From Betrayal to Brilliance Her Rise to a New Life novel Chapter 69

From Betrayal to Brilliance Her Rise to a New Life

9 What If Their Daughter Hadn’t Died?

73

Finished

He said in a low voice, “If Lewis has a plan, then let it be. But mark my words–if this can’t be settled within a week, every consequence falls on you. Any losses, you cover them.”

If Lewis stumbled on this, Alaric’s family could use the chance to press for more shares; they wouldn’t bother to stop him.

They might even enjoy watching him dig his own grave.

After all, since Xavier’s accidental death, the old man had always favored that branch, and now it was time they felt some of the pain.

With that settled, Alaric’s family rose and left.

Lewis, Bridget, Dion, and Nina also departed; as Bridget left, she made her stance painfully clear.

She would never accept Nina into the family.

She glared at Nina with hatred in her eyes and said, cold as a blade, “If you want to marry this woman, you’ll have to step over my corpse.”

Lewis pressed his lips together. “Please go home, Mom.”

After Bridget was sent off, Lewis turned to leave. Nina reached for his arm, tears streaked down her face. “Lewis, why won’t you marry me? You promised you’d marry me, give me a life. Didn’t you?

“And you remember when I put my life on the line for you? I was stabbed by thugs because of you–the scar is still there…

“1

Nina tugged her collar aside to reveal the ugly, healed wound. The wound had long healed, but the scar remained–permanent and ugly.

When Lewis saw the scar, his breath hitched.

He felt rotten, confused, and oddly resentful all at once.

If not for Nina, he might not be alive today.

But at the same time, he recoiled at the thought of splitting from Athena. Maybe, after eight years of sharing a life with her, he was simply used to her presence, Maybe that habit clung to him like a shadow, and he couldn’t imagine a life without it.

He needed space to think.

1/3

13:17 Mon, Oct 20

Chapter 69 What If Their Daughter Hadn’t Died?

:

73

Finished

After a long moment, he cleared his throat and said in a hoarse voice, “I’ll have Ned drive you

home.”

Then, he turned away without another word and got into his car. Nina watched the taillights. vanish and felt a fresh spike of bitterness.

Lewis’s coolness was obvious; each icy refusal made her panic all the more, and she dreaded the day he might finally walk away for good.

No way. She had to lock him down, and fast.

Lewis drove aimlessly, the night swallowing his thoughts.

Scenes from the evening replayed–Athena’s accusing stare, the way his chest tightened–every image pricking at his nerves.

Before he knew it, he was parked beneath the condo where he and Athena had once lived: Cosmo Residence.

The blast from that banquet had left a fissure between them, he thought, a crack in their marriage that might be fixed on the surface but would always be visible.

He wiped his face, climbed the stairs, and let himself into the apartment.

The unit had been restored to its old appearance; everything looked exactly like his memory, frozen in time, yet somehow the air felt different, as if an invisible seam ran through the walls.

He stood in the center of the room for a long time, stunned.

He had never expected Athena to discover the truth about the child. Perhaps that revelation was the reason she’d left with such finality.

Soon, Lewis’s eyes grew more determined.

A thought pushed through his fog: what if their daughter hadn’t died?

Across town, Athena was sitting down to a quiet dinner with Zaden and Teri.

She cooked the same dishes she’d been making at the villa, set some Cajun boil base on the stove. So, they just went with Cajun boil for dinner.

At first, she’d been tense, but the mood loosened, and she allowed herself to breathe.

She figured she deserved to celebrate a little. She relaxed into the small victory she had earned

2/3

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify