Elsie's povI walked into my room with a flowery heart. I was planning to mend my relationship with Atlas, but I was thinking of how to do it. I don't have any experience in repairing relationships. My relationship skills are pretty bad, so it's a bit discouraging.Even just now, I was like that when he tried to explain what I didn't dare to talk about yesterday. I wanted to avoid him and say things that were about me while I actually understood his situation. I quite understand what the situation is like, but I prioritise what I feel because I feel hurt.I admit that I was quite selfish in this matter, but everything has passed, and now my relationship with Atlas has improved. He acknowledged his mistake sincerely, and it was a great effort on his part, considering Atlas is of that nature.I threw my body onto the bed happily, sinking my head on the mattress and pulling the pillow over me. My body turned to hug the pillow tightly as I continued to shake my legs in the air. Something
Elsie's Pov"Make sure you warm up well, Elsie." Atlas walked around me a reasonable distance away from me. His eyes were watching me, warming up at his command.I was awkward when I realized that the only one warming up in that place was me, while the others were already busy with their intense training. Atlas said that for the first 30 minutes, I only needed to focus on warming up, after which he would start the other basic training.I stretched my body, pulling my arms back and lifting them high to stretch the muscles. The same goes for the legs and other body parts. From what I read, to avoid injury in training, the body needs to be in a relaxed muscle state so the impact of the body's active exertion will be lessened.Atlas stopped right in front of me. "You should watch your breathing in the middle of your warm-up because that's important too. Being out of breath while training shows that your body lacks stamina. Do you feel short of breath right now?" he observed me, his demean
Elsie's PovI looked back, seeing Atlas was still far enough away from me that it spurred me to pick up the pace even more. I quickened my footsteps, ignoring my panting breath and the tightness in my chest as my lungs worked more than usual to pump air.A fiery passion arises because part of me is curious about what prize Atlas will give me, and the other part wants to prove myself to Atlas about my abilities. I wanted to show him how far I could go."Get ready to prepare my prize Atlas!" I exclaimed with laughter in the middle of our chase.The sound of Atlas' breathing reached my ears. Maybe he's no longer too far away from me, but he's annoying me because the sound of his soft breathing is getting closer and closer. "You don't have to worry. When your foot is there first, you'll get it soon enough." It's good that he kept his promise.I pushed my feet even harder on the ground, a little more....a little more, I'll make it to that hill, and I'll win it...I kept thinking that until
Atlas' POVSometimes, I didn't understand her at all, how Elsie could be such a simple person but could also be such a difficult person to understand. There were times when her anger became something that I couldn't deal with and made me think a thousand times just to take action so that her anger could subside.There are also times when she looks so happy with trivial things that I think are too small, like right now. A while ago, I saw her face looking upset because she lost to me, but in an instant, the upset disappeared and became a charming smile.She sat before me, enjoying the chocolate mint ice cream she ordered. Her taste was entirely unexpected. I thought the combination of chocolate and mint was strange. It was like brushing your teeth and eating chocolate-flavored ice cream. But strangely, Elsie seemed to enjoy it.Her face was all smiles. Every time she put the ice cream spoon into her mouth, she stomped her feet excitedly. It was adorable. "Do you like it that much?" I r
Anonymous’ POV"This wasn't supposed to happen!" I clenched my fists tightly as I saw Elsie and Atlas seemingly enjoying their time together at a restaurant.The sight of these two in front of my eyes was something unpleasant. I expected something terrible to happen between them, but what happened? Their relationship seemed to look fine, even better than before.Did my plan fail?I watched them closely again, still with a sense of annoyance that made me unable to calm down and behave normally. I put my feet together on my lap, resting my arms on the arm of the sofa, my forefinger raised and pressed under my lips. I stared at them intently from the corner of the place with my head tilted 45 degrees while pumping a finger on my chin.They didn't notice me being there, but I could recognize them with my eyes even if they looked like rough dots in the crowd. "Alright." I plastered a smile on my lips. "I'll let you guys enjoy your time. How could she still be here and not leave immediately
Elsie's Pov"It looks like we'll have difficulty seeing each other all day. I have a lot of things to do on campus today." I sent Atlas a message before my class started this morning.There were many activities that I needed to do on campus, from attending classes to working on some course assignments that needed to be collected in a few days. My busy schedule today is packed. Even if I want to make time for Atlas, though, I can't do it.I grabbed my cell phone from my jacket pocket when it rang briefly, signaling an incoming message notification. "Alright, today too, I'll likely only be home at night because there are a lot of activities at camp that I'm involved in." I read im reply message.My eyes shifted from my phone screen after replying to her message. I put my phone back into my jacket pocket and began to stare at the front of the class once the lecturer entered and opened the class.After the class ended, I left the classroom and headed for the library before all the seats w
