YOU WANT YOUR FREEDOM? TAKE IT

Chapter 2

The silence that followed his words wasn’t just quiet; it was deafening.

It felt as though the air had been entirely sucked out of the room, leaving Riley gasping.

Her mind spun violently as she tried to process the horrible words that had just left Fredrick’s mouth.

Bastard child.

“Say that again,” Riley whispered. Her voice didn't even sound like her own. It was a hollow, fractured thing. “Fredrick, look at me and say that again.”

Fredrick didn't blink. He stood there, entirely unbothered, adjusting the expensive gold watch on his wrist as if he hadn't just shattered her entire world.

The casual indifference radiating from him made the blood in Riley's veins turn to ice.

“Oh, did I stutter, Riley?” he asked, a lazy, cruel smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. He took a slow step toward her, his presence suffocating.

“Or is that thick skull of yours too heavy to understand basic English? I said, Iris is a bastard. She isn’t mine.”

SMACK

The sound of Riley’s palm connecting with Fredrick's cheek echoed sharply through the room.

The force of the slap jerked his head to the side, his smirk instantly vanishing as his skin flared a violent, angry red.

For years, Riley had swallowed her pride. She had stayed quiet through the digs about her weight, the cruel remarks from his mother and sister, and the agonizing humiliation of his public affairs.

She had endured the hell of this marriage because she desperately wanted her daughter to grow up with a father's love.

But as she stared at the man in front of her, the heavy feeling of hurt cleared, replaced by a searing, protective rage.

“Don’t you dare call my daughter that,” Riley hissed, her voice vibrating with a fierce, terrifying authority. She stood tall, stepping directly into his space.

“You could insult me all you want, Fredrick. You could call me fat, you could let your family treat me like garbage, and I took it. But I will never let you or anyone else insult my child. And from this moment on, I won't let you breathe another insult to me, either.”

Fredrick touched his jaw, his eyes narrowing into slits of pure fury. “You crazy bitch...”

“You want me gone so you can finally be with your mistress and her daughter,” she cut him off, giving a short, bitter laugh that had no real feeling behind it.

“That’s what this pathetic charade is, isn't it? If you wanted out of this marriage so badly, you should have just said it! You didn't have to fabricate a disgusting lie and label my innocent child a bastard just to clear your conscience!”

“Fabricate?” Fredrick sneered, reaching into the inner pocket of his tailored suit jacket. He pulled out a thick, white envelope and slammed it against her chest.

“Take a look at the DNA results yourself, Riley. I had it done weeks ago. The day I picked her up from school? I swabbed her cheek. The probability of paternity is zero percent. It’s right there.”

Riley forced her tears back, swallowing the lump in her throat. She snatched the envelope from him, her nails digging into the paper as she pulled it out.

Her hands shook violently as her eyes scrambled across the page, desperately searching for the truth, until they locked onto the bolded text at the bottom.

The alleged father is excluded from paternity.

A cold chill ran down her spine. She knew the truth. She knew with absolute certainty that she had never been with another man. This paper had to be a fake, a sick trick, or a massive mistake.

But looking at the pure hatred burning in Fredrick’s eyes, she realized the truth didn't even matter to him. He hadn't even bothered to check if the test was real. He didn't care.

It was all his grandfather's idea to get them married in the first place, forcing them together to protect the family name. Fredrick had never loved her.

They were only stuck in this miserable position because of a single one-night stand ten years ago.

He had checked out of their lives before they even started. He didn't deserve to be a father. He didn't deserve a single bit of Iris's love.

“Where are the divorce papers?” Riley demanded, her voice cutting through the room like steel.

She wasn't going to stand here and argue with him anymore. The moment she saw that fake test, she knew exactly where this was going.

He had been looking for an escape route for ten years, and he finally built one out of lies.

Fine. She was going to make this incredibly easy for him. She was done fighting for a man who hated her.

Fredrick blinked, momentarily thrown off by her sudden lack of tears. He recovered quickly, a smug look returning to his face. He reached back into his jacket and pulled out a second, folded document.

“Right here. My lawyer drafted them weeks ago. I was going to serve you tomorrow, but since you’re so eager....” of course he did, Riley thought painfully.

“Give it to me,” she snapped, snatching the papers and the pen from his hand.

Without a single second of hesitation, Riley marched over to the dining table. She didn't even bother to read a single line of the fine print.

She already knew exactly what was in there... Fredrick would have made absolutely sure she left with nothing but the clothes on her back, stripped of every single penny.

And she didn't care. She didn't need anything from him, and most especially, she didn't want his dirty money.

She flipped straight to the signature page and signed her name in bold, aggressive strokes.

She slammed the pen down, turned around, and shoved the signed documents back into his chest.

“There,” she said, her eyes flashing with a dangerous, unyielding fire. “You want your freedom? Take it. This is the best thing that could ever happen to my child, because you don’t deserve the privilege of having a daughter. You don’t deserve her love.”

She didn't waste another breath on him. Turning on her heel, Riley walked purposefully toward the grand staircase.

“Riley! Where do you think you’re going?” Fredrick called out, his voice tinged with a sudden, tense irritation as the control slipped from his hands. “This is my house! You leave when I tell you to!”

She didn't even look back. “I’m taking my daughter, and we are leaving this toxic house tonight.”

She moved up the stairs, her heart beating fast. It wasn’t from fear, but from the raw, desperate urge to protect her child. She pushed open the door to Iris's bedroom.

The little girl was standing right by her bed, her small hands tightly clutching her knees. Her eyes were wide and filled with tears.

She had heard all the shouting from downstairs. Even at ten years old, she had heard the finality in her parents' voices and knew her life was changing forever.

“Mommy?” Iris whispered, her voice trembling.

Riley didn't let her see the panic. She walked over, her expression softening into something incredibly warm but fiercely strong. She wrapped her arms around her daughter, pulling her into a tight, protective embrace.

“Pack your favorite things into your backpack right now, sweetie,” Riley said softly, wiping a stray tear from Iris's cheek. “We’re leaving. Mummy will take you to a place where you'll be treated nice.”

Iris looked into her mother's eyes and saw a version of Riley she had never seen before, a woman who was no longer afraid. The little girl nodded quickly, grabbing her bag.

Minutes later, Riley led Iris down the stairs, holding her hand tightly. Fredrick was still standing right there in the middle of the front hall, holding the signed papers, watching them with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

Riley didn't spare him a glance. She shielded Iris with her body, walked straight past him, and pulled open the heavy front doors.