Chapter 2 Soon I Won't Be Mrs Belmont Athena lowered her eyes and found this amusing. To them, all this was nothing more than her torturing them. She turned over in bed, facing away from the father and son. Athena didn't want to see them anymore. She wanted to shut them out completely. Lewis frowned, his face sharp with irritation. "Athena! Who are you putting on this show for? Dion's right-you've taken this too far." Dion crossed his arms and snorted. "Mom, you'll regret treating Dad like this!" Before Athena could answer, Lewis's phone buzzed and interrupted them. Lewis glanced at the screen, swiped, and answered. The hospital room was quiet, and Athena clearly heard soft sobbing on the other end. It was Nina, begging him to come. "Dion, let's go!" He shot Athena a hard glance, then walked out with his son. The silence that followed made Athena smile bitterly. Her whole life had turned into a joke. Her husband and her son-neither of them was truly hers. She shoved down the ache in her chest, pulled out her phone, and dialed a number. "Riley, I want your help to file for divorce." The voice on the other end nearly shouted with excitement. "Boss! You finally came to your senses? We thought you'd lost your mind. You disappeared for eight years, played house as a stay-at-home wife, and hid your real identity. We all thought you'd lost your mind." Athena fell into a daze. Maybe she really had lost her mind. Years ago, she met Lewis when he was being hunted down. To save him, she took a blade that severed the tendons in her hands. Even after surgery, she could never hold a scalpel again, nor get back behind the wheel of a race car. Maybe the only thing left for her was the piano. But her hands never fully healed. The keys felt stiff under her fingers, and her music was never smooth. Little by little, she gave that up too. So many years passed. Her old life felt like it belonged to another lifetime. Without realizing it, she had gone silent for eight long years. "Boss, don't worry. If you want a divorce, we'll make it happen." Athena snapped back to the moment. Her voice was cold. "How long will it take?" "For most people, about a week. But with the Belmonts, maybe a month." "Fine." She hung up the phone. Drawing in a deep breath, she stared at the ceiling. If it wasn't hers, she didn't want it. One month. Then she and Lewis would be finished for good. Outside the hospital, Dion grabbed his father's hand, worry in his eyes. "Dad, is Mommy really mad? Are you two getting divorced?" "No," Lewis muttered with a short laugh. Then he added firmly, "She will never divorce me." Since their wedding, Athena had been a stay-at-home wife. She'd been cut off from the world for eight years. And with no family left, Lewis was her only support. Without him, she couldn't survive. So in Lewis's mind, divorce was impossible. Dion whispered, almost to himself, "But Dad, if you two did divorce, it wouldn't be so bad. Then Nina could be my mom. And maybe I wouldn't have to get shots anymore." Lewis frowned and cut him off. "Don't talk nonsense. Let's go." ... Athena saw the news. The condominium was burned beyond recognition. It felt like fate was helping her-severing everything with Lewis, erasing their past along with the ashes. She didn't even need to sort through old things anymore. That wasn't such a bad thing. Her leg had been shattered in the accident. A heavy cast covered it, but she didn't have to stay in the hospital. She signed herself out that same day. After calling her assistant, Kit Rice, to pick her up, she waited in the hospital lobby. Suddenly, a little girl collapsed a few feet away, clutching her chest. Her face was pale, twisted in pain. Athena's instincts kicked in. She could tell right away-the girl was struggling to breathe. Grabbing her crutch, she hobbled forward and knelt beside her, checking her condition step by step. The girl's eyes were shut tight, her brows furrowed. Even so, Athena could see how striking her features were. She would grow up to be a beautiful young woman. The symptoms were all too familiar. Just like Dion, this child suffered from a rare allergy. It couldn't be cured completely. The cause was unpredictable, the attacks sudden. But there were ways to ease the pain. Without hesitation, Athena pulled out the silver needles she always carried. Her hands moved quickly. She placed them at the girl's pressure points. Within seconds, color began to return to the girl's face. Her breathing slowed. Her chest lifted and fell with more ease. Athena let out a breath of relief. At that moment, a pair of pale, strong hands reached down, ready to lift the child. Athena looked up. The man before her was tall and sharply handsome. His expression was cold, his presence commanding-like someone used to being obeyed. She knew him. Zaden Storm. Zaden and Lewis were part of the same wealthy circle of Vlephia. She'd seen him at parties, though they'd never been close. She had heard whispers that he had a daughter, though the mother was never mentioned. And here she was. The little girl Athena had just saved turned out to be Zaden's daughter. What were the odds? "Wait," Athena stopped him. Carefully, she removed each silver needle one by one. Then she nodded. "Okay. You can pick her up now." Zaden's dark eyes lingered on her, unreadable. He clearly hadn't expected Athena to have this kind of skill. The little girl slowly opened her eyes. When she saw Zaden, she reached out her hand. "Daddy ... " Zaden scooped her up, his voice low and gentle. "Don't be scared, Teri. Daddy's here." Then he lifted his gaze toward Athena. "Thank you, Mrs. Belmont." Athena forced a smile at the way he addressed her. Soon, she would no longer be Mrs. Belmont. The nurses and doctors rushed in. Zaden helped them place his daughter, Teri Storm, in a wheelchair. By the time he turned around to check on Athena, she was gone. Outside the hospital, Athena pulled open the SUV door and climbed in. Kit frowned at her messy appearance. "Ms. Athena, what happened to you? You look beaten down." Athena gave a small laugh. Yes, why had she let herself fall into such a pitiful state? She never should have. "How's your task going?" she asked. Kit grinned from ear to ear. "Already in motion. The law's not on the side of housewives, but we'll get him another way. I'm collecting evidence against Lewis right now." Athena nodded lightly. She didn't really care about money. She was simply exhausted after playing the role of a dutiful wife for years. It was what her father had wanted for her, and she had done it. In a month, the divorce would be final. After that, she would finally live as herself. "Let's go." The SUV pulled away from the hospital and disappeared into traffic. Not long after Athena left, Lewis's car rolled out of the hospital. Nina sat with him in the backseat, and Dion nestled close to them. Together, they looked like a perfect little family. "Lewis, our house had burned down. What should we do now?" Nina asked nervously. "We'll move into one of my villas," Lewis replied. Excitement flickered in Nina's eyes, but worry quickly followed. She asked uneasily, "What if your mother finds out?" "No one will know-unless someone tells her." His sharp eyes shifted to the driver's seat. Lewis's assistant, Ned Hum, stiffened under his gaze and quickly promised, "Mr. Belmont, I'll keep my mouth shut." "What about Athena?" Nina whispered. Lewis gave a dismissive smile. "She wouldn't dare." Unless Athena wanted a divorce, she would never tell his mother. And divorce? She would never leave him. She could sulk for a few days, but in the end, she would have no choice but to give in. Lewis was certain of this. He knew Athena too well.