From Betrayal to Brilliance Her Rise to a New Life novel Chapter 123

When the young woman had handed Athena the brochure, she had only glanced at it.

Nothing had seemed risky or concerning.

Finished

Zaden flipped to the last page, his finger landing on a line of fine print. In a low voice, he said, “The summer camp requires both parents to attend with the child. The whole family must participate together.”

Athena froze. Her eyes immediately darted to the spot he had indicated.

–

There it was a tiny block of text at the bottom of the page that she had completely overlooked.

It hit her like a lightning bolt, and her body went rigid.

After a moment, she spoke, her voice tinged with regret, “I thought I could just take Teri myself.

I didn’t expect this requirement. I guess … I’ll have to call and cancel.”

She immediately dialed the number she had used earlier.

But the response crushed her further. “As we mentioned before, registrations cannot be canceled. Everything is already arranged. Is there an issue on your end?“.

“Um… just personal reasons,” Athena replied, troubled.

She was about to plead for an exception when Zaden calmly snatched the phone from her hand. “We’re not canceling,” he said, then ended the call.

Athena stared at him, incredulous. “Why did you hang up? I was about to convince them! Who comes up with such a ridiculous rule–no cancellations at all?”

She was sure she could find a way if she pushed hard enough, but Zaden had cut her off.

He looked at her seriously. “This program will really help Teri. It’s a valuable opportunity.”

“But it requires both parents. You don’t have time to go with us, do you?”

Zaden paused, considering, then nodded. “I can make time.”

“And they’ll verify paperwork. If they find out we’re not really married, won’t that cause issues?” she pushed.

He fell silent, clearly weighing the implications.

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11:23 Wed, Oct 22

Chapter 123 Were You and Lewis in Love Back Then?

Finally, he looked up at her with steady eyes. “Then … let’s make it real.”

What…

Athena’s jaw dropped. She thought she must have misheard.

Does he hear himself?

Make it real?!

Zaden seemed to think it through carefully, then asked, “When does the camp start?”

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Finished

“Uh… “Athena hesitated, still processing. “They said three days from now. We’re supposed to report to the assigned location.”

“Okay. Too late for today. Tomorrow, we’ll go and register our marriage. Two days to prepare— that should be enough.”

Athena was speechless.

It wasn’t a matter of time. The real question was … did he fully grasp what he was saying?

She reached out, touching his forehead, then her own. Normal. No fever. Nothing weird.

Zaden noticed her gesture and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Checking if you’re sick and talking nonsense,” she muttered.

He chuckled, eyes resting on her face. “Why would you think I’m talking nonsense?”

…

“Do you mean you want to marry me, legally?” Athena asked cautiously, afraid she had misinterpreted him.

Zaden nodded calmly. “Yes. Didn’t you say they’ll be checking documents?”

He spoke so matter–of–factly that Athena felt like she was the one overreacting.

Gosh! That’s not the point! The point is that he’s suggesting we get married!

Just thinking about getting married was shocking.

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