Chapter 79
AIDEN
It was harder than it should have been to drop Gia off at the house. She did not seem to sense anything was
was wrong.
ng, but my own unease was climbing steadily. As she ran inside to greet the dogs. I hesitated for a moment at the door, watching her small frame disappear into the safety of
Carlos stood by, his typical placid expression a small comfort. “Take care of her,” I said firmly. “Keep her busy with the dogs and make sure she doesn’t suspect anything is wrong”
“Of course, Mr. Knight,” he said, nodding once
I got back into the car, my mind racing as Chris pulled out of the driveway and headed for Meringue. Freya loved her cafe. It was her sanctuary, her dream turned reality. If she had left suddenly, something must have happened. Freya wasn’t careless–she didn’t just vanish without telling someone where she was going
The cafe appeared in the window, soft golden lights spilling onto the sidewalk. It was exactly the same as ever bustling, full of life. Just the opposite of the tight knot that seemed to tighten in my chest. I got out of the car and walked into the place with determination.
Avery was wiping down the counter when
larrived. She looked just as surprised as I did.
“Aiden-” she said, but I talked right over her.
Where is Freya
Confused, she furrowed her brows. “Well, that’s what I was going to ask you. Her phone’s going straight to voicemail.”
My jaw clenched. “When did she leave!”
“Around noon?” Avery replied, hesitating. “She was here working one second, and the next, when I c.
back from the kitchen, she was gone.”
I leaned closer, my voice low but demanding. “Why? Did she tell you anything?
“No,” she said, furrowing her brow further. “She didn’t say anything. She paused, then added hesitantly, “She received a phone call.”
My pulse quickened. A phone call?”
Avery nodded. “Yes. It was an unknown number. She didn’t seem to know who it was
“And she left after that?”
Im not sure. She was talking when I went into the kitchen, and when I came back, she was gone.”
The pit in my stomach deepened. Freya wouldn’t just leave Gia waiting at school. Something wasn’t adding up.
“What’s happening? Is it something bad? Avery asked, her voice tinged with worry.
“I don’t know yet,” I muttered, though I had a sinking feeling I wasn’t going to like the answer when I found out
As soon as I walked out of the cafe, I dialed Reyna’s number. If anybody knew where Freya was, it would be her best friend. Reyna was her confidante, the our person Freya always turned to when she needed advice.
“To what do owe this Reyna started, her tone teasing.
“Is Freya with you?” I cut her off, my words slurp and direct.
There was a pause. “Treyat No. Why would she be with me?”
“Dad she tell you anything? About somewhere she needed to be today?”
“No,” Reyna replied, her tone shifting to concem.
“When was the last time you talked to her?
“Yesterday morning. She answered. “Is there something wrong?” 1/2
7:01 AM c
Chapter 79
I pushed back my hair. “Can’t get hold of her cell. She hasn’t picked Gia up from school. Avery says she didn’t even come out must’ve gotten a call to cut out.”
with
any 1
warning.
“What the Reyna started out, then trailed off. “Okay. Call them in? The cops will only take a complaint inside of twenty–four hours.”
“They will if I insist.” I snapped back as I hung up.
There was only one more person I could think of. Connor. He may know where she is
“Knight,” He said, a little surprised.
“Is Freya with you?” I asked in a cold voice.
“No, man,” Connor snapped with an air of annoyance. “I told you, I don’t sleep with your girlfriend. I thought we got that part clear.
I didn’t pay any attention to that jab. “Is everything okay?”
I closed
my eyes and tried to keep myself in check. I was clinging to the hope that she had gone to him with some business matter that had to be discussed urgently. Bur deep down, I knew better. Freya would have told me.
1- I don’t know where she is, I admitted, my voice trembling slightly.
Connor went quiet for a beat. Then, his tone shifted. “I’ll be at your place,” he said firmly before hanging up.
I lowered the phone, staring at the screen for a moment before trying Freya’s number again. Still nothing. Voicemail.
She wasn’t the type to turn her phone off, let alone leave Gia stranded. Freya was responsible, tho tful, and fiercely protective of our daughter. Whatever had happened, it wasn’t normal.
The fear I’d kept at bay finally seeped in, the icy grip wrapping around my chest. My mind went a mile a minute, coming up with possibilities worse than the last. Accident? Kidnapping? Is someone threatening her?
1 shook my head to clear my thoughts. No matter how hard I tried, the fear remained.
Freya wasn’t just my partner. She was my anchor, the person who had brought light into my life when I hadn’t even realized how much I needed it She was the mother of my child, the woman I planned to marry, the one person I couldn’t imagine living without
And now, she was gone.
I get back into the car, moving robotically as Chris checks me through the rearview mirror. “Where to, sir?”
“Home” I reply, my voice dead.
As we pull out of Meringue, I stare blankly ahead, my thoughts a turbulent mess of feelings: Anger. Fear. Desperation.
Freya had to be all right. She had to be. But until I find her, until I am sure, this could eat me alive.
