Chapter 8 Atena Spanos

• Atena Spanos
• I keep thinking about everything that could happen. I’m sure Joaquim will cause a huge scene the next day when he realizes I’m not Gaia. Worse yet, when my father notices I’m not at home.
• I wish so badly that Joaquim would look at me and give us a chance to be a couple, but I still don’t know whether I should tell him the truth or not. Whether I should pretend to be Gaia or confess I’m Atena as soon as we reach the island.
• While I’m lost in thought, I watch the yacht docking at the mansion’s pier. One by one, everyone is escorted back into the house. The last to step off is Joaquim himself. He doesn’t look drunk. His eyes meet mine, and I notice when he stops on the pier. We stare at each other for a moment. I sigh when I hear that Gaia is feeling sick and head back to the bedroom.
• "Atena, I don’t want to fake this marriage."
• I carefully help her up and take her to the bathroom; she needs a bath and to throw up all that alcohol she drank.
• "Gaia, quiet down. Try to speak softer; remember it’s a secret." She laughs.
• My sister starts undressing before she even reaches the bathroom. As soon as she gets there, she collapses to her knees in front of the toilet and throws up everything. I’m almost relieved.
• "I don’t love him, sister… My name will be tied to his… How am I supposed to marry Arthur…?"
• She tries to say a thousand things between waves of nausea.
• But she keeps getting sick and shifting to different thoughts. I rub her back, trying to soothe her.
• "I know, Gaia. Come on, let’s take a bath. Think you can sit here without hurting yourself while I make something for you to eat? You’ll need food before you can take anything for the hangover."
• She was crying softly. I left the bathtub half-filled so she wouldn’t drown if she fell asleep.
• I know that once the stomach is that empty, the best thing is to eat something before taking any medicine. I head down slowly toward the kitchen and hear voices coming from my father’s office.
• "Alex, there’s still time to undo this. Everyone can see Gaia doesn’t love Joaquim." I hear a glass slam on the table.
• "It’s too late to do anything about it now. In the past, love came with time, Demétrius," my father says to my uncle.
• "Then listen to what I’m going to say, and listen carefully, Alex: I won’t let my daughter suffer because you’re a stubborn idiot who sentenced the girl you claim to love to a prison she can’t escape from."
• My uncle is shouting at my father.
• I step away from the office door and hide behind the curtain in the dining room. I see my uncle storm out of the office, and shortly after, my father goes upstairs. Judging by his face, he’s not in a good mood.
• I leave my hiding spot and head toward the kitchen to prepare something for my sister.
• I can’t take too long; I left her alone up there. I walk a bit faster, only to be surprised when I see the groom standing there with his shirt unbuttoned, hair completely messy, and tattoos covering his entire left arm.
• His eyes meet mine, and I’m surprised that, for once, he doesn’t wear that usual angry expression he always has when looking at my sister.
• "Hello, Atena."
• His voice is calm and smooth.
• I’m stunned that he speaks with such confidence, clearly knowing exactly who I am, which makes me wonder: how does he tell us apart?
• "Who said I’m not my sister?" I reply, keeping my voice steady.
• I take a few more steps toward the large island in the middle of the kitchen and notice he has the same idea. A small smirk appears on his lips.
• "Because I know more about you two than you know about me," he says with a half-smile.
• I don’t understand what he’s trying to say, but I circle the island where he’s sitting and grab the ingredients to make my sister a sandwich. I noticed he had a tablet in front of him, which he quickly turned around so I couldn’t see it. I figure he must’ve been working on something related to the hill.
• "She must be feeling awful, huh?"
• I keep my eyes on what I’m doing. I can feel he’s not just talking about the hangover.
• I stay silent; there’s no need to state the obvious.
• "What do you think?" I lower my head and keep preparing everything I need so I can get back upstairs quickly.
• "I think House Spanos is about to have its foundations shaken by its daughters."
• I lift my eyes and am captivated by how handsome he is.
