Chapter 1

Freya's eyes got big with shock as she froze, her gaze transfixed on the TV screen. She felt her heart skip a beat as she witnessed the awful scene on air.

“...the most awaited moment in the world of entertainment. Here we have Monica Holland and her finally revealed lover, Desmond July, kissing openly on the red carpet just yesterday in Hollywood! What a sight to see! Who would have thought Monica was in such a serious relationship with a man who is no stranger in the world of business tycoons…”

Freya's shoulders shuddered, and she quivered like she had been standing outside in the snow for hours.

Her lips barely moved as she breathed a silent “No”, shaking her head forcefully. A single teardrop, like a shiny pearl, crawled out of her eye down her cheek.

Shivers were sent down her spine and she finally gave up standing and dropped dramatically to the floor.

“Mom!”

From a hidden corner in the living room, her eight-year-old son who had been silently watching her distress, ran towards her with a compassionate urgency. He wrapped his small arms around her in a tight embrace as he nestled beside her on the floor as if to comfort her.

“Noah”, she muttered under her breath, quickly wiping the tears that had fallen from her reddish eyes with the back of her palms.

“Mom, are you crying?” He asked softly, holding her face in his little palms and examining her closely. His eyebrows were furrowed in worry and concern for her.

“No, of course not. I just caught a cold. Why don't you go take a shower and prepare for school, Noah”, she spoke in between sniffs, making a weak attempt at a smile. She brushed his golden hair with her palm in a few gentle strokes as a kind of cover up for her weird attitude.

Noah shook his head adamantly. Freya watched Noah's facial expression get stiff with disbelief. Slowly, he turned to glance at the TV with a hint of fury in his innocent icy blue eyes.

“Dad?” He exclaimed in surprise.

To avoid any more drama and questions, Freya sprang up to her feet with agility and grabbed the TV remote from the center table. Before Noah could utter any more words, she turned the TV off.

“Alright, you'll go straight to the bathroom while I go to the kitchen to make breakfast. Let's go”.

“But mom, I just saw dad with another woman. Who is she? I thought dad said he was on a business trip”.

“That's his…uhm…”

Coming up with an authentic lie was much more difficult than Freya thought. Though he was a little juvenile, Freya understood fully well that he wasn't the type to swallow such lies easily.

“That's just his secretary. Noah, please, no more questions. You're late for school”, Freya said with a deep sigh, avoiding eye contact with her son who shot her a questioning glance.

Noah's forehead squeezed into a frown. He clenched his little fists and dashed out of the living room in obvious dissatisfaction and irritation.

Freya stared blankly in the direction which her son had taken to his room till he was out of sight.

Again, as if her brain had been waiting for the right moment to strike, the distasteful image she had just come across on the TV first thing in the morning flashed through her mind.

“No, Desmond. I'll find out what you've been up to”, she muttered absentmindedly and dashed out of the living room, up the stairs heading to her husband’s secluded room with a furious urgency. Finally, she stopped at her destination and pushed the huge door forcefully, causing the wooden obstacle to fall wide open.

Without hesitating, Freya darted into the room and headed straight for his closet room. She pulled the door open and her eyes went big with shock at her latest discovery.

Desmond's closet room, ironically, was filled with all sorts of revealing feminine clothes and they weren't Freya's. Not even a single one. Some were scattered all over the floor, while others were neatly hung in hangers.

Freya's eyebrows knitted in a mix of surprise and confusion at the awkward sight. She never knew Desmond to be a “feminine boutique enthusiast”.

That wasn't all that terrified Freya. While scanning the closet room, she spotted, in horror, a sexy red lingerie lying clumsily on the floor. It wasn't hers!

Freya gasped in shock at the realization of Desmond's promiscuity and filthy extra marital affairs. She shook her head vigorously, trying to digest everything she was witnessing. Nevertheless, the shock didn't stop her from finding out more as she kept taking bold steps about the room, searching for more clues.

On the dressing table in the room, she spotted a few contraceptive pills and some used condoms. Freya flinched backwards in disgust at the rage- inducing eyesore.

“No. This can't be real. How could you, Desmond”, she muttered and staggered out of the scary closet room. On getting to the main room, Freya dropped lifelessly on the floor, tears bursting out of her reddish eyes.

“After everything you've put me through, you still went ahead to cheat on me! How dare you!” Freya screamed in between tears.

Soon, Noah's distant shouts of “Mom! Mom!” raided the atmosphere. Each shout sounded an inch closer like he was approaching.

Freya quickly wiped her tears with the back of her palms and jumped up to her feet in preparation for Noah's arrival so as not to give him an impression that she had been bawling her eyes out.

“Mom!” Noah yelled in a panic and ran into the room she was in.

“What is it, honey?” Freya asked with a sniff.

“Dad's home. He's at the door!” Noah announced, agitatedly.

Freya's gaze shifted from Noah and she began to stare into space, her facial expression slowly developing into that of a woman who was about to be charged with murder.

“Mom, I didn't want to get the door for Dad. I think you should see him for yourself”, Noah added, with a hint of fear in his voice.

“Alright. Let's go”, she said and took Noah by his hand, walking out of the room and heading down the stairs to the living room.

On arrival at the living room, she let go of Noah's hand and walked in an unusually calm manner to the door, gently pulling it open.

Her eyes flashed in rage at the nonchalant looking man at the door, holding his shoulders high like he wasn't in the mood for drama.

Freya raised a sarcastic brow at him and said icily, “Welcome home from your fraudulent business trip, Mr Desmond July. I hope you had a wonderful time with female movie stars”.

Desmond's chiseled face squeezed into an irritated frown as a reaction.

“What nonsense are you going on about?” He asked.

Freya said nothing in response, fixing a steady gaze at him instead.