Chapter 279 Gossip News
Athena laughed, her heart lightening at the playful exchange. “You certainly are, Mia. But even a princess needs to be kind sometimes, right?” she teased.
Mia stuck her tongue out, clearly not convinced. “Princesses don’t have to share!” she declared proudly, before looking off to the side at Alice, who was holding a plate of food.
Evie raised an eyebrow. “If you’re a princess, then what does that make me? A queen?” she asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Mia immediately nodded with a grin. “Yep! You’re the queen, and Alice is the royal helper!”
Alice rolled her eyes with a smile, pretending to be offended. “I’ll remember that next time you need something, Mia.”
Athena, still smiling from the conversation, looked at her daughter’s face, so full of life and innocence. But beneath the laughter, there was a trace of sadness in her eyes. Mia was growing up so quickly.
She missed these moments with her, but the distance they were now facing was inevitable. The separation, the emotional challenges, and everything else that weighed on her heart—it was hard to ignore.
“All right, princess,” Athena said softly, refocusing her attention on Mia. “You and Alice take care of each other, okay? I’ll be there soon, just two more days. Can you be a good girl for me until then?”
Mia’s face softened at the mention of Athena’s return. “Okay, but only because you said so,” she replied, her tone reluctantly affectionate. “I’ll be waiting for you, mom!”
“Thank you, sweetheart. I’ll bring Aiden along so you two can make up, all right?” Athena chuckled.
Mia pouted again but nodded. “Fine. But I’m not talking to him first!”
Athena chuckled again, shaking her head affectionately as she said her goodbyes. “Take care of Alice and don’t be too hard on her. We’ll see each other soon.”
As she ended the call, Athena took a deep breath, looking at the screen with the fading image of her daughter’s round face. She missed Mia, and though she tried not to let it show, she longed for the simplicity of her childhood days—the days when everything seemed easier, when the world didn’t feel so complicated.
A soft knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. She glanced up to see Logan standing in the doorway, his expression more serious than before.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
Athena nodded, putting the phone down and giving him a faint smile. “Yeah, just… thinking about everything.”
Logan didn’t move, his eyes searching hers for any hint of something deeper. After a moment, he spoke again, his voice softer this time. “I know it’s hard, Athena. But you’ve got this. Whatever comes next… we’ll figure it out.”
She met his gaze, feeling both comforted and slightly unsettled by the sincerity in his words. For so long, she had kept so much to herself—about the past, about Byron, about everything that still lingered. But right now, in this moment, Logan was the one person who might understand the weight of it all.
“I hope you’re right,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “But sometimes I wonder if I’ve already made too many mistakes. If I’m making the right choices for Aiden and Mia… for us.”
Logan stepped into the room, his gaze never leaving her. “There’s no perfect path, Athena. But you’ve done your best, and that’s what matters.”
Athena didn’t reply immediately, taking in his words. She appreciated his support, but there was still a gnawing feeling inside her. As much as she wanted to believe that everything would work out, there was a part of her that couldn’t shake the uncertainty.
“We’ll get through it,” she finally said, trying to convince herself as much as him. “For Aiden, for Mia, and for the future we’ve yet to see.”
Logan gave her a small, understanding smile. “Exactly. And I’ll be right here, no matter what happens.”
Later that evening, as Athena prepared for the trip, she couldn’t help but think about everything that had happened since she’d come back into Logan’s life. So many things had changed, yet so much remained the same. The past still haunted her, and Byron’s engagement to Freya felt like a ghost that would never fade. But she was determined not to let that dictate her life.
She couldn’t go back. The person she was then—the woman caught between her love for Byron and the dreams she had for herself—was no longer the person she was now. And though the future was uncertain, she knew she had to face it head-on, for herself and for her children.
As she zipped up her suitcase, Athena glanced out the window. The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm glow over the city. The trip to the island of Tahiti was a fresh start, a way to clear her mind and focus on what mattered most.
But deep down, she knew that the real journey—both for herself and her family—was just beginning.