Chapter Three

The sun began to cast its golden hues across the room, signaling the arrival of a new day. Seiya lay in bed, her thoughts a jumble of confusion and anger. The memories of the night before weighed heavily on her mind, and her heart raced with a mixture of embarrassment and frustration.

She turned to her side, her gaze falling upon the still-sleeping form of Atlas. As she watched him, her resentment grew. How could he have been so careless? The realization that they had shared a night together without any clear intentions left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Atlas stirred, his eyes fluttering open as he yawned and stretched. He met Seiya's gaze, his expression softening with a hint of regret. "Seiya, about last night—"

Seiya cut him off, her voice edged with anger. "Don't even start with excuses. I can't believe you're acting like this is nothing."

Atlas sat up, his brows furrowing in confusion. "Seiya, I'm not making excuses. I know we have to talk about what happened."

Seiya's frustration intensified as she saw what she believed to be a lack of accountability. "Talk? Is that what you call it? You just want to talk about it and make it all go away?"

Atlas shook his head, his voice earnest. "No, that's not what I meant. I understand the gravity of the situation."

Seiya's anger surged as she misinterpreted his words. "Gravity? You think you can just say that and expect everything to be fine? You have no idea what this means for me."

Atlas's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing in confusion. "Seiya, you're misunderstanding me. I'm trying to take responsibility for my actions."

Seiya's face twisted into a sneer, her resentment deepening. "Responsibility? Is that what you're trying to do? Well, let me tell you something—I don't buy it. You're just making excuses."

Atlas's frustration began to match Seiya's as he tried to clarify. "Seiya, I don't know how else to say this. I want to make things right, but I need time to figure things out."

Seiya's voice was cold and bitter. "Figure things out? What's there to figure out? You already have a girlfriend, Atlas."

Atlas's eyes widened in surprise, his confusion genuine. "Wait, what? Girlfriend? Seiya, I don't have a girlfriend."

Seiya's face twisted in disbelief, her anger morphing into a mixture of shock and rage. "Don't lie to me. I know about her. You're just trying to weasel your way out of taking responsibility."

Atlas's voice was strained as he tried to get through to her. "Seiya, I promise you, I don't have a girlfriend. There's no one else."

Seiya's heart raced as the realization hit her. She had misunderstood the situation entirely. The anger that had consumed her now mingled with embarrassment and regret. She had accused him without knowing the full truth.

Atlas's eyes were filled with a mixture of frustration and hurt as he tried to make her understand. "Seiya, I'm genuinely sorry for what happened last night. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Seiya's voice wavered as she struggled to process her emotions. "I... I didn't know. I thought..."

Atlas's expression softened, his voice gentle. "I understand why you're angry. But please believe me, there's no girlfriend. I want to make things right between us."

Seiya's gaze dropped to her hands, her anger ebbing away as she grappled with her misjudgment. "I... I don't know what to say."

Atlas reached out, his fingers brushing against her hand. "Give me a chance to prove that I'm sincere, Seiya. I want to make amends."

Seiya's heart felt heavy with the weight of her assumptions, but a glimmer of hope began to surface.