(Author's POV)
Just as Devan came out of Freya's flower shop, he bumped into Harry who had just arrived. Harry could feel Devan's piercing gaze as he passed him. He didn't like him, it was clear in his jealous eyes.
Harry wondered what exactly their relationship was. That night they looked like they'd argued, but Harry couldn't find out the details because Freya had immediately told him to leave.
And when he approached Freya and Stella, the atmosphere was so tense that Harry thought there must be something going on between them again. It made Harry feel uneasy.
Ever since he first met Freya, he had been in love with her. He had never seen a woman as beautiful and good as her. However, he was uneasy about not being able to approach Freya directly because of her status. Freya is a few years older than him and has a son. He didn't want to make Freya feel awkward around him so he was always sketchy in approaching Freya.
And that night, when he saw Freya with another man, he felt an overwhelming sense of threat that he wasn't just her friend and that he wouldn't win against him for Freya's love.
"Isn't he the same man from that night, Freya?" asked Harry as he stood in front of her.
"Yes," Freya replied.
"Were you okay that night? Was he rude to you?" asked Harry with a worried look on his face. "That night I kept thinking about you. I was afraid he'd done something bad to you. You weren't seen yesterday either. I thought something had happened between you two that night...."
"Sorry, Harry. I promised to call you that night. But I was sick yesterday and I didn't get a chance to call you. And thanks for worrying about me, but he didn't hurt me," Freya replied.
"Hey, of course, he wouldn't hurt you, Freya," Stella said, making Harry frown.
"So what? Who is he?"
"He is Freya's husband!"
"Husband?"
Harry glared in disbelief. He was shocked to hear Stella's statement that Devan was Freya's husband. He should have guessed it from the first time he saw him, but his little heart wouldn't accept it. Because in Harry's mind, Freya had been separated from Devan for a long time and the man was probably rude to Freya so Freya chose to leave him.
But he didn't expect that Devan would even come here to see Freya. That meant their relationship was more than what Harry had thought all along.
"Isn't he so handsome? I was even surprised when he introduced himself as Freya's husband." Stella nudged Harry's arm with a smile. "Oh, no! I forgot to ask his name. Freya, what's your husband's name?"
"Stella, come on. He's not my husband," she protested.
Harry watched Freya for a long time before speaking. "Are you two divorced?" he asked.
"Jesus, Harry. How could you ask Freya something like that?"
"I was just curious. Because his attitude towards you is not good, so I don't think he's a good man," said Harry.
Stella's face paled. "Did you fight?" she asked Freya.
But Freya just looked away. "We didn't fight. And we've been apart for a long time. Never mind ... there's nothing more to talk about," Freya said, choosing to leave.
She didn't want to talk about Devan anymore because it gave her a headache. Especially after the truth she knew about Theo's death. she still couldn't believe what she heard. She wanted to run to Viona and slap her as much as she could to release all the anger and sadness she felt. But she simply couldn't do it.
The incident happened a long time ago. But could she still get justice? It felt like she was too tired to deal with all the problems that came into her life. She just wanted to enjoy the rest of her life in peace without any problems.
"I didn't expect things to get complicated again."
***
"What are you doing here? Is it okay for someone like you to come here?" Harry narrowed his eyes, asking pointedly as he watched Devan's appearance at the bar where he worked. It was a popular bar frequented by colleges and schools. And it was very rare for businessmen to come because it was a special bar for teenagers.
Moreover, he was Devan. Freya's ex-husband, so there was no reason for him to come to a place like this. Let alone to seek pleasure.
Did he come to see me? Harry asked silently.
"Give me a cocktail," Devan pleaded. He sat at the bartender's table and kept his eyes on Harry who was preparing his drink.
"Here, your drink," Harry said as he pushed a cocktail glass towards Devan.
Devan drank it all in one gulp. "More," he ordered.
Harry looked at him for a moment before going back to preparing for his second glass, then handing it to Devan again. And Devan did the same.
"Did you come here to get drunk?" asked Harry.
Devan chuckled. "Your name is Harry, right?"
"Yes. So what?"
"How old are you?"
"Is this an interview session?"
"You have a mouth. Answer my question."
Harry swallowed hard as he looked at Devan's piercing eyes glancing at him. His aura was completely different from the one he had seen that night. It was more terrifying than before. His demeanor was calm but intimidating.
"Twenty-four years old."
Devan grinned. "Are you still in college?"
"Hmm..."
"And it looks like you work part-time here."
"As you can see."
Devan looked at Harry and pushed away his empty cocktail glass. "You serve brandy? Give me a bottle of brandy," he ordered.
Harry let out a long sigh. He didn't know what Devan had come here for, but he did his duty as a bartender and got a bottle of brandy for Devan.
Devan downed the few glasses of brandy he ordered and looked back at Harry. His eyes narrowed sharply at him.
"What's wrong?"
"You like her, right?"
"What?"
"Freya. You like her," Devan said, "do you intend to approach her?"
"Why are you suddenly asking something like this? What for?" Harry felt there was something creepy about Devan. "I shouldn't say such personal things to a stranger I've only met two or three times."
"Then let me give you a warning." Devan rolled his eyeballs lazily and gave Harry a sharp look. "I have no intention of letting Freya go and I don't like seeing flies hanging around either."
"F-Flies?"
"So, you'd better stop doing something that's in your head right now. Because I'm not going to let it get away with it," Devan insisted, "I know you're smart enough to figure it out. Aren't you, Harry?"
Harry swallowed with difficulty. He really was a man to watch out for. And he felt that Devan was the kind of man who might kill him if he continued to insist on getting close to Freya.
He didn't know what their current relationship was like, but he could see from Devan's eyes that he was obsessed with Freya. It was like the crazy love of a crazy man.
Although Harry tried hard, he was also not confident that he would win the battle for Freya's heart. Because he also knows and is sensitive that Freya still loves Devan.
Harry let out a long breath. "Yes, I like her, but it looks like I won't be able to win against you. So I'll give up before the fight."
"Good boy, Harry," Devan grinned.