Chapter 8
FREYA
I was pulled from the depths of sleep by the sensation of soft kisses trailing along my neck, warm lips brushing against my skin. The familiar weight of Noah hovering over me brought me back to consciousness, and I turned onto my back, blinking away the remnants of my dreams.
“You smell nice,” Noah murmured, his breath warm against the base of my neck. I hummed in response, tilting my head to the side to give him more access, though my mind was still hazy with sleep. His hands slid down, fingers curling around the strap of my nightgown, pulling it gently. But just as his lips began to trail lower, there was a knock at the door.
“Mommy!”
The soft, innocent voice cut through the air like a cold splash of water.
“Fuck!” Noah hissed, his eyes snapping shut in frustration. He rolled off the bed with a groan, running a hand through his hair as he went to answer the door. The sight of my daughter standing there, chitching a pillow to her chest, instantly made my heart swell and ache at the same time.
“I can’t sleep,” she said, her voice small but clear, her eyes wide and unassuming as she looked between Noah and me.
I sat up, my heart melting at the sight of her. This used to happen more often when she was younger, but lately, it had become rare. Gia was growing up so fast, too fast for my liking, and every day she seemed a little more independent, a little further away from needing me like she used 10. It was bittersweet.
Noah, on the other hand, looked far from charmed by the interruption. He pinched the bridge of his nose, irritation radiating off him in waves. His eyes locked on mine, frustration etched across his features, before he flung the door open wider with a sharp, unnecessary motion that made both Gia and I flinch. Without another word, he stormed out, leaving the room in tense silence.
Gia stood there, clutching her pillow even tighter, her small body trembling just slightly. My poor baby.
“Come here, sweetie,” I said softly, patting the bed beside me for her to hop up. The moment she did, I pulled her into my arms, holding her close as I kissed the top of her head. The soft scent of her shampoo filled my senses, grounding me in the moment.
“Why is he angry, Mommy?” she asked, her voice muffled as she buried her face in my neck. Gia was a sensitive little girl. She was easily hurt whenever someone was rude to her.
“He’s not angry, sweetheart,” I lied, my heart aching as I stroked her hair. “Just a little stressed.”
Noah’s reaction had stunned me, too. I understood frustration, sure, but taking it out on a child? He behaved like he was seriously sex deprived And if he was then the one to blame was him. That wasn’t acceptable. It wasn’t like this happened every night. I was going to have to have a serious talk with him about this.
But before I could lose myself in those thoughts, Cia pulled me back.
“Mommy,” she said, her voice softer now, “Why is Daddy not with us?”
I froze. That was not the question I had been expecting. It hadn’t come up in a long time. Aiden’s face was the first thing that came to mind and my heart skipped a beat there. What would he do if he knew he had a daughter?
There were two possibilities.
Either he wouldn’t care
Or he could get her custody. He was loaded. I knew it the very first night. Hence, getting her custody would be a child’s play for him.
This possibility had fucking terrified me and that in fact was the reason why I hadn’t tried to reach out to him after I was pregnant with Gia. She was the only person I had left and under no circumstance I could afford to lose her. That made me a selfish person but I had to work with the guilt. “I–I told you, sweetheart. I couldn’t find him. This was what I had told her growing up when she had asked about her father.
Her brows dipped, “Did he go away because I was bad?”
“What Who told you you w
were bad?” I was confused. Never heard that before. Bad? Where did that come from?
“ha said that it happens to bad girls. Their daddys leave them. There was a slight tremble in her chin. Why were some kids this meant And stupid. I swear this kind of rude children made me wanna yeet them out of the windows.
“That’s not true. Isa or anyone else who tells you this is wrong. You’re not bad. You’re the most beautiful and the absolute best person in my life.” 1 gently tucked away a few strands of hair from her face. She had her father’s hair colour. A light shade of brown. And his eyes. She looked more like
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him than me. But she was beautiful.
“Really“” Gus peered up at me and it’s a little hard for me to describe that feeling. The way they look up at you for confirmation, like how much a kingle yes or no from you matters to them, it’s an odd sense of pride.
“Krally” Getting the required reassurance, she stuffed her face in the crook of my neck. I gently stroked her head.
“Mommy loves you.”
“And 1 love Mommy toor She pulled back just enough to look at my face and offered me a toothy grin.
The best fucking part of my day!
田
