The Bigshot's Superstar Wife

The night was unforgiving.

The storm raged on, turning the plateau into a battlefield against nature itself. Wind howled like a wounded beast, slamming against the hastily built shelters.

The thin tarps barely held, threatening to collapse under the relentless assault of rain.

Athena sat inside her small shelter, listening to the groans of exhausted contestants fighting off the cold.

Water dripped from the edges of the makeshift tents, forming shallow puddles on the rocky ground. Some participants curled into themselves, shivering, teeth chattering in the icy air.

Despite the harsh conditions, Athena felt nothing. No discomfort, no trembling in her limbs, just a strange, eerie coldness that settled deep in her bones. It wasn't natural.

She glanced around. A few crew members were tending to the sick, their faces strained with worry. Several contestants had fallen ill, their bodies too weak to withstand the brutal storm.

Fever burned through them, leaving their faces pale and drenched in sweat. Athena exhaled, her breath visible in the cold air.

These people wouldn't last long if they didn't get proper treatment. There were no doctors on-site, only first-aid supplies that could barely manage a serious fever.

She needed to do something. Tugging her hood over her head, she stood and made her way toward the cluster of shivering bodies. Some looked up at her, eyes glassy with fever.

A woman moaned softly, pressing a wet cloth to her forehead, while another contestant whispered in a weak voice, "I don't think I can keep going like this."

Athena crouched beside them, her fingers brushing against their damp skin. Burning hot. Too hot. This wasn't just mild sickness, if left untreated, their fevers could turn dangerous.

Without hesitation, she stood up. "We need herbs."

The words left her mouth before she fully realized what she was saying. The knowledge had come naturally, instinctively, as if she had done this before. Somewhere. Sometime.

The crew exchanged uncertain glances. "We don't know what's safe to use," one of them admitted. "We have no signal, no way to check. And the wild is dangerous in this storm."

"I'll go," Athena said without thinking.

A few heads snapped up in surprise. The crew, the contestants, even Agent Divina, who had been watching from a distance.

"You sure about that?" Divina asked, eyes narrowed. "It's risky."

Athena only nodded. It wasn't just confidence, it was certainty. Somewhere deep inside, she knew she could do this.

"I'll go too."

A man named Marco, one of the more physically capable contestants, stepped forward. Two others—Lisa, a survival enthusiast, and Darren, an ex-medic, joined in.

Four of them. It was enough. The crew hesitated but eventually agreed. "Don't take too long," one of them warned. "And be careful."

With that, they set off into the storm. The forest was even worse than expected. Rain blurred their vision, making it difficult to navigate.

The ground was soft, nearly swallowing their boots with every step. Athena moved ahead, senses sharp, guiding them deeper into the wilderness.

Thunder rumbled overhead. Trees swayed violently, their branches creaking under the pressure.

The downpour had turned small streams into roaring currents, cutting across their path.

"We need to split up," Lisa shouted over the wind. "We'll cover more ground that way."

It was dangerous, but they had little choice. The fever wasn't waiting for them to find the cure.

"Alright," Athena agreed. "We meet back here in an hour. If anything happens, call out."

The three nodded before dispersing into different directions. As Athena moved alone, she kept her pace steady, scanning the ground and nearby foliage for anything useful.

She recognized some plants, though she couldn't remember how she knew them.

Instinct guided her hands as she plucked leaves and roots, her fingers moving as if they had done this a thousand times before.

Her mind raced. How do I know these things?

She had no medical training, no experience as a survivalist, at least, not that she remembered.

But here she was, effortlessly identifying fever-reducing herbs in the middle of a storm.

This isn't normal.

Her heart pounded. Not from fear, but from a strange sense of realization. Something was wrong with her. Something missing.

A sudden rustle snapped her attention back to the present.
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Her body reacted before her mind could catch up, she ducked low, pressing herself against a tree, eyes narrowing into the darkness.

Footsteps. Soft, deliberate. Not an animal.

Someone was here.

She remained completely still, her breath barely audible over the sound of the rain. A shadow moved between the trees. She wasn't alone.

Athena tightened her grip on the herbs she had gathered, her mind calculating her next move.

She could fight if necessary, she knew that much. It was instinct, buried deep within her muscle memory. But she didn't want to act without knowing who was there.

Minutes passed. The figure didn't approach. Then, just as suddenly as they had appeared, they vanished.

Athena exhaled slowly, relaxing her stance. But the unease in her gut didn't fade. Something wasn't right. She needed to hurry back.

By the time she returned to the meeting point, Lisa was already there, her clothes drenched, holding a handful of herbs.

"You okay?" Lisa asked, noticing Athena's wary expression.

"Yeah," Athena replied, shaking off her unease. "You?"

"Found some stuff, but I'm not sure if it's useful."

Marco arrived next, followed by Darren, both looking exhausted but unharmed.

"We should head back," Darren said. "The fever's only going to get worse."

Athena nodded. But as they turned back, her eyes flickered toward the darkened forest one last time. Someone had been watching. And whoever it was… They didn't belong here.

As they made their way back through the storm, Athena couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

Every rustling leaf, every shifting shadow felt like unseen eyes tracking her movements.

The rain continued to pour, making the terrain even more treacherous. Lisa nearly slipped, but Athena caught her with reflexes far too quick for an ordinary person.

"Thanks," Lisa muttered, breathing heavily.

Athena only nodded, her thoughts elsewhere.

Who was in the forest? And why did she feel like they weren't just watching, but waiting? She tightened her grip on the herbs.