Miranda's praise made Athena smile, but she didn't let it show too much. She thanked Miranda politely and promised to come back tomorrow for another round of simulation. This was only her first session, but she knew that with more practice, she'd get better and better. Just then, Athena realized her phone had been off the entire time. She'd turned it off earlier to avoid distractions. When she switched it on, she saw several missed calls from Zaden. He must be worried sick and looking for her. "Professor Gordon," Athena said quickly, "my husband's been trying to reach me. I should go before he gets anxious." Miranda's eyes widened. "Wait—you're married?" Her tone was full of surprise and a hint of disappointment. "I was just thinking a girl like you deserves an equally amazing man. I even thought about introducing my nephew to you! But it looks like someone already beat me to it." Meeting someone as gifted as Athena was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and Miranda knew it. She admired Athena deeply and even hoped to pull her closer, maybe even make her part of her own circle. Athena couldn't help but laugh softly at Miranda's words. Zaden was an exceptional man too. They had both been through heartbreak and disappointment. Somehow, life had led them back to each other. That, to her, was a rare kind of fate. "Professor Gordon," Athena said with a warm smile, "my husband's actually a very remarkable man. If there's a chance someday, I'd love to introduce you to him." When Miranda saw the light in Athena's eyes as she mentioned her husband, she knew immediately how genuine those feelings were. It was the look of someone who truly loved and was loved in return.She could only sigh and quietly let go of the thought. Miranda smiled and said, "All right then. I'll look forward to meeting him one day." With that, Athena said her goodbyes and left the hospital, heading back to the hotel. When Athena opened the door, she froze. Zaden was standing there, his face tight with worry. The moment he saw her, his tone turned sharp. "Where have you been?" "I … " Athena hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth. "I went to another hospital to do a surgery simulation." Zaden's brows furrowed even deeper at her words. "Didn't I tell you to let me handle this? You went off on your own without even talking to me. You really don't trust me, do you?" Athena froze. She had never seen Zaden this upset before. For a moment, she just stood there. But as his words sank in, she felt her chest tighten with frustration. Athena suddenly felt a sting of grievances. She had gone to Kate and found another place to continue her practice, not because she didn't trust Zaden, but because she had discovered Roxanne spying on her at the research institute Zaden had recommended. And now, for no reason at all, Zaden was standing there blaming her. Athena felt her chest tighten with hurt. It just didn't feel fair. Athena's face darkened. "I'm not a child, Zaden. I don't need to report every single thing I do. Besides, the research institute you sent me to had Maya's people spying on me. I haven't even started arguing with you about that yet!" With that, she turned to leave. Zaden quickly grabbed Athena's hand before she could leave. Athena frowned and snapped, "Why are you holding me? You already think I just run off without telling you, right? Fine, I'll go now so I won't bother you anymore!"He rubbed his forehead, looking helpless and tired. After finishing his emergency meeting earlier, he had gone straight to deal with Athena's situation. But when he got to the research institute, she was gone, and even her phone was off. In a foreign country where she barely knew anyone, the thought of her disappearing like that had made him panic. Zaden had been worried sick. When he couldn't reach Athena all afternoon, he feared something might have happened to her. He'd sent people to look everywhere, but she was nowhere to be found. By the time he finally saw her, his nerves were so tense that he spoke without thinking. He hadn't meant to snap at her. But now, Athena was clearly upset. Softening his tone, Zaden said quietly, "I couldn't find you, and your phone was off. I got worried. My tone earlier was too harsh—I'm sorry." Hearing that, Athena's anger eased a little, though not completely. She was still mad. After all, she'd been scolded out of nowhere, and no one liked that. "I was in a surgery simulation this afternoon," Athena said in a stiff tone. "I turned my phone off so I wouldn't be disturbed." Zaden realized he had misunderstood her completely. He'd been too anxious and reacted without thinking. "I'm sorry," he said right away. "It was my fault." But Athena was still upset; she crossed her arms and looked away. She had already been in a bad mood because of Roxanne earlier that day. Now, with Zaden scolding her on top of that, her frustration only grew worse. She glared at him and said in a flat voice, "Since you're already tired of me, I'll just get my room. You won't have to see me around anymore."