The lounge fell silent. Athena sat still, quietly watching Zaden. His long, well-defined fingers held a cotton swab dipped in iodine as he carefully applied it to her wound. Though the injury wasn't serious, Athena still felt a sharp sting—and beneath that, a faint sense of grievance. Ariana had clearly targeted her because of Maya, treating her harshly on purpose. And all of it stemmed from Zaden because Teri was Maya's child. Maya wanted to win him back. And Athena, as Zaden's wife, had naturally become the thorn in her side. Athena pursed her lips slightly. Zaden noticed her expression and said in a low voice, "Athena, Harriet mentioned you've been upset because I haven't spent much time with you lately. Are you mad with me?" Athena blinked in surprise. I'm angry because he hadn't been around? Is that what Harriet told him? Zaden frowned at the look of confusion on her face. So she wasn't upset because I had neglected her? Then what was it? What had I done wrong? Then it hit him—Preston's words that day. Could Athena have overheard that conversation? No, that couldn't be. She'd been working at the time; there was no way she could've heard them. For a moment, Zaden felt lost. He had no idea how to deal with her anymore. He lifted his gaze to her and said sincerely, "Athena, if I did something wrong, please tell me. Don't keep it bottled up. I don't want to fight with you anymore. You didn't come home last night—Teri couldn't sleep for hours. She kept looking for you."At the mention of Teri, Athena's heart softened. It would be great if only Teri weren't Maya's child ... She remembered Zaden once saying that even he didn't know who Teri's biological mother was. Maybe things weren't as bad as she feared. Maybe she should take a strand of Teri's hair and one of Maya's and secretly test their DNA. If they really were mother and daughter, she'd deal with it when the time came. But if they weren't related, then Preston must've been trying to deceive Zaden on purpose. After all, Preston was Maya's brother. It wouldn't be surprising if he'd done something manipulative. She shouldn't have let a few overheard words come between her and Zaden. Athena quickly sorted through her thoughts and forced herself to calm down. Suppressing her emotions, she sighed and said softly, "I'm not mad because you haven't been spending time with me. It's just ... the hospital has been stressful lately." She had only wanted to make an excuse, but Zaden immediately thought of Ariana. Seeing the injuries on Athena's body, he could already imagine what she'd been through. Guilt flickered across his handsome face. "I'm sorry." "It's fine. You don't have to apologize. None of this is your fault." After all, those things had all happened before she met him. It wasn't really anyone's fault—just unfortunate timing and fate's cruel sense of humor. If possible, she still wanted to be with Zaden. Athena soon let go of her worries. She smiled faintly and said, "I was being childish. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."Hearing her apology made Zaden's guilt deepen even further. It was his fault. He hadn't protected her properly, and she'd ended up getting hurt right under his roof. He picked up the cotton swab again and resumed tending to her wound. Athena glanced down at him and asked doubtfully, "Zaden, do you even know how to treat a wound properly? Should I call Jaylee to help instead?" Zaden frowned slightly. "You don't trust me?" "No, I do," Athena said quickly. Satisfied, Zaden continued, his movements noticeably gentler now. Athena could feel the change. He'd clearly taken her words to heart. Before long, he was done. Athena wrapped the wound with gauze and a bandage, then pulled her shirt down and slipped on her white coat. "Thank you, Zaden. I need to get back to work. You know your way around here, so see yourself out." Just as she was about to leave, Zaden reached out and caught her wrist. "Will you come home tonight?" Athena hesitated for a moment, then nodded lightly. "I guess so." If she wanted to get Teri's hair for the DNA test, she would have to go home anyway. Zaden's furrowed brows finally relaxed. The corner of his mouth lifted into a faint smile. "Good. I'll come pick you up after work." Athena let out a soft hum. "Zaden, I'm not going anywhere. You really don't have to worry that I'll run away."