The moment Daniel stepped out of the elevator after returning from work, the rich aroma of pork rib stew filled the air. Since this was a one-apartment-per-floor setup, he could easily tell where the delicious smell was coming from.When he opened the door, he saw Freya exercising in tight yoga clothes. She turned as she heard the door unlock, her face glistening with a fine layer of sweat. She was on her knees, her hands and chin resting on the mat, while her butt faced the entryway.The sight was so intense that Daniel instinctively reached for the shoe cabinet to grab his slippers.Freya stood up, noticing his dark expression. She figured he must have been exhausted from work and quietly put away her yoga mat before heading to the bathroom for a shower.Daniel sat on the couch and sipped on cold water, his gaze fixed on the closed bathroom door. After a while, he heard the water stop, and only then did he stand up and head to his own room.At dinner, Freya carefully observed Da
Freya soon got busy and forgot all about the dream.The study was spacious, with a six-foot-long solid wood desk positioned in the center, directly facing the floor-to-ceiling window. Towering bookshelves lined both sides of the room.This setup made it easy to divide the space. One bookshelf for each of them, and each could take a side of the desk.Freya only had a laptop but wasn't sure if Daniel would set up a desktop, so she left most of the desk for him. After tidying up, she reheated the leftover stew from last night for lunch.Being home alone made Freya feel much more at ease. She ate while scrolling through her readers' comments on her latest chapter.One reader commented, "The way you wrote the scene was so smooth!"Another replied, "Right! I could totally feel the male lead getting all worked up. It was so freaking seductive, and in a suit no less!""Hey, Cameron, don't keep these gems to yourself. Share the good stuff with everyone!""Do you do this in real life? Be
Freya was stirring the sauce for the crab when she heard the door open. She glanced up and simply said, "You're back."Daniel had changed into his indoor slippers and was now standing in the living room and watching her. She wore a loose black T-shirt and gray sweatpants. With her long hair tied up, her small frame made her look almost like a child.She was six years younger than him, and yet managed to give him a sense of home. The feeling was strange and made him almost irrational.Freya turned off the stove, covered the sauce, and reached for the steaming crab with oven mitts. When she turned around, she met his eyes. They had lost their sharpness, replaced by a softness of contentment."Why don't you go take a shower? I still have to make the mushroom soup before dinner."Daniel's gaze shifted slightly. "I'm hungry and don't want to move.""Then, sit and wait. I'll be quick."Freya turned away, still feeling his eyes on her. A flutter of nervousness made her heart race. Than
The next moment, Daniel turned her book around. "The book is upside down."Freya was caught off guard and embarrassed. She tried to defend herself, saying, "It's not upside down. I can see the illustrations more easily this way.""Oh," Daniel responded, his voice trailing off with a chuckle.Freya then noticed that the illustration was of a male pelvis from the front. Oh, no! There was no way to explain this away. She was a doctor, and studying anatomical illustrations was a normal part of her learning. She'd just been distracted and flipped to this page.But Daniel had seen her looking at erotic material before, and now, catching her studying this image probably made him think the worst.To hide her mortification, Freya quickly turned the page. But when she saw the content, she shut the book entirely, pretending nothing was wrong as she returned it to its place."Is this my space?" he asked."Yes," Freya answered while avoiding eye contact.Once Daniel had gone back to his r
On graduation day, Freya rose early. As soon as she opened her phone, she saw Harper's reply. "Glad you like it. You're going to be a doctor from now on. Keep going!"The message was sent at just past 2:00 am. It seemed that Harper was truly busy. But with her gift and encouragement, Freya felt more confident than ever.She got ready and put on the cocktail dress and heels. As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she marveled at Harper's thoughtfulness. After all this time apart, Harper had remembered her size perfectly. What a great friend.Freya took a cab to the university and picked up her graduation gown and hat at the assembly area. She sat quietly while waiting for all her classmates to arrive so they could head to the stadium together."Hey, isn't that our top student, Freya? What's she doing sitting here alone?" a voice called out. The group of students who had been taking photos turned their attention to Freya.What had been a peaceful moment for Freya shattered
Freya understood the power of rumors in the digital age all too well. Once something became a topic of online discussion, even the most innocent matters could be twisted into something sinister.She stood up, narrowing her eyes as she confronted Luna. "Why don't you tell me who I've slept with or what scandalous things I've done?"The other students, who had been passively observing, now stared in shock at Freya's sudden aggression.Luna was momentarily taken aback before responding with a smirk, "As I said, they're scandals. You wouldn't want them to spread around."Freya scoffed. "Your mouth would do well to keep quiet. Even when you spout nonsense, you need evidence to back it up.""Bitch, don't act so high and mighty! Believe it or not, no one will dare to speak up if I hit you." With that, Luna raised her hand threateningly.Freya stepped back just in time to avoid Luna's slap."Freya," interrupted a man's voice, causing everyone to turn. Freya looked over to see Daniel s
Freya climbed the steps, meeting Daniel's gaze as they were nearly at eye level. She looked intently into his eyes and asked nervously, "Did you ever reply to a letter from someone named Cameron?"Daniel thought for a moment and shook his head. "I don't recall."Freya prompted, "Her letters were always written on blue paper and folded into a leaf shape."Daniel's memory was jogged. He remembered the leaf-shaped letters, which he had accidentally damaged. "That was you? The one applying to our medical faculty?"He recalled writing a lot of words of encouragement to the sender, as the requirements to enter the medical faculty were much more difficult to meet compared to the finance faculty.Freya's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Yes! That was me."Daniel affectionately ruffled her hair and said with a smile, "I'm glad it was."Freya suddenly felt the atmosphere grow a bit intimate under Daniel's gaze. Smiling, she subtly avoided his touch and moved away.Daniel followed after he
February in Sureton City was wet. It had been drizzling throughout the day, leaving the roads damp. The cold wind brought with it the rain, making Freya Somner shiver. She held an umbrella and curled up while crouching before the entrance to the city hall.It was already 5:00 pm. Would that person come?She was worried as she thought about her grandfather, Neil Somner, who lay sick in bed. Had he finished his IV drip? Would he need to use the restroom? Had Thomas Talbot already gone home?She looked up and scanned the empty streets. The city hall would close for the day at 5:30 pm. She would just grit her teeth and wait for another half an hour, then. If that person didn't show up, she could blame him and tell Neil and Thomas that he'd stood her up. It wasn't because she didn't want to marry him or anything.Neil was sick. As a traditional medicine practitioner, he knew his time was running out. Freya was his only concern—she would be alone in the world once he passed.He'd cont