With swollen reddish eyes, which Noah constantly enquired about on their way back home and kept getting the same staple reply : “It's nothing” each time he asked, Freya knocked impatiently on Imelda's door, clutching Noah's hand.“Who is it?” Freya heard Imelda's snappy and grumpy enquiry coming from inside.With a deep tired sigh as if to reassign her confidence, she cleared her throat and spoke up in response.“It's me, Imelda. I'm home”, she said in a cracked voice as she had lost her voice due to the intense fit of crying she had engaged in earlier.A few seconds of silence went by before the door flung open, revealing Imelda's somewhat cold stare. Her eyes scanned the duo from head to toe, obviously wondering why they were home so soon and what the most recent challenge could be as it seemed like Freya was accustomed to suffering from one challenge or the other.“What brings you back home so soon? What's the matter?” Imelda asked, her tone laced with curiosity.Freya remained si
"What's your name?”Freya drew a deep breath, steeling herself before responding to the question. She hesitated for a moment, as if collecting her thoughts.“Freya July… Sorry, Freya Dominic”, Freya stuttered, indecisive on whether to use Desmond's last name or her maiden name.Without any documents bearing her married name at hand, Freya opted to use her maiden name for the interview. Having removed her wedding ring and thrown it away, she had already mentally severed ties with Desmond.The head chef raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing Freya as if searching for the slightest weakness in her interview performance.Freya swallowed hard and kept her expression sober, maintaining her composure.“So, why are you here?” The head chef asked.“I came here to look for a job. I want you to hire me as one of your chefs”, she said boldly, successfully concealing her underlying nervousness.“Do you have any certified culinary qualifications? Did you go to any culinary school?” The chef asked, adjusti
Diego held her face in his palms, examining her closely, his eyebrows knitted in concern.“Freya, are you there? What's the matter with you? You almost got yourself killed!” Diego exclaimed, his tone laced with fright.Freya swallowed hard and looked away, humiliated that he had caught her in that vulnerable state. She sniffed nonchalantly and smoothened her dress like nothing had happened, trying to regain her composure.But Diego didn't break eye contact with her even for a second, and finally, she surrendered to Diego's fixed gaze and she melted the moment she looked into his eyes, her tough exterior softening instantly. She watched his worried eyes slowly transform into somewhat angry eyes as he reacted to her strange behavior lately and the fact that she had kept him in the dark for the past few days. He had never looked at her that way before, and she felt the intensity of his mean stare.“Freya, what's been going on with you? Why did you choose to cut me off? Have I done someth
Freya held the refrigerator open and peered inside in search for any food available for her to eat as breakfast. The only food which was previously available was the one Imelda had prepared earlier for herself and Noah, which was his breakfast before Freya had taken him to school. But all that food had finished already.On finding nothing to eat, Freya walked out of the kitchen with a downcast demeanor, heading out for another day's job hunt on an empty stomach. She would rather go hungry for a whole day than ask Imelda for help and get subtle insults in return.Just as she was about to head out, Imelda came down the stairs, walking towards her.“Freya, you're back from dropping Noah off?” She asked, her expression seemingly concerned.Freya nodded in response, too tired to answer the irrelevant question to which the answer was quite obvious.“So any luck yesterday? Talk to me,” Imelda asked softly, with a concerned look on her face.“Nothing yet, Imelda. But I remain positive”, she r
Freya sat idly for hours in her mobile food truck, staring blankly into space, pondering on her miserable life, despair and frustration evident in her facial expression.All day, she had had only five customers, and now it was almost four, edging into evening. She always closed by five, a routine she had stuck to since launching her business three weeks ago. Fortunately, Imelda offered to pick up Noah from school daily on her behalf which was a strange but welcome help.The scarcity of customers gravely affected her income. She wasn't making much profit and that got her so worked up.At first, she had told herself that her newness to the roadside fast food scene was the reason for the slow start, and that customers just needed time to warm up to her gourmet burgers. But now, even that reassuring thought felt like a lie. Maybe success just wasn't her thing.A sudden fear gripped her, and she shuddered at the memory of Imelda's massive loan— $250,000. If her business tanked, her life wo
Freya and Diego sat in silence for a few moments in his car, the evening unfolding outside. Freya gazed blankly out the window, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Diego. Unaware, Diego's eyes remained fixed on her, his gaze intense, admiring her as she stared away. After a brief, wordless pause, Diego sighed softly and cleared his throat, intentionally breaking the silence to grab her attention.“Freya, how have you been all these while?” He asked, watching her closely to see her expression.Freya turned to take a glance at him, trying to come up with a suitable response to his question.“I've been okay”, she replied stiffly.“How is Noah? He's in a new school, I guess”.Freya's eyebrows knitted together in a faint frown, surprised by Diego's knowledge of Noah's new school. Though she was curious about his sources, she didn't press the issue, having grown accustomed to his uncanny awareness of her life's details, which had initially unsettled her but now felt almost like a routin
