Chapter 4 004

FREYA

“I mean…” He waved his hand at me, like he was brushing off dust. “Maybe you should pay more attention to yourself. Maybe that can… fix things.”

I stared at him, confused. “Fix what exactly?”

He hesitated. He looked at me and looked away. Then he looked back like he’d forced himself to say it.

“Freya… Take a look at your stomach. Your shape. Your waist. I mean… you know… you look kind of… like….”

The words hit me like someone had swung something straight into my chest. My eyes burned instantly, hot and red. Not the soft kind of tears. The painful kind one that anger brings.

“Are you body shaming me right now, Mark?” My voice cracked, but it was still sharp.

He lifted his hands a bit. “I’m not shaming you. I’m just saying maybe if you—”

“After everything my body has been through? That’s what you have to say to me?” I stepped toward him, my breath shaky. “Do you remember the complications I had when I gave birth to Luna? Do you remember the blood loss? The stitches? The months I could barely stand straight without feeling like something inside me was tearing?”

He stared at me, but his face stayed cold. Blank. Like none of it mattered.

“I lost my tiny waist because I carried our daughter,” I said. “Because I survived something that almost took me away from her. And you’re pointing at my stomach?”

Mark shrugged slightly, still trying to act like he was making sense. “Freya… I’m just being honest. You don’t look the same. And maybe that’s part of why things feel… off. I’m just saying it could help if you worked on yourself.”

Something inside me just snapped.

I slapped him before I even realized my hand had moved. The sound cracked through the room, sharp and loud. His head jerked to the side, and for the first time, he actually looked speechless.

“I hate you”

I turned and walked out immediately, my footsteps fast and uneven.

Tears were already spilling before I reached the hallway.

I wiped them with the back of my hand, but more came. I took the long corridor instead, the one that curved behind the guest rooms, just so Luna and the nanny wouldn’t see me like this.

My breath kept breaking in my chest as I walked, and my mind wouldn’t stop replaying his words. Your stomach… your waist….

Fix what?

Fix myself so I could be worth his attention again?

Fix myself so he wouldn’t look at other women?

My heart dropped hard. Because suddenly, everything made sense in the most painful way.

So he cheated because of this. He looked at me and saw someone he didn’t want anymore, and that stupid video I saw wasn’t just lust or a mistake. It was him choosing someone else because I wasn’t the girl with the tiny waist he married.

A sick feeling hit my throat.

Of course he’d run to her. His college friend. The model-looking one. The one with the long legs and flat stomach and perfect figure she never had to fight for. The one who looked exactly like the type of woman men cheat with in movies and real life.

I pressed my hand against the wall for balance, breathing hard.

“I will never forgive you for this, Mark.”

---

I sat on the floor for…. I don’t even know how long. The only difference between me and someone unconscious was that I still knew I was sitting.

I was aware of my body touching the tiles, but nothing else. My eyes were open, but they weren’t seeing anything. It felt like someone stuffed cotton inside my ears. Everything around me was muted and far away, like I was trapped underwater.

I didn’t even hear footsteps. I only felt a hand on my shoulder, and I jolted so hard the breath caught in my throat.

When I looked up, it was Rebecca. Luna’s nanny.

She had that look. The one people give when they already know something went wrong, but they are scared to ask.

“Are you okay?” she asked quietly.

“I’m fine,” I said, even though my voice didn’t sound like mine. I pushed myself up from the floor. My legs were stiff, like they forgot how to be legs.

Rebecca stretched my phone toward me. “It has been ringing for a long time. That is why I came to get it for you.”

“Thank you.”

I took it from her and looked at the screen.

Fifteen missed calls.

All from my store manager. Of course. Problems never respect timing; I guess something is wrong at the store.

Just as I wanted to walk away, I stopped and forced myself to ask, “What about my hus—…”

I closed my eyes because even saying the word felt like lifting something heavy.

“My husband and Luna.”

“They left already,” Rebecca said softly. “I packed Luna’s lunch. Her spare bottle. And her cardigan, snacks. She was quiet this morning, though.”

Quiet.

I nodded. “Alright. Thank you.”

I walked away, checking my phone as I went. A long text from Gladys lit up the screen. Supplier issues. Asking for permission to take funds and handle it.

I typed back, “Gladys, please sort it. I grant you permission.”

My throat was dry like I had swallowed dust. It was still early, but my body felt like it had lived the whole day already. I made my way downstairs to the kitchen.

Rebecca followed behind silently.

“You can go,” I said without turning. “I’m fine.”

She hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“Go, Rebecca. Please.”

She hesitated, then nodded. Rebecca didn’t live in the main house. She stayed in the small apartment behind the courtyard and only came over when Luna was around. But right now I could see it… she didn’t want to leave me alone.

I forced a small smile. “I’m okay.”

The moment she walked away, my knees almost buckled, but I held the railing and kept moving.

I walked straight to the sink. poured myself a cup of water. My hand shook a little, but I ignored it and drank everything in one go.

When I dropped the glass cup, the sound echoed around the kitchen. I didn’t move away from the counter. I just closed my eyes and breathed out slowly.

Then I looked up, right at the ceiling.

“Daddy… your friend’s son is no longer treating your daughter right,” I whispered.

Saying it out loud burned. Not because of Mark. Because my father wasn’t here to hear it.

I stepped out of the kitchen and headed for the living room. I was about to turn toward the hallway that led to my room when I saw Rebecca’s figure still by the entrance.

“Rebecca,” I called, surprised she was still there.

I walked toward her slowly. And that was when I noticed someone else was standing there.

I walked closer just to see who Rebecca was talking to, and the moment I got close enough to actually see his face and body, I almost lost my breath. Or maybe I was just being silly. But honestly…

who the hell is this?