Hades' Cursed Luna

Chapter 61 Time's Up, Sister

Eve~

Lia left for the day, and I saw her off. I closed the door behind me and rested against it for a moment. I appreciated her help, and though I did feel a bit lighter after each session, I still felt like I was being drowned under a torrent of negative emotions.

My phone call with my mom just a day ago still had me spiraling. She had been my mother for a moment—her soft voice, her warm tone, her loving cadence—but it had all melted away in a single second, right after my father interrupted. The kindness hadn't seemed rehearsed the way her coldness had. It was almost as though she were playing a role.

The implications filled me with both hope and dread, a strange mix that left me nauseous.

Just then, my phone rang, and a lump formed in my throat. I looked around the room, not sure what I was

As the world slowly came back into focus, I felt a gentle but solid weight pressing against my arm. Disoriented, I blinked up at the dim room, piecing together fragments of memory that lingered like the smoke from the explosion. I shifted slightly and realized the weight on my arm belonged to a man—Hades.

He was sitting beside me, his hand resting over mine, his fingers loose yet grounding. As if sensing my movement, he stirred awake, his gaze snapping to mine. For a moment, we just looked at each other, a fragile connection suspended in the quiet between us. His expression was soft, almost unguarded, concern clouding his eyes in a way I hadn't seen before.

But just as quickly, the softness retreated, replaced by a cold, distant mask. He withdrew his hand, breaking the contact with a sort of hesitance, as if he hadn't meant for me to notice him there. I watched the walls go back up, his demeanor shifting into a controlled reserve, but the worry still lingered in his eyes, barely concealed.

I swallowed, feeling the words build up in my throat, but none came. I didn't trust my voice yet, nor the flood of emotions clawing their way to the surface. So I said nothing, only held his gaze, hoping he understood the gratitude, the fear, and the questions that lingered unspoken.

"Are you alright?" I finally murmured.

Only then did he show some sort of reaction. His silver eyes widened, and then he chuckled.

My heart stopped, the sound filling me with a strange pleasure. It sounded like the most genuine act of amusement I had ever seen from him. But that wasn't the only thing that left me breathless. Hades had... dimples. My husband had dimples.

I simply stared up at him, unblinking, before he finally spoke. "You are the only woman alive who would almost get her head blown off and then ask a guy they call the Hand of Death if he's okay."

My face flushed, and I suddenly felt foolish. I looked away.

"Hey, hey," he said, cupping my face and making me look at him again. "Look at me. Don't be shy. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

My lips parted, and his eyes fell on them. My heart dared to flutter, warmth seeping through my skin where his fingers made contact. His eyes were no longer cold, and his expression was achingly charming, if not... kind.

I pulled away from him anyway. "I thought we said we wouldn't do this. You're starting again."

He had the audacity to look surprised.

"Don't do that, don't do this. Don't show me a part of you that will hurt me when it leaves."

"You almost died. On my watch," he murmured, his voice uncharacteristically soft.

"I almost died before this, and you called me a liability," I was tempted to snap.

Silence.

"I was stunned... and afraid," he answered.

My heart was beating like mad.

"Those emotions are foreign to me, Red." He gulped audibly, his Adam's apple bobbing as if he were swallowing a bitter pill.