“Welcome home, Freya”, Imelda said with a calm voice, ignoring Freya's angry question and taking her seat on the couch.Freya's angry eyes blazed at Imelda, demanding a clear answer.“Imelda. What did you do to Noah?” Freya asked once again, stroking Noah's hair as he buried his face in her arms.“Nothing!” Imelda snapped, irritated by Freya's accusing questions.Freya's gaze froze on Imelda in astonishment, recoiling from her sudden outburst. She locked eyes with Noah, who shook his head emphatically, his eyes pleading her to believe that he was innocent.“He said he was hungry and I told him to wait a little bit longer so that I could go get some groceries from the mall and cook something for him. But I couldn't leave him all alone at home so I told him to wait till you get back. He got angry and began to throw tantrums. I couldn't take it anymore so I scolded him. I did nothing wrong to him!”“That's not true! She had her lunch and warned me not to eat anything from her house. She
Freya's roadside food truck business had finally found its purpose over the past few weeks. Thanks to Diego, her food truck had skyrocketed to fame, and a loyal customer base had gradually developed a craving for her gourmet burgers.Although she was making a substantial amount of money from the roadside food business, the majority of her income wasn't for personal indulgences. Instead, she diligently saved money daily with the goal of repaying Imelda in the near future. The debt was huge and even though it seemed like an insurmountable task to accumulate such a sum of money, she remained resolute in her determination to pay Imelda back and move out of her house which would be the first step to freedom. Besides, she hadn't squandered all the money Imelda had lent her.Her expression radiated joy, and she hummed a happy tune as she cooked. One could sense that she was ecstatic and eager about something.Her face illuminated with a warm smile as she reminisced about that special day. It
Freya sat in the back seat of the car, staring out the window but barely seeing the city passing by. The late-morning sun poured down, its golden light sharp and relentless, as if mocking her awful state of dilemma.Everything outside looked so ordinary—people walking, cars streaming past—but her thoughts were far from ordinary. Her mind was chaos.Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, threatening to pour out. Desmond’s cruel and unbelievable ultimatum swirled in her head over and over, each word cutting deeper the more she thought about it.Each passing thought made her realise how deep Desmond's conditions were. They were deeper than what it sounded like, and a sense of fear enveloped her like a thick blanket.Desmond wasn’t just asking her to return to him. He was asking her to sacrifice herself for the sake of peace. To live a lie, trapped in a cage, while the people she loved moved on without her.Her heart ached, and her mind raced with disturbed thoughts. How far was she w
10:30 AMFreya’s driver parked her car outside the sleek, towering Everston Grande Hotel. The morning sun glinted off the mirrored windows, but the warmth of the day couldn’t melt the cold determination coursing through Freya.Taking a deep breath, Freya grabbed her purse and alighted from the car. Shutting the door with a soft click, she looked up at the gigantic hotel before her.She smoothed her blazers, straightening imaginary wrinkles. Then she began to approach the main entrance door with brisk urgent strides.She pushed open the glass doors and stepped into the lobby, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor.Just then, she halted abruptly as she set her eyes on Desmond. There he was, standing near the entrance, impeccably dressed in a designer suit, his confident stance as infuriating as ever. He spotted her immediately, a smirk tugging at his lips."Freya”, he said smoothly, extending his arms in mock welcome. "I've been waiting for you.""Let’s just get this over
Freya rushed out of the hospital, the crisp morning air swirling around her. She didn't know exactly where to find Desmond, but she knew he was never far when chaos unfolded, always watching from the shadows and pulling the strings in secret.Today, she wouldn’t let him hide. Today, it ended—once and for all. And she had to do something quick. What if Desmond decides to strike again and eventually succeeds in killing Diego? What if Diego doesn't survive Desmond's next attack?She strode quickly to the parking lot where her driver had parked her car, waiting patiently for her. Earlier that morning, after Diego woke up, she had summoned her driver to get her car to the hospital where she was.Freya's calm facade crumbled, her jaw tightened, and her eyes burned with determination. She was going to find Desmond wherever he was hiding.She was the reason Diego had nearly died. If it wasn't because of her, Desmond wouldn’t have thought about hurting Diego or Noah. And now, she was going to
