Chapter 4 The Truth on His Phone

After taking care of work-related matters, I grabbed a large trash bag and headed straight home. I stuffed everything Cressida hadn't had a chance to take with her into the bag.

"If you want it, go dig it out of the trash yourself."

I was done trying to explain myself.

Whether Leo believed I was pregnant or thought I'd stolen Cressida's place didn't matter anymore. I was leaving anyway.

I didn't wait for his reply. I put on my headphones and kept sorting through the clutter.

Then, a series of frantic knocks jolted me out of my thoughts.

"Cressida! Don't hide in there and ignore me!"

I jumped, then crept toward the door. Through the peephole, I saw a man with a scar on his face.

I'd never met him, but I had a pretty good idea who he was.

Gideon.

A chill ran down my spine. Afraid to make a move, I called Leo and kept my voice low.

"Gideon's been looking for Cressida. I was worried something might happen, so I gave him your address," Leo replied casually. "Just deal with him for me. Gideon doesn't know you, so he won't do anything to you."

He spoke as if it were no big deal.

I hadn't even had a chance to curse him out when Gideon forced his way through the door. "So, you're the one hiding Cressida! Tell me where she is!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he slammed a fist into my lower abdomen.

Pain exploded through me, and the taste of blood flooded my mouth.

He hit me again and again, giving me no chance to speak.

Just before I blacked out, my hand found a picture frame beside me. Summoning the last of my strength, I hurled it at Gideon.

The glass shattered against his cheek, sending shards flying.

His screams filled the room.

"You crazy bitch! Just you wait!"

Gideon scrambled out of the apartment. In his haste, his phone fell out of his pocket.

As consciousness slipped away, I caught sight of the screen. What I saw made my blood run cold.

…

When I woke up, I was lying in a hospital bed with my coworker Gwen sitting beside me.

"Thank God you're awake. I was so worried about you."

Her disheveled hair and dark circles told me she'd been taking care of me the whole time I'd been unconscious.

There were hundreds of messages waiting on my phone. Every single one was from Leo.

I let out a long sigh and called him back.

The moment he answered, Leo launched into a sharp reprimand. "Freya, how much longer are you going to keep hiding? When Gideon came to your place, why did you have to throw Cressida's picture frame at him? Did you know that was her favorite picture?"

He made no effort to hide his anger.

I forced a bitter smile. "I was beaten that badly, and you think I had time to worry about a picture frame?"

I had no strength left in my body. Even my voice was barely audible.

Leo paused, momentarily taken aback. "Where are you right now?"

"At the hospital. They just moved me out of the ICU and into a regular ward."

There was another pause.

I sensed a change in Leo's attitude and was just about to tell him what I'd seen on Gideon's phone when Cressida's voice suddenly came through the line.

"Freya, don't you hate it when people play hard to get and act like victims? Why are you doing the same thing now? Gideon may be a bad guy, but he knows where to draw the line."

Then, she put on a high-pitched voice. "Let's go eat at that new trendy restaurant everyone's talking about."

Leo answered indulgently, "Sure. Whatever you want."

The call was abruptly cut off, leaving only Leo's cold messages on my phone.

"You're the one who was in the wrong."

"Apologize to Cressida, and I'll let this go."

I read the messages over and over, almost wondering if Leo was even human.

Gwen had heard the entire conversation. She was so furious she could barely sit still. "Freya, how can you put up with this?"

I smiled and pulled Gideon's phone out of my pocket.

Gideon might know where to draw the line, but Cressida certainly didn't. The phone contained their entire chat history.

Cressida had been pretending to back off to get what she wanted. Even the blind date had been a setup from the very beginning.

She'd paid Gideon a hefty sum to pretend to be her boyfriend, then deliberately sent him to my apartment.

That day, I'd seen the last message Cressida had sent him. "Beat her to death."

A chill of fear ran through me. She had wanted me dead for a long time, and if that was how far she was willing to go, why should I keep putting up with her?

"Gwen, send me a copy of that video of Cressida."

After the elaborate game she'd played, it was only fair that I prepared a little gift in return.