From Betrayal to Brilliance Her Rise to a New Life novel Chapter 386

**TITLE: Her Rise 386**
**CONTENT: From Betrayal to Brilliance: Her Rise to a New Life**

**Chapter 386 A Strange Call**

In the fleeting moments after her conversation with Kate, Athena found herself swept up in a tempest of emotions, each thought crashing against the other like waves in a stormy sea. It was as if a flickering light had ignited in the shadowy corners of her mind, illuminating the haunting memories she had fought so hard to bury.

“Kate,” she began, her voice steady but laced with an undercurrent of concern, “I genuinely believe you should tread carefully with him. Zaden is a good man at heart, and I can see the potential for true happiness blossoming between you two.”

As she spoke, Athena’s gaze remained locked on Kate, an overwhelming urge to reveal her closely guarded secret bubbling just beneath the surface. Yet she hesitated, the weight of that truth pressing down on her chest like an anchor. The bond she shared with Zaden felt so delicate, as if it were a fragile thread that could snap with the slightest tremor. Perhaps this was not the right moment to unveil the reality that loomed over her—a dark cloud that threatened to overshadow everything.

Teri was Athena’s child!

The gravity of that revelation hung heavily in the air, an unspoken truth that neither Zaden nor Kate was aware of, leaving Athena as the sole keeper of this secret. A tide of conflicting emotions washed over her, flickering across her features like a candle in the wind.

“Professor, I need to head back to my office now,” she declared, urgency lacing her words as she sought to escape the confines of this conversation. With everything settled in her heart, she felt an overwhelming need to move forward, to break free from the oppressive weight of her unshared burden.

Kate blinked, momentarily lost in thought before snapping back to reality. “Sure, go ahead,” she replied, a hint of understanding glimmering in her eyes.

Once outside the comforting walls of Kate’s office, Athena made her way toward her own, but just as she was about to step inside, the shrill ring of her phone sliced through the quiet hallway, jolting her from her thoughts.

Her heart raced as she glanced at the caller ID. It was a landline—a number that felt both oddly familiar and unsettling.

With a moment’s hesitation, she answered, her voice cautious. “Hello…?”

On the other end, only static greeted her, a crackling sound that sent a shiver racing down her spine.

Frowning in annoyance, Athena wondered if this was some sort of prank. Just as she was about to hang up, a raspy voice broke through the static, sending chills cascading down her spine.

“Athena.”

At the sound of that voice, time seemed to freeze. Her heart raced, and her breath caught in her throat.

Lewis!

The mere mention of his name tightened the already fragile state of her heart, reopening wounds she had believed were long since healed.

Gripping the phone tightly, Athena felt a tempest of emotions swirling within her. She was all too aware of Lewis’s past—his arrest for the terrible things he had done to Nina, the two years he spent behind bars. She had fought valiantly to put that chapter behind her, striving to fill her life with new experiences that dulled the pain of the past.

Now, just when she thought she had finally reclaimed her life and purpose, this unexpected call from Lewis yanked her back into the depths of memories she had desperately tried to escape.

Her expression hardened, and a chill settled into her tone. “How did you manage to call me? Aren’t you still in jail?”

To her, the relationship with Lewis was a closed book, the pages forever sealed and locked away.

His voice came through, weary and hoarse, as if he had been crying out for far too long. “I just got a rare chance to call a family member.”

Athena’s mind screamed at him, Get lost! I am not your family!

But she chose to suppress her anger, keeping her voice cool and detached. “What do you want? If you need something, contact the Belmonts. I’m busy and don’t have time for this.”

She moved to hang up, eager to sever this connection once and for all.

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