From Betrayal to Brilliance Her Rise to a New Life novel Chapter 189

Chapter 189 Everything Unraveled

Maybe she was just sick of everything around her and wanted a little peace.

Athena found herself thinking back on her whole life.

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She’d grown up in an ordinary family. Her parents were loving and kind, and she’d never once doubted that she was their real daughter.

That illusion was shattered after they both died in a car accident. When Athena handled their funeral arrangements, she learned the truth.

As a child, she’d never understood why her father always told her to be a good homemaker, not to marry a rich man, and to just live a comfortable, steady life.

Only later did she discover the reason—because of her birth mother, Eliana Hall.

Her adoptive father was actually her uncle, Gilbert Hall, and everything came together only after she started digging into the past.

Eliana had been an outstanding woman–smart, beautiful, and admired by many men. Among her suitors was Athena’s biological father, Fabio Rice. But back then, Fabio was already engaged in an arranged marriage to another woman—a match he didn’t want.

To win Eliana’s heart, he hid the truth about his engagement.

Eliana fell for him, just like any woman might fall for a charming, powerful man who seemed so sincere.

But when Eliana was pregnant and close to giving birth, Fabio’s fiancée showed up.

The woman bluntly told Eliana everything, demanded she leave, and warned that if she didn’t, she’d destroy her reputation. Eliana was devastated. She couldn’t believe she’d been lied to for so long.

Fabio tried to protect her, but the damage was already done.

Eliana couldn’t bear the shame and heartbreak, so she quietly left Vlephia.

She didn’t abort the baby. Instead, she gave birth to Athena.

But her health declined, and she later fell seriously ill. Before she died, she entrusted Athena to Gilbert and his wife, Grace Hall.

Gilbert and Grace had always wanted a child but couldn’t have one because of Grace’s health.

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Chapter 189 Everything Unraveled

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Even though they were heartbroken over Eliana’s death, they were also deeply grateful to raise Athena as their own.

Athena grew up in a happy home, loved and cared for.

But after they passed away, she started looking into Eliana’s past–and that led her straight to Fabio. That was when everything unraveled.

Fabio wanted to acknowledge Athena as his daughter and bring her back into the Rices.

But his wife, Patricia Rice, hated Athena with a passion. She even argued with Fabio over it, demanding that he cut all ties.

Athena, however, felt nothing for Fabio. She didn’t care about money or family power.

So she chose to stay far away from the Rices.

Thankfully, not everyone in the Rices despised her. Kit Rice, for one, had always treated her kindly and even helped her out a few times.

That was why Athena always hesitated whenever trouble came her way—she didn’t want Kit using the family’s influence to protect her.

Now, Fabio’s angry voice came through the phone.

“You think you can handle this on your own? If you really had a plan, things wouldn’t have turned out like this! Do you enjoy being known as a homewrecker?”

Athena let out a cold laugh.

“Oh, so you do know what it’s like to carry the name of a homewrecker?”

Fabio’s face darkened on the other end of the line. “I know what I did to your mother was wrong,” he said in a low voice. “But I only hid the truth because I was afraid of losing her. I planned to tell her once things settled down, but I never got the chance …

Athena listened quietly, her expression unreadable.

“?

Fabio always thought he was doing the right thing, always so confident in his choices.

After a deep breath, she said calmly, “Let’s not talk about the past anymore. I’ll handle my own problems this time. Please don’t interfere in my life again. Think of it as paying back what you owe my mother.”

Before he could reply, she hung up.

Athena took another long breath, forcing herself to calm down.

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Chapter 180 Everything Unraveled

Once her emotions had settled, she returned to her room.

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Zaden glanced up from the couch, pretending to sound casual. “Who was on the phone?”

Athena smiled and shook her head. “Just a spam call.”

Zaden frowned slightly. A “spam call” that lasted that long? That didn’t sit right with him. Whoever had called her definitely wasn’t just anyone.

He knew Athena no longer had feelings for Lewis, and there was no way she’d get back together with him.

But something told him there was someone else in her life.

The more he thought about it, the darker his mood became. Maybe he should start digging into this.

Just then, the doorbell rang, breaking his thoughts.

He stood up and walked over to answer it. Tommy was standing outside, holding a bag. “Mr. Storm, here’s what you asked for.”

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