Elsie's PovWhat's going on?What am I seeing in front of my eyes right now? What scene did Atlas show me?I really couldn't believe it. My chest was filled to the brim with the body of a woman whose upper body seemed to be wearing nothing but a cloth, lying next to Atlas' body. From where I stood, I couldn't recognize who the woman was because her face was covered by hair.But I was too scared to come closer, the pounding in my heart making me able to actually stand on my feet and walk closer to them to confirm who it was. I was too hesitant to check and find out the truth.Knowing who that woman was would only hurt me more. I thought that our relationship was fine and it was supposed to be that way, but what happened? Why did I see him lying down with a woman, and it even happened in his bed, in the same safe house we lived in together?Was I just mistaken all this time?I began to doubt what had been going on. I was left with a sense of indecision and loss of direction. I wanted to
Elsie's pov"Listen to me first, Elsie." Atlas grabbed my hand at the doorway, before I could actually leave the room.My body turned towards him, staring at the eyes that looked desperate. Even though I saw the way those eyeballs dilated and seemed surprised by the situation that I didn't know if he planned it consciously or not, I couldn't bear to listen to anything else from that mouth.There was no explanation I wanted to listen to in the situation that was happening right before my eyes. As much as Atlas wanted to explain it, and as much as I would believe him, I doubted I could believe him.I removed my hand from his grasp, brushing it off firmly with a disappointed look on my face. "What are you going to explain it like? Are you sure your explanation will make me feel better Atlas?" my body shook, I clenched my palms together so he wouldn't see how much this was torturing me.Even if he explained it, I couldn't believe it. No, part of me refuses to believe anything he says. Thi
Elsie's PovI stared at the man fiercely. No...no, Atlas can't think that this is his son. I don't want that man to feel that way. No matter how much I don't want to trust him anymore, I will stick to my previous decision.I shook my head, pushing him back from in front of me. "No, it's not. You already know that this is Seth's child!" I denied it loudly, but Atlas didn't believe my words.He shook his head sluggishly. "I'm sure you're telling a lie. The baby in your womb, he responded to me." Atlas fixed his eyes on my stomach, making me grab it and cover it from him. "He became calmer when I got closer to him, and your condition improved. It's like he's talking to me through the bond. I feel it!" Atlas exclaimed, coming closer to me with his gaze fixed firmly on me, not letting me escape him.I tried to break away from him, pushing him away, but my efforts were in vain. "What are you thinking? Just because this baby is calmer, you think he's yours?" I tried to turn the tables by say
Atlas PovSo he was the one who gave the wolf bane to Donna? But he probably didn't know anything. It could be that, just like Donan, prof Awkson was perhaps the one being used.However, finding Awkson to be the one involved seemed to further narrow down the people who were also involved."So my suspicions were well-founded, suspecting Seth was the right thing to do," I muttered seriously, keeping watch all night in that place.Now I'm just waiting for the right moment to go inside and meet with Elsie. But damn, Seth hadn't moved from his spot in days.He remained in the house, and that made me very upset. "This isn't normal. How could he be home for so many days? Does she have absolutely nothing else to do? There's no way an unemployed person like that would agree to be responsible for someone, let alone a baby. He must have some other identity he's hiding so money isn't a problem for him."My suspicions grew daily, and I became increasingly reluctant to leave, leaving Elsie, who cou
Atlas' POVI sighed heavily, pulling my car door open, then getting inside and slamming it shut. Again, even after being inside and watching them from a distance, I still felt annoyed.I was annoyed by various things. So far, I felt like I was being played and tortured at the same time. My feelings became so chaotic when I saw Elsie holding her stomach pain in the hospital. I followed her from behind and was full of anxiety. I was angry because even though I saw her, I couldn't do anything. I could only follow her from behind, hoping that she was okay.I closed my eyes while exhaling a heavy breath that pressed against my chest with an unrelenting weight. "Why do I have to experience such a horrible thing?" I covered my face with my palms and rubbed them back. Of the many difficult things I've experienced in my lifetime, this was the first time I felt so helpless.I didn't understand why, among millions of people, I had to be chosen to undergo this kind of fate. Why did I get bad luck
