Chapter 4 4

Tears streamed down Freya cheeks as Mason words pierced her fragile heart like broken shards of glass. The weight of his accusations, coupled with the anger in his voice, crushed her spirit, leaving her feeling utterly defenseless and alone.

"Please, you have to believe me. I would never do anything to hurt my sister," Freya pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper as she struggled to choke back her sobs.

But Mason's gaze remained cold and unyielding, his eyes burning with a mixture of anger and grief as he stared at her from across the room.

"Your sister was all I had," Mason's voice cracked with emotion, his words heavy with sorrow. "She was my future, but you took her away from me."

Freya's heart ached at the pain in Mason's voice, the depth of his grief cutting her to the core. She longed to reach out to him, to offer him comfort and solace in his time of need, but she knew that her words would fall on deaf ears. Her attempts to help him release his pain were just a mere dream.

"I'm sorry, Mason. I never meant for any of this to happen," Freya whispered, her voice choked with tears as she struggled to find the right words to express her remorse.

But Mason's expression remained impassive, his grief-hardened heart closed off to her pleas for understanding.

"You know this marriage means nothing to me," Mason shouted, his voice laced with bitterness and disgust. "I loved your sister, not you!"

Freya felt as though she had been punched in the gut, the full force of Mason's rejection hitting her like a physical blow. She had known deep down that he didn't love her, but to hear him say the words out loud was a crushing confirmation of her worst fears.

As Mason's anger blazed beneath the surface, he rose from the bed with a sense of purpose, his movements determined as he crossed the room to where Freya stood trembling.

"You're not welcome in my bed, Freya. You took my wife away from me, and I'll be damned if I let you share the same space with me," Mason declared, his voice cold and unforgiving as he tossed a pillow at her feet. "You'll sleep on the floor from now on, where you belong."

Freya's heart clenched with pain at Mason's harsh words, her hopes of finding even a shred of compassion or understanding fell against the cold, hard reality of his hatred.

As she sank to her knees on the unforgiving floor, tears streaming down her face, Freya knew that her marriage to Mason would be a living hell, a constant reminder of the pain and loss that had torn their lives apart.

As she lay down on the floor, her body racked with sobs, Freya knew that her only hope lay in finding a way to escape the suffocating embrace of her husband's hatred before it consumed her completely.

******

Freya awoke the next morning with a heavy heart, the events of the previous night weighing heavily on her mind. As she pushed herself up from the cold, hard floor, she glanced around the dimly lit room, her eyes searching for any sign of Mason's presence, but he was nowhere to be found.

A sense of relief washed over her at his absence, followed by the thought of how the day might turn out for her. With a deep sigh, she pushed herself to her feet and made her way downstairs, her footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.

As she walked down the staircase, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a child's laughter drifting through the air. Curious, Freya hastened her pace, following the sound to the living room where she found her niece, Flora, playing with a toy doll on the floor.

"Flora?" Freya called out softly, a flicker of warmth stirring in her heart at the sight of her sister's daughter.

Flora looked up, her eyes lighting up with delight as she spotted her aunt standing in the doorway.

"Aunt Freya!" Flora exclaimed, jumping up from the floor and rushing over to throw her arms around Freya's legs. "I missed you!"

Freya felt an urge of affection swell within her at Flora's words, her heart melting at the sight of the young girl's innocent smile.

"I missed you too, sweetheart," Freya replied, stooping down to gather Flora into her arms in a tight embrace.

As they hugged, Freya couldn't help but marvel at the playful attitude of children and their ability to find joy in even the darkest of times. For a moment, she allowed herself to feel the warmth of Flora's affection, the weight of her troubles momentarily forgotten in the embrace of her niece's love.

But as the moment passed, reality came crashing back down upon her like a tidal wave, the events of the previous night flooding back into her mind with painful clarity. Mason was her husband and Flora was part of her responsibility.

"Flora, sweetheart, where's your father?" Freya asked, her voice filled with concern as she pulled away from the embrace to look into Flora's eyes.

Flora's smile fell slightly at the mention of her father, her expression clouding with uncertainty.

"Daddy went out early this morning. He said he had some business to attend to," Flora replied, her voice filled with sadness.

Freya felt relief at Flora's words. She took Flora's hand in hers, her heart heavy with uncertainty but her spirit determined to face the challenges that lay ahead.

She promised herself that she was going to be strong for Flora and that she'd do whatever it takes to make her happy.

With Flora's hand clasped firmly in hers, Freya encouraged herself as they both walked into the kitchen. "Let's eat breakfast before it gets cold."

Flora looked up at her aunt with a sweet smile. "I want scrambled eggs and a lot of cookies."

"That's quite the taste, baby. How about toasted bread with tea?" Freya suggested.