Chapter 63
AIDEN
I woke up alone in bed. Freya wasn’t in t room. The sunlight streamed through the curtains, cutting sharp lines across the duvet. The clock on the bedude hlerat none I’d slept in which meant Freya had already left the room, possibly even the house. But it was Sunday. Freya didn’t work Sundays unless she had one of her standing lunch dates with Reyni
1 ran a hand through my hair. Memories of last night came rushing back. The perfectly built walls I’d spent years constructing had crumbled, and I’d laid my past bar in front of Freya. I had bared the most vulnerable part of my life and she’d stayed. She’d held me through it.
But that was yesterday
(the light of a new morning it all felt too raw, too exposed. The clarity of daylight brought with it a starkness I wasn’t ready for. What if it changed things between us What if she saw me differently now! The questions circled like vultures in my mind as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed
1 freshened up and headed downstairs. The whole place smelt like bacon and fresh bread. On cue my stomach let out a rumble. I found my way to the kitchen and there she was
ight of her calm, collected, and entirely in her
Freja stood at the counter, her hair pinned up in a messy knot, focused on the task at hand. The sight of h element – momentarily sulled the unease coiling in my chest.
“Hey.” My voice was rough, a litle hesitant.
She turned, a small smile lighting up her face before she returned her attention to whatever she was doing. “Hey, did you sleep well?” she asked
over her shoulder.
“did” My eyes routed over the counter, taking in the spread of food. Sandwiches, crisp bacon, golden muffins, and bowls of fresh fruit. It looked elaborate, even by Carlos’s standards And Carlos wasn’t here, “What’s all this?”
“Food Good food” She replied, setting a plate of syrup drizzled pancakes on the counter. Then she rounded it, closing the distance between us. Her gaze softened as she stood in front of me, “How are you feeling!”
question was simple, but it triggered something sharp inside me.
“What are these for?” I countered, dodging her concern.
Her brow furrowed slightly. “For you.”
“You cooked for me” My toe flattened, the weight in my chest pressing harder. The vulnerability from last night flared like an open wound. 1 could feel my defenses rising, locking me back behind walls I thought I’d abandoned.
“Yes. What’s wrong?”
“Is this because of yesterday?”
“Yes”
My stomach dropped. There it was-
was confirmation o taking a step bark.
my fear. Sharing my past had changed things. I was starting to feel suffocated. I breathed out,
“I don’t need to feel sorry for me. I don’t need your pity,” I snapped
Her eyes widened, a
1, condusson etched in every line of her face. “Sorry, what”
1 gestured toward the food, my voice colder than I intended. “Your pity, I don’t need it.”
pat
Herexpression shifted, her brows drawing together as her voice wavered with a note of incredulousness. “You think I got up at six in the freaking aporning and made all this because I want to show you piry!”
Her words but like a slaja, bait I held my grind, the knot in my
by stomach tightening.
1/2
8:42 PM
Chapter 63
“I cooked for you because you were upset and could use a little pick–me–up. I was trying to lift your mood, do something nice for you. Good food makes me happy.” Freya’s voice went up a few notes.
For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. My chest ached with the tension between us. It took me a few more long seconds to let go of my assumptions and see things for what they were.
She did something nice for me and I probably had ruined it.
“Thank you,” 1 muttered, though the words felt insufficient. She just stared at me for a long moment before walking closer. She circled her hands around my neck and my hands automatically wrapped around her waist.
“After hearing your story I felt a lot of things. I felt angry at your parents for failing you so terribly, I felt sad and hurt for that little boy whose childhood was destroyed. I was horrified imagining how scary it must have been for you at such a young age. But never pity.”
She put more emphasis on the last three words. Her right hand came down to run soothing circles on my chest.
“I admire your strength. After everything they had done you have enough love in your heart for your brother to not expose them in front of him. And to do that you have had to see their faces every once in a while which is pretty brave.”
“I mean I would not have been able to do that. So no. No pity for you.”
Freya’s eyes shone with sincerity as she said those words. I touched my forehead with hers and let out a sigh that was filled with relief.
“I’m sorry.” I muttered.
I was overwhelmed with all the things that had happened in the past twenty–four hours. My mind was a chaotic mess. Cillian’s anger toward me gutted me in a way I hadn’t thought possible. The thought of him hating me gnawed at me and I couldn’t shake the heaviness in my chest
As if Freya could hear my spiraling thoughts, she tilted her head and looked at me with those perceptive eyes of hers.
“He’ll come around, you know.” She said softly, her voice a soothing balm.
“You think?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Yes. Give it some time”
I pressed my lips together and shook my head. “If she dies, he is going to hold it against me forever. The words came out brittle, one could smell the apprehension in them.
Freya didn’t flinch. “We’ll see when it comes to that”