Elsie's PovI looked out with a carefree feeling. What was previously weighing on my heart and mind seemed to be lifted thanks to my gaze being distracted by what passed before my eyes. As Seth's car passed by, I saw many things.The sight of the bustling city and the many large buildings built along the way comforted my eyes and quieted my mind. I had been thinking about many things for a while, and the noise in my head suddenly disappeared, becoming quieter as I watched my surroundings bustling with people."Is it this crowded, Seth? I don't recall it being the weekend." I turned my head towards Seth, who was also looking out the window.From the crowded place, I wondered what they were doing, where they were going, and what they felt as they walked down the street in the middle of the crowd, mingling with others.Could it be that they felt free? Did they think lighter by enjoying their lives, or did they feel shackled by what they were doing? Among them, some were walking with only
Elsie's Pov"So you're sure this isn't a contraction or something?" I looked at Seth. Even though the expression on his face looked grim and gloomy, he still asked and confirmed my condition, overriding what he felt.The doctor approached and checked my pulse quietly. It seemed not to confirm what Seth asked but because he just needed to check. "No, it's still not labour yet. If it's normal labour, it seems it will still take a while." he turned towards Seth, then later patted the man's shoulder. "You don't need to be that worried. This kind of cramps will probably appear several times during pregnancy, but stay calm, as it's nothing serious."Seth exhaled and looked at me with relief, though his eyes still didn't seem back to what they were before. "Let it go, then. I'll take her home." Seth approached me, helped me get up from where I was lying and sat me in the wheelchair.Before leaving, Seth approached the doctor, who wrote something on paper. Then he held his head and looked at
Elsie's PovEven though I had previously avoided Seth's suspicions of me, and I had also tried to organise my mind to trust Seth, I didn't understand why I still doubted what had happened or why I still doubted that he was someone I knew.I still doubted that what Seth did had anything to do with what Atlas said. My eyes realised his sincerity, realised his feelings for me weren't an ordinary mask, but my intuition for him didn't make me calm.Day after day, I was troubled by my growing suspicion of him. I, who tried to ignore what I felt, finally could no longer ignore my feelings for him. I felt restless, and my desire to keep my mind calm for the sake of the baby in my womb was no longer able to keep it calm.Even though I tried my hardest, I could no longer dismiss the suspicion towards Seth that kept growing inside me. I wanted to keep trusting him and hoping that he was exactly what I had seen, but I couldn't do it. I can't think like that anymore.If I'm a hybrid, then that mea
Elsie's povWhat was he doing? Why did he suddenly come back? Didn't she leave earlier? I didn't understand. My eyes looked at him in surprise while Seth looked at me in confusion."Seth, why did you come back?" I ventured to ask him. Staring at him with the fear in me that I tried to hide. "Didn't you go out earlier?"Why did he suddenly come back? Did he know what I was about to do? Could he be starting to suspect that I knew what he would do? How is this? What should I do?Seth walked closer. I, sitting on the floor near the row where his books were lined up, stared while holding my breath.He walked steadily closer, then stopped on the floor where I was sitting, near a drawer. "I came back because I left something behind." He pulled the drawer out and then took out a light brown file. I watched silently, with my breath trying to escape. Then he looked back at me. "And you alone, Elsie? What are you doing in my room?"I gulped the saliva in my throat nervously. My heart felt like i
Elsie's pov"Where are you going, Seth?" I asked Seth, who was getting ready by putting on his shoes.I looked into his eyes intently after he turned to me as soon as I asked him.Seth smoothed the laces on the light brown formal shoes he was wearing. He turned his head silently to me for a moment. "I have something to buy outside, and then I want to meet someone." He looked at me, somewhat confused.I came closer to him. For some reason, I wanted to prove what Atlas had told me that day. I didn't want to keep harbouring suspicions about him, so I'd better quickly find out what Seth might be hiding from me. "Can I come?" I looked at him expectantly. "How about we do the shopping later and meet your friend first?" I suggested it to him.For all I knew, if it wasn't anything suspicious or anything like that, Seth would never object to me following him, and he wouldHe did as I asked and was patient as always. However, one thing made it necessary for her to act otherwise.He looked doubt
Elsie's PovI stared blankly at what Seth was busily preparing for me, my mind completely distracted with what he might do. I can no longer trust him completely like I used to.I'm not sure what he gave me now is safe. I didn't understand which one I trusted more between him and Atlas, but feeling the way my heart thumped around him and how I responded while being around Atlas, I believed that something wrong was indeed happening.If my feelings are already like this, then I should be wary. If later this proves to be just a suspicion, I will punish myself for suspecting him and apologise to him, while in the meantime, I will be wary of his attitude.I'm sorry, Seth, but I just want safety for myself, especially since the situation lately is very complicated, and I don't want to take any risks."Sit down. Why are you just sitting there?" He smiled softly, as was his habit in front of me.I gazed at that face with observing eyes. I stared at her intently, trying to find a crack at what