Chapter 5

One simple sentence, but it sliced through Freya like a knife, shredding her insides. Her already broken heart felt completely torn apart, making each breath a torment. Her mind buzzed with static; her eyes were empty and dead. The crowd had vanished, leaving only harsh fluorescent lights that brutally highlighted every bruise and cut on her body.

She forced herself up, grabbed the jacket a server had tossed to her, and stumbled outside. Outside, rain poured down in sheets. She walked straight into it, feeling nothing. Cold drops pelted her face and ran down her cheeks—a mockery of tears. She had no tears left to cry.

She drifted through the streets aimlessly. A car pulled alongside. The window slid down, revealing Jasper’s sharp profile.

“Get in.”

Freya acted as if she hadn’t heard, dragging her heavy body forward through the downpour. Jasper’s jaw tightened. “I said, get in.”

Freya stopped, lifting her ghostly face to meet his eyes. “Don’t waste your time, Mr. Whitemore. I’m just the help, remember?”

Her ice-cold tone made him flinch. He jumped out into the rain, grabbing her wrist. “Tonight was messed up, I get that. But I already lost Mia once—I can’t risk losing her again. Whatever happened to you, I’ll make it right somehow. Don’t throw away everything over this.”

This time, Freya wasn’t backing down. She yanked free from his grip, stepping back. Her voice was completely flat.

“That’s rich, Mr. Whitemore. How could someone like me dare hold a grudge against people like you and Miss Carter? I was an idiot who couldn’t see where I belonged. From now on, I’ll remember I’m just staff. I won’t mess up your life anymore. Happy now? Can I go?”

Her words only angered him further. His expression hardened, emotion finally cracking through his cool facade. “You know that’s not what I meant! I never looked down on you. I said that crap just to keep Mia calm. To me, you’re like Elena—”

Whatever came next, Freya couldn’t hear. Everything went fuzzy; her eyelids felt impossibly heavy. Exhausted, she blacked out.

When she finally came to, Freya found herself in a hospital bed. Someone had changed her clothes, cleaned and bandaged her wounds. Medication and water sat on the nightstand. A nurse adjusting her IV noticed she was awake and smiled.

“Hey there! Your boyfriend stayed all night watching over you. Just stepped out.”

Freya’s cracked lips barely moved. Her voice was a rasp. “He’s not my boyfriend. Never was.”

What she and Jasper had was a mistake from day one. Beyond her job title, he’d never acknowledged anything real between them. She’d been lying to herself, building castles in the air. Now she just wanted to wake up from the delusion and leave this place forever, never looking back.

Chapter 6