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♡Astrid♡We arrived at the compound within minutes. Freya was still curled up at my side, and I stroked her hair absentmindedly, my mind racing with what to do next.Derrick wouldn’t be put on trial without solid evidence. Just Freya and me testifying wouldn’t be enough either. Hell, I even doubted if Mom would believe us.She trusted that man—loved him, even. That scumbag.There was no way I was letting Freya go back to that house while Derrick was still there.Adrian killed the ignition and adjusted the rearview mirror, his eyes meeting mine. He raised a brow but stayed silent.I pressed my lips together and rubbed Freya’s shoulder gently."Hey," I whispered. She lifted her head slightly. "We need to go in now, yeah?"She nodded and sat up. Adrian stepped out of the car, and she glanced at him before turning back to me."You really married him, huh?" she murmured.I gave a small smile before opening the door and stepping out. She followed.Adrian stood outside, waiting. Once we we
♤Adrian♤She still had her arms around me. To say I momentarily froze was an understatement. Hell, I had no idea what the fuck was going on."Astrid," I called quietly, my arms stiff at my sides, unsure of what to do. She sniffled and tightened her grip, holding on like I was the only thing keeping her from falling apart."One second, Voss," she muttered, voice small, almost pleading. I let her.I couldn’t push her away, not when she was like this. I couldn’t even ask why—because, well, it was none of my fucking business.But I knew. It had something to do with why her sister was here. She dodged my question earlier, right before we hit the road, and that told me all I needed to know—she didn’t want to talk about it.I had my own things I didn’t want to talk about either.Her grip loosened, and she took a step back. The loss of her warmth hit immediately, like stepping outside on a cold night.She brushed her hair out of her face, but in the darkness, I couldn’t see her expression. I
♡Astrid♡When I woke up the next morning, I was alone in bed — in my room. It felt a little too quiet.I sat up slowly and rubbed my forehead. My head was pounding. I looked around the room. Where was Freya?“Fre?” I called out. My voice was raspy. Maybe she was in the bathroom? But there was no answer.I pushed the blanket off and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. Please don’t tell me she left and went to the living room. If she did, she might’ve run into… fuck!I quickly left the room, not bothering to close the door. As I went downstairs, I tried not to move too fast because of my headache.When I reached the bottom and looked into the living room, I saw her. Freya was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed. I let out a breath, feeling relieved — until I saw who was sitting across from her.Adrian.What the hell?Back when Adrian and I were dating, he and Freya were always at each other's neck.Now? Freya was glaring at him, and Adrian just stared at her like he didn’t ca
♤Adrian♤I got into my car and drove out of the compound with Freya's words echoing in my mind."Why are you back in her life? Are you planning to hurt her the second time? Maybe take her life this time?"It was confusing as hell, because I had no fucking idea what she was talking about. I was going to ask, but Astrid chose that moment to come downstairs, and I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened after our breakup that would make Freya say something like that.I was still thinking about her words when I noticed a figure outside the gate. A familiar one. Looked like they recognized me too.I slowed down, my brows furrowed. What the fuck was Nova doing here?She walked toward my car, a small, hesitant smile on her face."Hi," she said, stopping in front of the window. My frown deepened."And what are you doing here?" I asked coldly. She pursed her lips, tucking a strand of her fake hair behind her ear.Astrid was right. She’d dyed her hair blonde—I could clearly see her brown r
♡Astrid♡Mum eventually found out. Freya was at my place because, well, according to her, Alexia had stopped by to ask about Freya's well-being.We'd set up a meeting by evening, and that explained why I'm sitting across from my mother—again. Different restaurant this time, but Freya was next to me, fidgeting slightly with the hem of her sleeve.Mum's gaze was unreadable, and while Freya stared down at her hands, I decided to let the cat out of the bag."We have an issue," I started, and Mum pressed her lips together, her expression unreadable."Still doesn't explain why Freya was in your house and you didn't care to tell me about it," she shot back, a bite to her tone, her fingers tightening around the glass of water in front of her.I ignored it, forcing myself to stay calm."It's about Derrick," I continued, and Mum sat up a little straighter. The movement was subtle, but I saw it. Her gaze flicked to Freya before returning to me, now slightly guarded."And what about him?" she a
♡Astrid♡Once we got home, I made sure Freya had freshened up and gone to bed before I waited for Adrian in the living room.I knew he wasn't back because one of his cars wasn't in the garage, and the easier way to get him was to wait for him in the living room.I sat on the couch and tipped my head back before closing my eyes. God, I was so fucking tired.It sucks having a mother who wouldn't believe she made a poor choice of a man who abused a child under his care and was ready to do so to another a couple of years later.It totally sucks.I had a lot on my mind that I had no idea when I drifted off.Someone was touching me. Soft finger brushes across my cheeks, and they were tucking my hair behind my ear.The touch drifted down, and I tensed up immediately. Derrick.The smell of wood and body wash. It irritated me—I hated it.It went further down and down; I could feel it on my thighs. I shook my head, muttering words that weren't audible even to me.I hated when he touched me. He
