and my mother got in beside me with my pieces of luggage.As we drove away from the hospital, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. I knew my father was still suspicious about what had happened to me, and the vacation Artemis went for. He kept staring at me in the car and I kept staring at the window to avoid his eye contact.We were already on our way home when one of my informants alerted us that the press members were outside the hos
Aiden's POV Getting married was not the problem at the moment, finding Artemis was the problem. “I have heard father; I will talk to her over the phone,” I answered him. “What are you both discussing?” My mother went into the kitchen. “ I went to tell them in the kitchen to prepare some meal for us to eat” “What a father and his son are discussing is none of your business,” my father said to his wife. “My bad,” my mother said smiling. “ I won't intervene next time,” my mother said and had her sit beside her husband. “So what are they Preparing, I am famished,” my father asked my mom. “I requested some french fries, ketchup, and chicken,” my mom replied. “I'm sure she is almost done with it now”. “All right, please tell her to make it snappy,” my father said. “I will go get some rest inside now” I tried to excuse myself from their midst. “I think you should eat and use your drugs before going inside to rest.” My mother said, and I was forced to sit with them as they talked.
Aiden's POV Doctor Collins came over later that evening without my notice. I was surprised to see because the next appointment with him was supposed to be the following day. “But our next appointment is supposed to be tomorrow?”I demanded some explanation. “I invited him over,” my mother said. I don't seem to understand what is going on. What is my mother's plan with the doctor? “Yes she did,” The doctor confirmed. “Why?” I asked. “I noticed your mood the other time you were seated here, I saw you're so restless. That was why I called the doctor to come and check what's going” my Mother explained, and I was vexed. What does my being restless have to do with inviting the doctor over? What is she even thinking? “So what is the doctor here to do?” I asked my mother, giving her this cold look from those green eyes of mine. My mother already noticed my uncaring attitude. That was my normal way of behaving, so I don't know if I had changed or if I have become a softie that my mot
Aiden's POV I woke up after some hours, staring at the ceiling.As I lay in bed, I couldn't wash off the feeling of unease, I was not feeling comfortable. My mother's presence in the house was suffocating me, and I needed to find a way to get her to leave. I knew she was only trying to take care of me, but I am a grown man, and I didn't need her constant hovering; I could always take care of myself like I used to without letting them know I was sick.I threw off the covers on my body and got out of bed, my head banging like a stone was being used to hit my head, but I still struggled to get up because I needed to be strong; I began pacing back and forth across my room. I needed to come up with a plan to get my mother to leave, and fast. If she doesn't leave, I can't save Artemis.I sent for Martin to come to my room, I needed him to do some particular things for me. He was the only one I could plan with at the moment because he was the most trusted of my men.Just then, there was a k
Artemis POV I felt so comfortable and safe resting on Daymon's shoulder, it was like I don't have any problem at all for the rest of my life again if I'm left in that particular position.I looked up at Daymon, who was battling with the handle of the little stainless bucket that was removed when we were to use it.I left my two hands folded inside the big top I was putting on which belongs to somebody we don't know. We saw it in the cabin and I had put it on since there are no clothes for me .“Yep!” I heard Daymon scream and I raised my head from his shoulder. “What's going on?” I asked, looking confused. “What happened?” “I just fixed this bucket, and it's back to normal,” he answered happily, like has just achieved something so meaningful.“Is that why you screamed?” I asked him, looking so surprised by his actions.“Yes, it's been a while. I tried to do it for some time, and I got it right at once,” he replied, smiling from ear to ear.I understood his feelings. He has been bl
Artemis POV Suddenly, a figure emerged from the underbrush. It was a woman, dressed in hiking gear and carrying a backpack. She looked around cautiously, her eyes scanning the area.As soon as she saw us, she was frightened. She raised her hiking trails in a way that she wanted to defend herself with.“Who are you?” She asked us, looking so scared, her voice trembling with fear.Daymon and I exchanged a look, and without saying a word, we knew what we had to do. We slowly approached the woman, trying not to startle her.As we got closer, the woman turned towards us. Her eyes widened in the ear; she was startled, but then a look of relief washed over her face when she saw Artemis, but she still didn't trust us.“Who are you?” Daymon asked the middle-aged woman. “And how did you get here all by yourself?” “I should be asking you,” the woman replied.“Did you miss the road?” I asked her. “ I can see you are going hiking”“Yeah,” she finally answered, her fears kinda reduced. “I am goin