The hospital room fell silent, the faint beep of machines and the occasional footsteps of nurses across the hallway the only sounds heard. Freya sat beside Diego’s bed, carefully cutting a piece of toast into small, manageable bites. She had pulled a tray of hospital food, which contained a mix of bland oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and the toast, and balanced on a table close to his bed.Diego watched her closely with a small, amused smile, though his face was still pale from the injuries he was healing from."You don’t have to do this, Freya", he whispered, his voice soft but husky.Freya looked up from the food tray, her gaze meeting his tired eyes. "Of course, I do. Why not?" she said gently, spearing a piece of egg with the fork. "You’re still weak, and I’m not about to let you starve because hospital food isn’t exactly gourmet."He chuckled weakly, the sound more of a breath than a laugh. "Yeah, I’d rather be fed by you than eat this myself. Makes it taste good”, he said, his gaze s
7:23 AMFreya stirred slightly, her neck stiff and aching from where she had fallen asleep. She had slumped over in the hard chair with her head resting on the edge of Diego's hospital bed, her fingers curled loosely around his hand.The faintest movement beneath her palm made her brow furrow in confusion. Being half-awake, she shifted slightly, brushing it off as a trick of her tired mind. Then drowsily, her eyes sank downwards as she began to drift off to sleep once again.But then it happened again—a soft, deliberate squeeze on her fingers. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, and her mind, still heavy with exhaustion, struggled to make sense of what she was feeling at the moment.The sterile white of the hospital room came into focus, and her heart thumped hard as she lifted her head, her disheveled chestnut hair falling around her face. Her gaze fell on the source of the touch — Diego's hand which was intertwined with hers. Just then, Diego’s fingers moved again, wrapping weakly ar
4:17 AMFreya gently twisted the door knob and cracked the door open. Before stepping in, she scanned the hospital room where Diego lay. Letting out a silent sigh, she stepped into the room, ushering Noah in. Then she gave a slight nod to the nurse who accompanied her as if asking for privacy. The nurse got the message and left, shutting the door behind her. The hospital room was quiet except for the rhythmic beeping of the monitors. Freya's eyes misted, her hand steadying Noah's as they approached the bed. Diego lay unconscious, his skin pale against the stark white sheets. An IV drip snaked down to his arm, and there was a pulse oximeter sensor clipped on his index finger. She had prepared herself for this moment, but the reality of seeing Diego like this was far more painful than words could convey.Freya's heart sank, and her face reddened in anguish. The sight of Diego's helpless state stole Freya’s breath, but it was Noah who let out a soft, broken cry.His grip on her hand
As Freya settled back into her seat, trying to focus on the relief of Diego’s survival, Desmond’s phone suddenly buzzed, shattering the deafening silence.Desmond pulled his phone out, glanced at the screen, and furrowed his brow, making a show of standing up and stepping away.“Yeah?” he answered, his voice pitched just loud enough for them to hear. Freya and Noah exchanged uncertain glances before returning their gazes to Desmond once again.A short moment passed before Desmond nodded, his expression shifting to what Freya recognized as his version of “concern.” “What? Now? Alright, I’ll handle it.”He ended the call abruptly and slipped the phone into his pocket, turning back toward Freya and Noah. Then he gave a small, almost theatrical sigh.“I’ve got to go. Work emergency,” he said, the words almost too casual for the supposed urgency in his tone. “I’ll have to leave. Keep me posted on Diego.”His voice carried that familiar blend of arrogance and feigned importance, which trig
The waiting room was quiet except for the faint hum of the fluorescent lights and the occasional rustle of papers at the reception desk. The atmosphere was still, the kind of quiet that felt heavy and unnatural.Freya sat stiffly in one of the hard plastic chairs, her hands gripping the edge of her seat. Her eyes kept darting to the double doors of the emergency unit at the far end of the room, every nerve in her body tense. Diego’s life was behind those doors, and the uncertainty was suffocating.She felt like she was holding her breath, afraid to let it out in case it broke the fragile silence. Her emotions were spilled all over, tears welling up in her eyes. She had promised herself she wouldn't shed tears anymore and that Diego was going to survive. However, the feeling of self-pity washed over her as she reflected on all she had faced alongside her loved ones in just one day.Noah sat beside her, his small legs swinging just above the floor. His face was pale, his usual spark di
Freya dug her fingers into Noah's hair, clutching his head as their embrace grew deeper and more desperate. She crouched down, pulling him even closer to her.As Noah buried his face in her chest, Freya felt a dampness seeping through her clothes from his eyes. “Don't cry, my love. I'm here now. Mommy's here. There's no need to be scared, okay?” Freya said in a soft whisper, stroking his back gently.Noah responded with a sniffle, his chest heaving intensely as he tried to fight back his tears. Desmond, on the other hand, stood still behind Noah, his hands still in his pockets.His expression was neutral, yet his eyes revealed he was weary of their overt display of a soul bond, like they were the only mother and son in the whole world. He constantly rolled his eyes subtly, waiting patiently for Freya to finally notice him.Freya planted a final kiss on Noah's cheek before releasing him from her embrace. Gently, she cradled his face in her palms and looked directly at his face, her ey