• I swallow hard at his words. From the corner of my eye, I see him getting up and walking slowly in my direction. He passes behind me, and his finger plays with my hair. I hold my breath as I catch the scent of his cologne. For the first time, I feel so small beside him, and to make it worse, he brushes his arm against my body, warming that spot instantly.
• "What do you mean by that, Joaquim?" I ask, trying to shift my focus.
• He winks at me and walks out of the kitchen, showing off that perfectly shaped ass of his.
• I stand there for several seconds, just watching him strut in front of me.
• "Shit…" I suddenly remember my sister.
• I finish what I was doing and rush back to my bedroom. I find her sitting at the edge of my bed, staring out the window. I breathe a sigh of relief when I see her there, calm and safe.
• "You thought you’d find me dead?" she says with a faint smile, reaching for the plate of sandwiches. "What took you so long?"
• I sit beside her, lying back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. My mind races, and I have no idea how to tell her what just happened.
• "Joaquim was in the kitchen, and, believe it or not, he could tell us apart."
• My sister chokes, looks at me in shock, and jumps to her feet. She starts pacing back and forth.
• "Atena, I think Grandma’s plan won’t work if he can tell the difference between us."
• I’m thinking the same thing.
• "My fear, Gaia, is that once we switch and he realizes it, he’ll drag me straight to our father. Just imagine the scandal."
• I watch her pace anxiously.
• "Let’s stay calm, Atena. Maybe he just assumed it was you. I mean, I’m probably too drunk to be standing."
• "Yeah, maybe that’s it, Gaia. Because he said he knows more about us than we know about him. He probably had a bodyguard watching us tonight," I say to her.
• Gaia seems to accept it, sitting back down beside me and starting to eat the sandwich I brought.
• "Gaia, I want to ask you something," I say, looking at her as she lowers her gaze. "Please apologize to our mother."
• I notice her shoulders slump, and the sadness returns to her face.
• "I can’t, Atena. They’ve sentenced me to this madness ever since I can remember, even though they know I love Arthur."
• I hug my sister and kiss her cheek.
• "You blamed her for something we both know she tried everything to stop. You know Mom did everything she could to change Dad’s mind."
• She takes a deep breath, and I decide not to push further.
• "After this whole mess is over, I’ll think about it. I promise."
• I see her smile, and I nod in response.
• After we finish eating, she lies down next to me, and we rest a bit. The wedding is right after lunch, and I know we’ll still have a lot to organize.
• She doesn’t take long to fall asleep; she’s still very drunk. I stay there beside her, thinking about everything that happened tonight.
• The interaction with Joaquim… I start to remember how he’s always treated me differently than he treats my sister. Maybe it’s because we don’t have any commitments. I’m sure he doesn’t feel anything; it’s probably just curiosity. Just like I’ve always been curious about his brother Thalles, who looks a lot like him.
• But because of his lung condition, Thalles is a bit less muscular. You can tell the difference between them right away.
• His brother has always been very calm, totally different from Joaquim. I know he likes Bruna, Alice’s twin, and as far as we know, Uncle Demétrius doesn’t object to the idea of the two of them forming a relationship.
• If it weren’t for this nightmare, this chaos our parents created, we’d all be happy.
• Gaia and Arthur. Alice and Matheus. Bruna and Thalles.
• Only Benjamin and Zara would be left out. Those two are like cats and dogs, and the way things are going, it’s clear neither of them will ever truly belong to our world.
• Finally, sleep finds me, and in my dreams, I’m in a beautiful garden that I recognize, it’s Laís’s mansion in New York. I’m sitting there, surrounded by flowers.
• I see my sister Gaia approaching with a huge belly and a beautiful smile. She helps me to my feet, and when I brush off my dress, I realize I’m wearing a wedding gown and have a small bump of my own; I’m pregnant too.
• "Come on, my love. Today’s your wedding day… Wake up, girls, we’re already late!" I hear a different voice.
• When I open my eyes, I see my mother beside me. I sigh in frustration and turn toward my sister, who wears an expression of pure sadness.