Chapter 169:
Liam tilted his head, his expression sharpening with concern. “What’s going on?”
“Just trust me,” Freya responded, her voice deliberately steady. Though confusion flickered across Liam’s face, he respected her enough not to press further. The truth would reveal itself eventually.
The surgery concluded an hour later.
Medical staff transferred Ashley to a recovery room, where the doctor delivered his assessment. “The patient experienced a miscarriage and has multiple surface abrasions, but no critical injuries beyond that.”
“A miscarriage?” Liam echoed, his eyes widening.
He reflexively turned toward Freya, whose composure remained intact. For the first time, unease crept through his veins. Could Kristian have fathered the child?
Freya merely expressed gratitude to the doctor before walking purposefully toward Ashley’s room.
Liam hastened after her. As they traversed the sterile hallway, the question burst from his lips. “Is the child Kristian’s?”
“I’m not certain,” Freya admitted truthfully.
Despite Kristian’s insistence that intimacy with Ashley never occurred, only the two of them knew the reality.
Words failed Liam. If Kristian had indeed fathered the child, the situation would grow exponentially more complicated.
“I need to make a call,” Liam declared, feeling compelled to summon Kristian for direct questioning. “Continue without me; I’ll join you momentarily.”
Freya recognized his intention to contact Kristian and made no attempt to dissuade him.
Your imagination begins with gαℓησν𝒆𝓁s﹒ç𝗈𝗺
The accumulated weight of recent events had depleted her emotional reserves beyond caring.
She arrived at Ashley’s room five minutes later. Ashley had regained consciousness, and a nurse had just connected her intravenous line.
“Where’s Kristian?” Ashley demanded immediately.
Freya stood motionless, struck speechless.
The audacity remained intact, despite everything.
“The driver who struck me was your secret lover behind Kristian’s back, wasn’t he?” Ashley’s voice dropped to a near whisper, her gaze boring into Freya. “Imagine Kristian’s reaction when I tell him your jealous lover targeted me deliberately.”
Freya’s brow furrowed involuntarily. Had Ashley failed to recognize Liam?
“I don’t want to falsely accuse you,” Ashley stated bluntly, “but peace will elude me until your relationship with Kristian dissolves completely. I must secure him; he belongs exclusively to me.”
“The vehicle contained a dashboard camera,” Freya replied, her tone matter-of-fact.
Ashley released a hollow laugh. “Do you honestly believe Kristian will trust your recorded footage over my testimony?”
Ashley was certain that her injuries and miscarriage would undoubtedly awaken Kristian’s protective instincts. That single encounter before returning home had unexpectedly resulted in pregnancy…
Keeping the child remained impossible. Even if Kristian attributed it to that regrettable hotel incident and accepted it now, she couldn’t risk it. Kristian’s current acceptance offered no guarantee against future resentment.
.
.
.