Artemis POV After we got all the information we needed from the woman, Daymon whispered into my ear. “ Can we talk over there?” He pointed to the spot and I nodded.“We will be right back,” I said to the woman on the left with Daymon.“What do you think we should do to the woman?” Daymon spoke softly for the woman not to hear what he was saying.“What do you mean, what should we do to the woman?” I frowned at his question. “The plan was to let her go after making sure she was not a spy, and she has given us some information, so why the question?”“ You are not seeing this situation from my point of view” Daymon mentioned. “What if we left her go now, and she ended up talking to Kane's men, or they even asked her if she saw anything?”“Yeah, you're right, Daymon,” I reasoned with him. “so what are you suggesting we do to her now?”“Get rid of her, of course,” Daymon Shrugged.“What?!!” I exclaimed out loud, my voice high that the woman might hear from where she was sitting. Daymon cov
(Artemis' POV)I curled up in the corner of the bed, hugging my knees to my chest. The room was silent, but my mind was anything but. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw it—Daymon stepping in front of me, his body jerking as the bullet tore through him. I heard the sound of it, felt the warmth of his blood on my skin. I was tired. Not just physically, but mentally, emotionally—down to my very soul. Every breath felt heavy, every step a burden. The weight of Daymon’s death sat on my chest like a stone, suffocating me.I gasped, shoving my face into my hands. This is my fault.If I had trusted Aiden, if I hadn’t followed Kane like a fool, Daymon would still be alive. I let my guard down, and now I was paying the price.A knock on the door made me tense.“Artemis.” Aiden’s voice was soft, careful.I stared at the door, heart pounding. I didn’t answer.A sigh. Then, “I know you’re awake.”I swallowed, forcing the lump in my throat down. “What do you want?”“To talk.”“I don’t want to talk
Aiden’s POVMy fists clenched at my sides. I was seeing red. Daymon was gone. Killed. And the man responsible was still breathing. Kane murdered him, and I was supposed to just let it go? I wanted nothing more than to make him pay, to make him suffer for what he did.But then my father called me into his office that afternoon, ruining my trail of thoughts.I had spent hours thinking of how to deal with Kane, of how to make him regret ever trying to hard to destroy my life. I walked into the room, barely masking the storm raging inside me.“Good day, Dad,” I greeted, though the words felt empty.“Good day, son.” His expression was unreadable, but I could see the weight of everything pressing on him too.“I called you in to tell you not to do what you're thinking.”I stiffened. “No, Dad. I will kill Kane. I promise you. He must die, he has to pay for what he did to Daymon.”“You will not touch Kane, Aiden.”“I must.” My voice came out harsher than I intended. “He took a brother from me.
Artemis’ POVI drove like a madwoman.The wind cried out against the car, but it wasn’t loud enough to drown out the ringing in my ears. The gunshot replayed over and over, splitting my mind in two.Daymon was gone. I couldn't believe it. The only man after Aiden to show me love in ways I didn't expect—died right in front of me and I couldn't do anything to help. I only watched it happen and sped off like the coward I was. I didn't deserve the love he showed me and I wish he hadn't come to my rescue then he'd still be alive right now.I gripped the steering wheel, my fingers aching from how hard I squeezed. My vision blurred, but I kept going, pushing the car past its limit. I didn't know where I was heading, but I knew one thing—I couldn’t stop. If I did, I’d have to face the truth.Daymon was dead because of me.My chest tightened, a choked sob ripping through my throat.I should have stayed. I should have fought with him. But I ran.I was an idiot, a fool.The car skidded as I turn
Artemis' POVThe silence of the forest had become familiar, almost comforting, but tonight, something felt different. A strange tension hung in the air, making my skin crawl. I shifted on the small couch in the cabin, my gaze flickering to the door where Daymon stood, his posture rigid as he peered out the window.We had been here for weeks now, surviving off canned food and whatever small game Daymon could catch. Every night, we’d take turns keeping watch. Every night, we had a quiet understanding—stay hidden, stay alive.But tonight, something was off. It felt strange, I could not pinpoint to why it felt that way, buh it did.I hugged my knees to my chest. “What is it?”Daymon didn’t answer at first. His sharp eyes scanned the darkness outside. Then, without looking at me, he murmured, “They’ve found us.”My stomach dropped, my jaw dropped too. I was lost, I didn't know if I should cry or run for my life. I have never been this scared. The fear overwhelmed me that I find my teeth hi
