Chapter 6:
“Freya Briggs!” Kristian’s control frayed, his shout raw with warning. “You’re delusional.”
She didn’t flinch, status be damned. “Think. Why would I trash my fresh start—my freedom—over someone like her?”
“You know exactly why.” His voice dropped lower, a blade pressed to her throat.
A realization flickered. “Ah. You think I’m still obsessed with you?”
Kristian said nothing, but his clenched jaw and the fire in his eyes were answer enough.
“Why should I still want you?” Freya laughed, the sound brittle. “After being treated as a stand-in? After your infidelity? After watching you fawn over another woman?”
The words landed like slaps.
Kristian stiffened. “I didn’t cheat,” he ground out.
“You handed her your heart while wearing my ring.” Her smile was lethal. “That’s cheating.”
“Enough deflection,” he snapped.
“You’re the one hallucinating conspiracies!”
Silence. Kristian studied her, as if peeling back layers for the first time. The weight of his scrutiny was suffocating.
Freya refused to wilt. “So she claimed I hired a man to kill her, and you just… believed her?”
“Yes.” His anger faltered under her unwavering stare, but the frost remained. “Ashley didn’t lie. And she has proof.”
Freya’s brows arched.
𝗥𝖊𝖆𝗱 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝖔𝗇𝖑𝗒 𝗮𝘁 𝗀ⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀﹒ⅽ𝗈𝗺
Her fingers dug into her bag strap, knuckles whitening. “Perfect. Let’s go to the hospital. Right now.”
Kristian blinked. Her immediate agreement threw him.
Guilty people didn’t invite confrontation.
Doubt slithered in. Was the evidence fabricated?
“Move.” Her command shattered his thoughts.
He released her wrist, disconcerted by her detachment. Something ugly twisted in his chest—annoyance? Guilt? Before he could name it, he yanked out his keys and wrenched the car door open.
Gerard stepped forward swiftly to take the keys, assuming the role of driver without hesitation.
Freya yanked the passenger door open and slid inside, her gaze fixed straight ahead—ignoring Kristian entirely.
A knot of dread tightened in Gerard’s chest. What if Freya said something outrageous? The thought made his fingers clench around the wheel.
After a weighted pause, he ventured, “Mrs. Shaw, you—”
“Drive.” Her reply was a blade, sharp and final.
Gerard flicked a glance at the rearview mirror. Kristian’s expression gave nothing away.
Swallowing hard, he pulled out of the parking area.
Silence smothered the car like a thick fog.
The tension was unbearable. Gerard’s shoulders tensed, his grip on the steering wheel turning his knuckles white.
.
.
.