Chapter 33 33
FREYA POV
I rolled onto my side, pulling the duvet up to my chin. My eyes were still glued to the door, even after he had disappeared, and I found myself smiling.
I know. It was a stupid smile. I couldn’t help it, and I definitely couldn't explain it. And fuck, it was about him—Steve.
I was practically losing my mind over his behavior. The way he’d carried me, dimmed the lights, adjusted my pillows... it really hit that "baby girl" princess treatment side of me I didn't even know I had. I felt like something precious that needed to be guarded, not something broken that needed to be hidden.
I didn't know when I finally drifted off, but the sleep was deep—the kind of heavy, dreamless sleep my body had been begging for.
When I woke up, the room was still dark, but I felt a weight against my side. Something warm. I stiffened for a second, my heart jumping into my throat, before I felt that small, familiar leg wrapped over mine.
Luna.
She was fast asleep, her little chest rising and falling in a steady, peaceful way. Someone must have brought her in while I was out. My heart physically ached at the sight of her. I reached out, carefully brushing a stray hair from her forehead, feeling a surge of relief that she was right here, safe.
I looked over at the digital clock on the nightstand. The red numbers glowed in the shadows: 01:05 AM.
The house was dead silent. I sat up slowly, moving inch by inch so I wouldn't wake Luna. Now that the adrenaline had faded, I realized I was starving. My stomach felt hollow, twisted with a hunger that made me feel lightheaded.
I slid out of bed and crept toward the door. I made my way down the stairs, my bare feet silent on the floor. As I reached the landing near the large floor-to-ceiling windows, a sudden, aggressive roar of an engine shattered the quiet.
I froze, pulling back into the shadows. Outside, through the glass, I saw a black motorcycle zoom out from the side of the house. The rider leaned low, a dark blur against the night, as he tore down the driveway and disappeared past the gates.
Steve. Of course. It couldn’t be anyone else.
“Where is he going at this time?” I whispered.
I stood there for a second, and somehow my eyes drifted toward the other wing of the house—Steve’s wing. I stared in that direction, my legs almost moving on their own. I didn't know where the thought came from, but I wanted to go there. I wanted to see his room, to find something—anything—that made sense of him.
I lifted a foot to take that first step when a voice from behind startled me.
“You are awake.”
"God!" I gasped, spinning around so fast I almost tripped. My hand went straight to my chest, trying to keep my heart from leaping out of my throat.
“Ooh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Diana said. She looked relaxed, but her eyes were scanning me curiously.
“No… it’s me. I’m just jumpy,” I managed to say, exhaling a breath I didn't know I was holding.
“You look lost. Are you fine?” she asked, her concern feeling a bit too heavy. Then her eyebrows lifted as she stepped into the light. “Wait... you are hurt.”
She pointed to the bandage on my forehead. It stung as soon as she mentioned it.
"Oh…" I grazed the edge of it. Diana’s face shifted, her expression tightening like she was waiting for me to spill everything. I forced a smile and looked away. What was I supposed to do? Narrate how my ex-husband had practically tried to kill me? The words were too heavy to form.
I noticed she was holding a massive bowl of popcorn and jumped at the chance to change the subject. “Are you watching a movie?”
Diana gave a little self-conscious shrug. “Oooh, this? I quit smoking, so I use this to press down the urge… better to be full of corn than nicotine, I guess.”
“Ooh, that’s nice."
She glanced toward the stairs. “And Luna… is she fine?”
The way she asked, so instantly, made my chest tighten. “Fine?”
“She kept muttering your name in her sleep,” Diana said softly. “That’s why I brought her to your side. I thought she needed to feel you there to finally settle down.”
“Ohhh, thank you,” I whispered. I realized I hadn't thanked her enough for the role she’d played in getting Luna back. “And thank you… for Luna as well. I don't know what I would have done.”
Diana smiled, a real, genuine smile, and then she said something I never expected. “You know, I didn’t like you before. I mean, it was hate at first sight.”
“What?” I blurted out. I actually laughed. It was so blunt it took the tension out of the air.
“I’m serious,” she said, chuckling as she gestured for me to follow her. “I thought you were one of those gym-groupie girls trying to trap Steve with puppy eyes."
"Wow."
We walked down to the kitchen together while she talked about her first impression of me. She laughed about the first time at the gym when her brother tried to hide me. We both laughed as she started pulling bread and snacks from the pantry, making me a quick sandwich.
Diana was actually sweet, and she clearly loved Luna. I thought to myself that if Luna was going to have an 'aunt' snatch her away for a while, I wouldn't get tired of her hearing "Aunty Diana" instead of Aunt Lila.
We sat there eating, and she told me about the promise they made to Luna—that she could watch her favorite show tomorrow. But in between the gossip, my entire body still felt heavy, leaning toward the front door.
Steve.
Diana noticed. She smiled, and I felt embarrassed that she had read me so easily.
“He’s out for business,” she said, her voice casual.
“Business?” I repeated. The word felt fake.
Diana nodded, taking a long sip of her juice. I thought maybe this was it—my chance. Diana might finally shed some light on all my questions. “What business?”
Diana looked at me, put her glass down, and shrugged. “Just business… deals in and out. You know how men are.”
I looked at her, my eyebrows furrowing. Nothing she was saying made sense. It was all so vague.
“Steve will explain it better when he's ready,” Diana said, rising from her chair and letting out a long, tired yawn.
I tried to hold it back. I really did. But the frustration of being kept in the dark just burst out of me. “Is he a drug dealer?"
“What?” Diana asked, almost choking on a laugh.
“I mean… I didn’t mean to just say that, but he gives orders. He pulls things off so easily. He has men everywhere. And he has a gun,” I said, my voice rising. I hadn't planned to go on a rant, but the desperation was real… Don't blame me.
“No, Freya. He is not a drug dealer," Diana said, stepping over to pat my shoulder reassuringly.
I looked into her face, my voice dropping to a whisper. “Does he kill?”
I expected Diana to find it amusing again, to laugh at how dramatic I was being. But she didn’t laugh. Instead it was a dark, knowing smirk that played on her lips, and her eyes turned serious for a split second.
“He kills,” she said, her voice chillingly calm. “But just for a good reason.”
Then she turned and walked away, leaving me freezing in my seat.