Chapter 21 21
FREYA POV
It’s been four days since that heated morning with Steve, and there’s only one day left until the day he promised to bring Luna back to me.
But it’s not just the wait that’s killing me. Steve has been avoiding me ever since that morning. Or should I say ghosting? It’s like I barely see him anymore. If I do catch a glimpse of him, it’s just his back flashing around a corner or the sound of his car pulling out of the driveway before I even get downstairs.
He’s like a ghost in his own house.
I sat on the edge of the bed, picking at the hem of my shorts. My mind was a complete mess, looping through every possible reason for the cold shoulder. Is he really that angry with me? Because I stopped him? Because I shouted at him?
The same man that was looking at me like he wanted to own me, and now, it’s like I don’t even exist.
Every time I hear a door close in the distance, my heart jumps, thinking maybe he’s finally coming to talk to me—
I looked at my phone, staring at the blank screen. Not even a text.
"Is he so angry with me or what?" I whispered to the empty room.
The uncertainty was just eating me up alive.
If it wasn’t for Nana and funny Ben, I don’t think I could have kept my patience this long in this house. They were the only things keeping me sane.
I didn't even bother getting dressed. I headed downstairs just as I was—in my silk robe and my sleeping cap—hoping that maybe, just maybe, I’d catch him before he disappeared again. I was just a few steps from the bottom when the roar of an engine echoed through the hallway.
I looked through the large window that revealed the front gate just in time to see Steve’s bike zoom off, the sound fading into the distance.
I stood there, frozen on the stairs. I wanted to scream as tears threatened to fall. The frustration was bubbling up so hot in my chest I couldn’t take it anymore.
I stood there, frozen, staring at the spot where his bike had just faded away until—
"Good morning, Freya."
Nana’s voice snapped me back so fast I nearly tripped. I hadn't even realized she was standing nearby.
"Nana..." I groaned, dragging her name out.
She just looked at me with those knowing eyes. She clearly knew something was off between me and Steve. She never talked about it, but she had been trying her best to fill the gaps, making sure I didn't feel too lonely in this massive, empty place.
I took a deep breath and tightened the belt of my robe. It’s fine, I thought, forcing a new mindset. Let me just get my daughter and disappear. That’s all this is.
The rest of the day dragged on like usual. Ben tried to keep me distracted by teaching me how to make unique meals, like coq au Vin and a strange, golden saffron risotto. It was fun, and Ben was hilarious, but my heart wasn't in the kitchen. Every slight sound from the hallway made me stiffen. My eyes kept drifting to the front door, hoping Steve would walk in, even though I knew he wouldn't show his face until late at night.
And yes, I have my plan tonight as well.
Tonight, I wasn’t going to my room to hide. I was done with the cat-and-mouse game. I will wait right here in the living room, sitting there until he returns.
And just as I had planned, after a forced dinner that I forced down my throat, I marched into the living room and sat right on the edge of the sofa, staring at the door.
“I’m going to stay right here till he returns.”
He was avoiding me like a coward, and I wasn't having it. He should just face me and speak—even if he’s decided he’s done with me, he needs to say it to my face.
I sat on the sofa, fighting a losing battle with my own eyelids. I tried so hard to keep them open, but at some point, they just grew too heavy. I managed to fight back the sleep for as long as I could, staring at the front door until my vision blurred.
I must have finally drifted off, because the next thing I felt was a soft tap on my shoulder.
My eyes opened sluggishly, and for a split second, my heart actually leaped. I thought it was him. I thought Steve had finally walked in and found me waiting. But as the fog cleared, I only saw Nana standing over me.
"Nana? Why are you here?" I asked, my voice thick and gravelly from sleep. I rubbed my face, trying to shake off the grogginess.
"Parce que c'est le matin," Nana said with a small, quiet smile.
I blinked up at her, noticing she was already perfectly dressed, not a hair out of place. "What does that mean?"
"It’s morning, darling," Nana said gently.
"What?" I snapped awake, my head whipping around to look at the windows.
The sun was already pouring in. I slept through the whole night right there on the couch. My eyes immediately shot toward the hallway leading to Steve’s wing, my pulse starting to race. I was waiting for any sign of him—the sound of his voice, a door slamming, anything.
"He didn't return last night, Freya," Nana said, her voice soft but direct.
A wave of sadness washes over me as my eyes fix on Steve wing.
Is it really that bad now? He’s actually spending the night out?
Why does he even pretend to be better than anyone else if he was just going to do this? I trusted him. I actually trusted him. A hundred different questions wrapped around my head, and I could feel the hot sting of tears threatening to drop. But I wasn't going to do that—not this early, and definitely not in front of Nana.
I forced myself to stand up, my legs feeling stiff from the awkward sleeping position. I started making my way back upstairs, my head down, just wanting to hide. I was only three steps up when the heavy thud of the front door clicking open made me freeze.
A woman stepped in first, right behind the guard. She looked around with wide, hungry eyes, her face twisted into a look of pure amusement as if she’d just stepped into a palace or some kind of heaven. She looked like she was already mentally measuring the drapes. Nana and I exchanged a quick, sharp look before turning back to the entrance.
Then, two more figures walked in. Steve was there, looking like he’d been through a war, his jaw tight and eyes dark with exhaustion. Next to him was another woman, but I barely had time to register her face before a loud, high-pitched scream—the one sound in the world I’d been dying to hear—ripped through the foyer.
"Mummy!"
The world blurred. I forgot every other things
"Luna!" I choked out, my voice breaking.
She was running toward the stairs, her tiny legs moving as fast as they could, her little arms already reaching out for me. Everything else in the room—the tension, the anger, the mystery of where Steve had been—just vanished.