Artemis' POVThe days in the old cabin had elongated into weeks, each one mindlessly running into the next, making it feel like we were losing track of time. The dense forest that surrounded us became both a sanctuary and a prison, offering protection from Kane's relentless pursuit while isolating us from the world we once knew, after all the life hack and the steady look out for Kane and his men, how can one remember what the real world actually looks like. In this enforced solitude, Daymon and I developed a routine, a delicate dance of survival and companionship.Each morning, the first light of dawn or will I say the first sun rays hits the cabin, which will obviously hit us so had forcing sleep out of our eyes, we had to wake up, nothing much to do just the survival routine but the direct sun rays won't let us get back to sleep. We would rise early. Daymon took it upon himself to teach me the essentials of survival. We'd venture into the forest, where he demonstrated how to identi
Artemis' POVThe forest had a way of amplifying solitude. Each rustling leaf, every distant sign of wildlife, served as a reminder of our isolation, of how disconnected from the world we are. Daymon and I had been hiding in the cabin for what felt like an eternity, and it didn't seem to end. The days blending into nights in a continuous never seem to end cycle which was already draining me both mentally and physically even Daymond noticed . The constant threat of Kane's men loomed over us, turning even the simplest tasks into exercises done with absolute care and vigilance.One particularly cold evening, the wind bleed outside, rattling the windows and blowing through the cracks in the wooden walls. I sat by the fireplace, its warmth doing little to chase away the chill that had settled deep within me. The weight of our predicament pressed heavily on my shoulders, and an overwhelming sense of loneliness washed over me, total and general weakness flushed me, both weakness from the dail
Artemis' POVThe days in the cabin blurred together, each one marked by a cycle of survival. These cycles never seemed to end, the time there was just static. Daymon and I fell into an unspoken rhythm, gathering firewood, rationing our limited supplies, and maintaining the routine of sleepless nights, for any signs of Kane's men. The forest felt so isolated. This isolation felt like both a blessing and a curse; it shielded us from immediate danger but also confined us to each other's company, which was not helping the unspoken tension between us.One evening, the sun was hitting on a different level , casting long shadows through the trees, I found myself sitting by the fireplace, the flickering flames offering the feeling of warmth and uncertain cozyness. Daymon was outside, ensuring our tracks remained concealed. The weight of our situation pressed heavily on my shoulders, and my thoughts drifted to Aiden. Guilt filled me like an empty vessel for doubting him, for allowing Kane to
Artemis & Daymon’s POVArtemis' POVThe darkness of the forest swallowed us whole as Daymon drove deeper into the unknown, the headlights barely cutting through the thick trees. My heart was still hammering in my chest, my breath uneven. Every nerve in my body remained on high alert, expecting gunshots to ring out at any moment, expecting Kane’s men to appear from the shadows and drag me back to that nightmare, shit hole!I stole a glance at Daymon. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, his jaw locked in determination. The way he maneuvered the car, every calculated turn, every sharp swerve, spoke volumes about his skill. I must admit, at this point I was beyond impressed. He had always been Aiden’s most trusted bodyguard, and now, he was my only chance at survival.“You okay?” His voice was rough, edged with concern, but he didn’t take his eyes off the road.I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I don’t even know where we are.”Daymon pressed his foo
Artemis povAfter crying myself to sleep, I decided that I can't be living like this, from frying pan to fire , I can't be running round in circles and getting hurt. Kane is an animal, he is a wicked person. I thought I ran to safety and comfort ,not knowing I ran into my own early death. I wholeheartedly entered the lions darn.Now Jesus won't even think of saving my butt like he did with Daniel in the Bible. I am such a fool, and I can't reach Aiden, I need saving.Now all this event has occurred thanks toe, the guards are more on guard, silently and stylishly following me every where I go like I am in some sort of prison or something.If I run out , before I can even make it to the gate , I might get shot or I might be captured and this time around restricted to my room only, maybe with chain also. Kane made it clear ! If he can't have me, then no one can. It's either him or I die. I am cooked. I thought of all these so deeply and tears rolled down my cheeks, I am all alone again