Chapter 77
FREYA
I hummed softly to myself as I layered the custom–order cake with buttercream frosting. The rhythm of my work–the smooth glide of the spatula against the cake–the sweet aroma of vanilla All of it filled me with a quiet, bubbling joy that I could hardly keep in check.
“You look too cheery today. Avery said with a smile, leaning her elbow against the counter and eyeing me with narrow interest.
I glanced over at her and smiled. “I do” I asked casually, though I couldn’t conceal the small curve of my lips Cheery wasn’t the word for it–1 was effervescent. The news that had been growing inside of me, my pregnancy, was too great, too wonderful to be kept inside any longer. Tonight, I would share with Aiden, and I could almost see his face, the way his eyes would light up with excitement.
“Yeah, what’s making you so giddy?” Avery asked, with her curiosity clearly written all over her face as she crossed her arms.
1 paused for a moment to savor my little secret. “Good sex!” She guessed, raising an eyebrow to match the teasing grin spreading across her face.
“No!” was my sharp response, though at her bluntness, I couldn’t but laugh.
She shrugged. The first thing that comes to my mind. She cocked her head to one side, frowning. “That’s all that comes to my mind these days.” I raised an eyebrow at her blunt honesty, brushing stray frosting off the edge of the cake. “You are lonely. “Yeah, that’s true,” she admitted with a sigh, a note of vulnerability on her voice.
“You should start dating again,” I saiggested, looking at her as I reached for another piping bag. After fifteen years of marriage. Avery and her husband had gone through a divorce. It had been amicable, but it left her drained, her belief in love shaken. Only recently had she mentioned, in passing, that she might consider putting herself out there again..
She shrugged again, though her eyes softened with a hint of wistfulness. “Also true!
The wheels in my mind began turning as I smoothed the crumb coat onto the cake. It hit me suddenly, a flash of inspiration so clear it felt almost fated. Carlos. Of course. Why hadn’t I thought of it sooner! He was perfect for her–single, a passionate cook who adored feeding people, and beneath his tough exterior, one of the kindest souls I’d ever met. Avery and Carlos shared a lot more in common than just their love for food; they both guarded their hearts fiercely but craved connection deep down.
Gosh, they’d be perfect together.
“Great, I know exactly whom to set you up with,” I said with excitement coloring my voice. “You two will just be fantastic together”
She raised her eyebrow in obvious skepticism. am not holding my breath.”
“Just come over for dinner this weekend to my place. You can meet him there.”
She snorted. “What are you going to play matchmaker! Set me up with your boyfriend?”
I laughed. “No. Just be there, okay?”
She
e paused for a second, then nodded. “Okay!”
I hadn’t been able to get another word out before my phone jolted against the counter, ringing loudly. I scowled and answered it. “Hang on.”
Hello?”
I’ll be in the kitchen, Avery mouthed, pointing toward the back, I nodded and turned my attention to the call.
“Sorry, who’s this?”
“Freya”
This is
the name that sent me shaking: “Noah,” I answered, any voice snapping at its sharp edge of surprise mixed with anger. “Why a
Pause. Then a tiny terrified voice crashed over me, sending icy dread rolling along it.
“Mommy?”
1/2
are you calling?”
2:01 AM
Chapter 77
My heart slammed against my ribcage as I froze. “Gia?”
“Mommy, please, I wanna go home” My daughter’s voice cracked with sobs, every w
word squeezing my chest tighter.
“Sweetie, what happened? Where are you?” My voice quivered, panic creeping into every syllable.
“With me. Noah said slickly, his tone dripping with smugness.
My fingers tightened around the phone as fury and fear fought for supremacy. “Why do you have my daughter, Noah?”
“That’s not what you should be asking.” he said, his voice calm in a way that only seemed to make my stomach turn over harder. “You should be concerned about what I want from you.”
“What do you want?”
“I want you to get into that car parked around the comer of that street. It will take you to me. Come alone, don’t let anybody know. And forget trying to call your boyfriend either because I’ll know about that too. My boys have been keeping an eye on you. So, stop playing smart, and if you do, you’re going to make me mad–and you know what happens when I get angry, don’t you?”
The air around me grew thinner, as if the oxygen itself was being squeezed out. I gasped for air, my breaths short and shallow. Memories of Noah’s temper, of what he was capable of doing, clawed their way to the surface of my mind.
“Wouldn’t want to hurt your daughter now, but
“Don’t touch her” I said, my voice breaking. I’ll be there. Just don’t hurt her.”
“Tick tock.” He said before hanging up.
The silence was deafening. I could not move. For a moment, I sat there, my body immobilized by the weight of what had just occurred. My daughter–my sweet, innocent Gia–was in
was in the hands of a man I had once ran away from.
I pushed myself up. jamming my phone into my pocket and running out of the cafe. The cool air slapped me in the face, but it didn’t help to clear the fog that clouded my mind. I scanned the street frantically until I saw it–a sleek black car parked just around the corner, exactly where Noah had said it would be
My feet slowed as I reached it, every fiber of my being screaming at me to turn around, to call Aiden, to call the police. But Noah’s voice was still ringing in my head, and the threat in his tone was unmistakable. I couldn’t take that chance. Not when Gia’s safety was on the line.
The man in the driver’s seat rolled down his window, his face unreadable. “Give me your phone.
I hesitated, my fingers twitching around the device in my pocket. My phone was my lifeline, my only connection to the outside world. Giving it up felt like cutting myself off from any hope of escape.
“Hand it over.” He repeated, his voice low and firm
With shaking hands, I pulled it out and put it into his outstretched palm. He took it wordlessly and motioned toward the backseat.
“Get in.”
My legs felt like lead as I walked around the car, opening the door. It was dark inside, the leather cold against my skin as I slid into the seat, My heart was racing now, each beat echoing through my ears like a drum.
I closed the door behind me, the sound resonating in the stillness. As the car began moving. I clenched my fists tightly in my lap, my nails digging
into my palms.
It’s going to be okay, I told myself, though the words felt hollow. It has to be okay. For