♡Astrid♡"What? Why?" he asked and I sucked in a breath and leaned slightly into the couch."He tried to abuse Freya," I whispered and his brows furrowed. "What?""I know it's hard to believe, but... that's why she's here. Lucky for her, she got away before it got worse."He shook his head slowly. "That's... horrible."I nodded. At least one person agreed."Do you have proof? Anything? Freya’s word probably won't be enough."He didn’t know I was once a victim too. Nobody knew and neither did Adrian.I never told him when we were dating. I thought I was healed. But seeing it happen to my sister—by that same man—showed me I’d only buried it."There are two witnesses. And a text."He raised a brow. "A witness aside from Freya?"I nodded and met his eyes. He looked at me for a long second, before they narrowed slightly."Who's the other witness?"I gave a small casual shrug. "Some girl..."But it seemed like he'd picked up on my body language. "Did he touch you too?" His voice was cold,
♡Astrid♡After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I sauntered out to go find Adrian. If I was lucky, he would still be at home, but if not, I'd have to call him.I walked up to his door and knocked. Once. Twice. There was no response.I turned away and walked toward the gym. He’d left. A little earlier than usual.Pushing the door open, I walked into the cold space. I should burn a few calories and get off some tension before seeing Joan and Aaron.And there I paused. He was there.His body glistened with sweat as he hit the punching bag like it didn’t hurt. Every punch echoed in the room. The muscles in his back flexed with every move, and those pants?He really needed to stop wearing them. It should’ve been illegal to look that good in sweatpants.“Enjoying the view?” His voice came out raspy and in quick breaths. I quickly cleared my throat and walked farther into the room.“What are you talking about?” I asked, glancing at the treadmill. I walked toward it.He stopped hitting
♤Adrian♤A knock came on the door and I looked up from the files I was buried in. After the meeting, I decided to stay back for some hours and sort out a few things that needed my attention."Come in," I muttered, and the knob turned. Axel walked in. I sat up a little straighter.He had a tablet in his hands, and my eyes fell on them almost immediately.I flipped through the pages of the files, trying to act casual as though I wasn’t fucking curious—I was. Curious as hell about what he’d come here for and what he had to say."So, about what you asked me to look into this morning," he started, and I gave a curt nod, raising a brow."Yeah?""She was pretty easy to look into. Background and everything," he said, drawing out the seat in front of my desk and settling in like he owned the space."What did you find?" I asked, glancing at my wristwatch. A couple of minutes past 1."From recent records, turns out she's married," he said. I raised my eyes to meet his. He gave me a knowing look.
♡Astrid♡Once Adrian left the house, I went back into my room, freshened up, and left. I had a meeting with Jason, the head of Aaron’s rival company.We’d met at the gala, and he was the only one who could help me get even with Adrian. All I had was a month and a half.Sleeping with Adrian would just be the icing on the cake. I didn’t want anything to do with him afterward—I was sure of it.My phone rang as I stepped outside. I reached for it inside my bag and stared down at the caller. It was Nora."Yeah?" I said as I picked up. There was a brief pause on the other end."Ash, you're needed at the office," she said quietly, and I stopped walking. From her voice, I could tell something was wrong.I hadn’t been around the office much lately, especially with the news going around—which, yeah, was true, but they didn’t know that. Nora had been handling things well.If she was calling me in, it meant something had happened—something she couldn’t handle. And if Nora couldn’t handle it, it w
♤Adrian♤"You got him?" I asked, tucking the phone between my shoulder and neck while buttoning my shirt."He gave a fake signal. He was never really going to Washington," Axel said.I froze, my hand still on the last button.What?"How the fuck did he pull that off?" I muttered, irritation flaring. Derrick playing me was the last thing I needed right now.I had enough to deal with. My wife, for one. We’d crossed a line last night—one we couldn’t uncross.And now, she was my next puzzle. Something wasn’t right. After our breakup, something happened. I didn’t know what, and it was eating at me.There’s a scar under her wrist. What put it there? What did Maya mean when she said Astrid almost died? Why did Astrid shut down when I asked about the past?No one was going to hand me the answers. I’d have to dig them out myself. And this time, I would.A sound. I looked up. Astrid stood at the top of the staircase, head tilted slightly.Our eyes locked. I straightened, pulling the phone from
