C5

===== Freya Holloway POV =====

"What is happening? That money… was it from the payout for the accident?" Mom asked. Her eyes were red. She knew. She had to know.

I could not say a word. I just sat there. The truth was too heavy.

"Did you sell yourself?" she whispered. She grabbed my arm so hard her nails dug into my skin. "You cannot have this baby. We are going to the hospital right now!"

"Mom, no! Please, I want to keep it!" I sobbed. I pulled away, but she was strong.

She wouldn't listen. She said if I didn't go, she would end her own life. I had no choice. I was scared, I was crying, and I felt so alone. She dragged me to the Silvermoon Healing Sanctuary. She went to get the forms, leaving me on a cold bench in the hall. My hands were on my belly, shaking.

"I am fine, Lucien. It is just a small burn," a woman said.

I looked up. Lucien Bennett was walking toward me. He was with a woman in a tight black dress. She looked perfect. I looked like a mess, my eyes swollen from crying.

"If the burn leaves a scar, I will never forgive myself," Lucien said, looking at her with such soft eyes.

The woman giggled. "You are too sweet."

I watched them. I felt like a mistake. I was a plus-size girl with a secret I couldn't tell, and he was with someone who fit perfectly by his side.

"Next patient," the nurse said, opening the surgery door. A girl walked out, crying. "It hurts so much..."

I froze. Lucien stopped. He looked at me, then at the door, then back at me. His face went dark. He looked at me with pure hate.

"Do you know her?" the woman with him asked.

"No," Lucien said, his voice cold and sharp.

He thought I was a liar. He thought I was playing a game. He saw me holding my belly at home, and now he saw me here for an abortion. He thought I was a monster.

"Have you thought about it, Freya?" the nurse asked.

I didn't want to do it. I wanted to scream. But Mom was watching. "Yes," I lied, my voice shaking. "I am ready."

I followed the nurse into the room. The door slammed shut. I was alone with the cold tools. I looked at the table. My heart screamed No!

"Lie down," the doctor said.

I looked at the tools. I saw the baby in my head. I couldn't do it. I jumped up. "No! I am not doing this!"

I bolted past the nurse. I ran as fast as I could. I didn't look where I was going. I slammed into someone in the busy hallway.

"I am sorry! I am so sorry!" I cried, rubbing my head.

"Freya?" a man’s voice asked. I looked up. It was Elias.

"Dr. Elias?" I gasped. My eyes went wide. "What are you doing here?"

A bunch of people in white coats stood behind him. One man, the head of the sanctuary, smiled at me. "Dr. Elias is here to give a talk."

Elias was a famous brain doctor. He knew everything about kids who had trouble talking or acting like others. My brother, Caleb, used to be his patient. That is how I knew him.

"Are you sick, Freya?" Elias asked, looking worried.

"Yan!" Mom ran into the hallway. She looked like she was losing her mind. She held my medical papers in her hand. "I heard you ran away!"

"Mom," I whispered. My throat hurt. I wanted to cry so bad.

Elias looked at the head doctor. "Please go ahead without me. I have things to deal with."

"Dr. Elias, please come work for us. Just name your price," the man said.

"I will think about it," Elias said, very polite. He turned to us. "Auntie, let us go outside. This is no place for this."

Mom knew Elias. He had been so kind to us when we had no money for Caleb’s medicine. She trusted him, but she kept a tight grip on my wrist. She was scared I would bolt again.

We got outside, and I dropped to my knees in the dirt. "Mom, please! Caleb is gone. I have nothing left. Let me keep this baby!"

Elias looked at me, then at Mom’s papers. His eyes popped. He realized why I was at the hospital. He looked at me like I was a puzzle he couldn't solve.

I was bawling. I never cried in front of Mom, not even when Caleb died. But today, I was breaking. Mom looked down at me. She saw my pain. She knew she couldn't break me.

"Fine," she sighed, her voice hollow. "Do what you want."

She turned and walked away. She looked so sad. I sat on the ground and cried until my chest ached.

Elias knelt down. He was so gentle. He reached out to touch my hair, but I pulled away. "Thank you for the past, Elias. I will pay you back one day, I promise."

He pulled his hand back and smiled a sad smile. "You are silly, Freya. I helped because I wanted to. You owe me nothing."

"I owe you everything," I said.

He helped me up. "Where do you live? I will take you home."

When we got to the house, I jumped out. "Will you come back here again?" Elias asked.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Never."

I went inside. Mom was sitting in a chair, wiping her eyes. I told her everything about the deal with Lucien. She was shocked, but she understood. She knew I had no choice.

That night, I went back to the Bennett Citadel. Lucien wasn't home. I took a walk in the garden and then went inside for a glass of water.

The door swung open. Lucien walked in. And right behind him was Rowan Ashcroft.

My heart sank. He brought her here? At this hour?

Rowan saw me and froze. Her eyes flicked to Lucien. She looked like she was trying to read his mind. She knew who I was.

"I am going to my room," I said, trying to slip past them.

"Wait," Lucien growled. He looked at me with those cold, hard eyes. "Rowan is the lady of this house. Not you. Do you understand?"

"I know," I said. "I am just sleeping."

Rowan stepped toward me. She had a look on her face that made my skin crawl. It was too sweet. "I am sorry, Freya," she said, sounding fake. "I know you have a deal with Lucien. But we have been together a long time. If you weren't here, I would be the one married to him. We are in love."

"So?" I asked. I didn't get it. Why was she telling me this? Was she trying to look like a saint?

"I just feel bad that he doesn't love you," she said, smiling that fake smile.

I felt sick. Lucien watched us, his eyes squinted. "What is that look on your face?" he snapped at me.

I looked at him, then at Rowan. "What do you want me to say?"