♡Astrid♡His fingers slid into my hair, tugging hard at the roots. My lips parted in a silent moan, a rush of pain and pleasure rushing through me.Let's not even talk about the warmth pooling low in my belly.His eyes met mine, and he raised a brow."Sure you want to do this?" he asked, and I narrowed my eyes."Backing out already?" I shot back, watching the way his lips curved into a smile — a little sadistic, a little knowing.He said nothing else before walking out of my room. I didn’t stop him. I knew exactly where we were going.Even though a part of me hesitated, the rest of me didn’t care. Not anymore."You're wet for me, huh?" he asked, voice hoarse as he pushed the door to his bedroom open and kicked it shut behind us."Wanna find out yourself?" I teased, and he tossed me onto the bed. I propped up on my elbows, heart hammering, trying to guess his next move.But Adrian wasn’t the kind of man you could ever figure out.He grabbed my ankles and yanked me to the edge of the be
♡Astrid♡We hadn’t spoken to each other for days. Well, technically, I hadn’t spoken to Adrian and did my best to avoid him.I either stayed in my room all day or left the house more than necessary, even if I had nowhere to go. I’d either take a walk or go to my office.Anything that kept me out of his space. Which explained why I was still locked in my room by past eight in the evening, sleeping.I didn’t get a lot of sleep at night and I couldn’t go to Adrian’s room either, so I just tried fighting the demons myself.And honestly, it hadn’t been very successful.It was a call from Freya that woke me up.Her school had gone on a trip to California — for God knows what — and coincidentally, Mum’s brother stayed over there. Freya had just, well... decided she wasn’t gonna come back.I was fine with it, as long as she was safe and far away from that monster, who we still hadn’t found.“Hey,” I muttered once the call connected, my voice a little groggy as I rubbed my eyes.There was a li
♡Astrid♡I slid my fingers into his hair, and just like that, he kissed me back. His arm tightened around my waist, shaky and desperate, pulling me closer.And, well—it didn’t feel fake. Not even with a pair of eyes on us.His tongue brushed mine, and I pressed a hand to his chest to stop him before things went too far.Because if we didn’t, this wouldn’t end well. We might as well start acting out a porn scene.He must’ve caught the signal because his hand swept along my back before he pulled away. I gave a tight smile and looked off to the side.“I’m surprised you’re back this early,” I muttered, finally meeting his eyes again. They looked like a lighter shade of brown—my favorite kind.That color made him look easygoing, warm, and even funny. But when his eyes went cold, he turned into someone else completely. Detached. Unreachable.“Yeah?” he murmured, running his fingers through my hair. God, that felt so calming. His gaze flicked past me, and I knew—he’d seen her.He raised a br
♤Unknown♤Turning the knob, I walked into the study where Nox was waiting for me.The thick scent of cigarette smoke hit me, and I wrinkled my nose."How many times do I have to tell you not to fucking smoke in my house?" I snapped, shutting the door behind me. He just bared his teeth, plucked the cigarette from his lips, and crushed it into the ashtray.I walked over and sat down across from him. He crossed his legs and leaned back in his seat, moving with an ease that didn’t match his bulk.He was a massive man—dangerous because of it—and that's exactly why I kept him close."It's been a long time, Gary. So why am I here? You don’t just call for nothing," he muttered. I pressed my lips together and leaned forward, grabbing a photo from under one of the files.I pushed it across the table. His eyes stayed on mine for a second before he looked down.His brows pulled together as he stared at the image."She's still alive," I said. He looked up, his gaze meeting mine."It’s been five ye
♤Adrian♤I called Axel the moment I drove out of the compound."Where is he?" I asked as soon as he picked up. There was a pause."My sources say he left the house last night and hasn’t been back. No sign of travel or anything," he said. My jaw tightened."And?""He didn’t look like he was running. Nothing suspicious," Axel added. My brain scrambled trying to piece one and two together. “There’s a good chance he either played us… or he was taken,” Axel muttered. I pressed my lips together.Derrick was smart—but not smart enough to know I had men watching him, close enough to track his every move.So maybe he was abducted. But by who? And why?"How’s the search?" I asked."We’re doing what we can. Nothing solid yet. Tracking his last movements. I’ll update you if anything turns up," he said, sounding frustrated."Even if it’s just a guess, tell me right away," I said and ended the call.I turned the wheel, changing course. I wasn’t heading to the office anymore.I drove to Maya’s.It
♡Astrid♡Hands. Fingers. They were everywhere all over my body, grabbing me roughly.I tried to fight it, but it was stronger than me. Screaming didn't help either, and it felt like I was drowning.And then it felt like the life was being snuffed out of me. I woke up with a gasp, drenched in sweat. I leaned forward and switched on the bed light.Light flooded the room, but it did nothing to help me relax. I was in my room, all alone, and God, it was a little frightening.Moments like this made me wish Freya was still here and hadn't gone on that school trip. But who was I to stop her? She needed to clear her head too, and that trip was a great distraction while I sorted things out.Sliding out of bed, I grabbed my phone and walked barefoot towards the door. I needed a glass of water—it’d calm me down.Once I was outside my room, I knew I didn't need water. I glanced at Adrian's door.Should I go there? Wouldn't it be weird? Yeah, he'd told me two days ago to come in whenever I wante