Chapter 65 Hypocrisy
Exining one thing already strained Freya''s patience; the thought of addressing
a second issue made her shoulders tense.
This month seemed cursed; misfortune followed her at every turn.
Liam tilted his head, his expression sharpening with concern. "What''s going on?"
“Just trust me,” Freya responded, her voice deliberately steady.
Though confusion flickered across Liam''s face, he respected her enough not to press further. The truth would reveal itself eventually.
The surgery concluded an hourter.
Medical staff transferred Ashley to a recovery room where the doctor delivered his assessment. “The patient experienced a miscarriage and has multiple surface abrasions, but no critical injuries beyond that."
"A miscarriage?" Liam echoed, his eyes widening.
He reflexively turned toward Freya, whoseposure remained intact, and for the first time, unease crept through his veins. Could Kristian have fathered the child?
Freya merely expressed gratitude to the doctor before walking purposefully toward Ashley''s room.
Liam hastened after her. As they traversed the sterile hallway, the question burst from his lips. "Is the child Kristian''s?"
"I''m not certain," Freya admitted truthfully.
Despite Kristian''s insistence that intimacy with Ashley never urred, only the two of them knew the reality. Words failed Liam. If Kristian had indeed fathered the child, the situation would grow exponentially moreplicated.
"I need to make a call," Liam dered, feelingpelled to summon Kristian for
direct questioning. "Continue without me; I''ll join you momentarily."
Freya recognized his intention to contact Kristian and made no attempt to dissuade him.
The umted weight of recent events had depleted her emotional reserves beyond caring.
She arrived at Ashley''s room five minutester. Ashley had regained
consciousness, and a nurse had just
connected her intravenous line.
"Where''s Kristian?" Ashley demanded immediately.
Freya stood motionless, struck speechless.
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The audacity still remained intact, despite everything.
"The driver who struck me was your secret lover behind Kristian''s back, wasn''t he?" Ashley''s voice dropped to a near whisper, her gaze boring into Freya. "Imagine Kristian reaction when I tell him your jealous lover targeted me deliberately."
Freya''s brow furrowed involuntarily. Had Ashley failed to recognize Liam?
"I harbor no desire to falsely use you, but peace will elude me until your rtionship with Kristian dissolvespletely," Ashley stated bluntly. "I must secure him; he belongs exclusively with me."
"The vehicle contained a dashboard camera," Freya replied, her tone matter-of- fact.
Ashley released a hollowugh. "Do you honestly believe Kristian will trust your recorded footage over my testimony?"
She was certain that her injuries and miscarriage would undoubtedly awaken Kristian''s protective instincts. That single encounter before returning home had unexpectedly resulted in pregnancy...
Keeping the child remained impossible. Even if Kristian attributed it to that regrettable hotel incident and epted it now, she couldn''t risk it. Kristian''s present eptance offered no guarantee against future
resentment.
The optimal strategy to get rid of the baby involved using Freya to achieve her objective, simultaneously resolving two problems.
Freya disyed no emotional response, her emotional batteries too drained even for anger.
She knew Kristian would believe Ashley. He had dismissed previous evidence as fabricated, so he would undoubtedly consider the dashboard footage manipted as well.
"Didn''t you fear the vehicle might not stop, potentially killing or permanently disabling you?" Freya inquired dispassionately.
"Death would ensure Kristian remembers me eternally. Disability would guarantee his heightened devotion," Ashley dered feverishly. "Either oue justifies the risk."
Her circumstances had deteriorated to the point where losing Kristian meant condemning herself to torment. That horrible man would never release her; he would inflict continuous suffering, rendering existence unbearable.
Kristian represented her final salvation. She would cling to him regardless of the cost!
"Then hold fast to him," Freya advised coldly. "Prevent anyone from taking him away."
"You cannot take him away from me!" Ashley countered instantly.
Freya regarded her with unmistakable pity.
Such desperate existence truly embodied misery.
She revealed a new insight, her tone maintaining its calm while emotion tinged
her final words. "Who suggested I wanted him?”
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"What are you implying?" Ashley narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Your car ident, your hotel incident," Freya began methodically, as she had anticipated this conversation. "If someone isn''t specifically targeting you, how do you exin these urrences?"
The incident when she was attacked also troubled her thoughts. She had instructed Frederick to investigate, but the findings diverged significantly from her expectations.
Whoever orchestrated these events remained expertly concealed. Since identifying the culprit proved impossible, perhaps sharing her suspicions with Ashley might prompt Kristian tounch his own investigation.
A single ident befalling Ashley could reasonably be attributed to Kristian''s enemies seeking retribution. However, the pattern revealed something more calcted-Ashley experiencing an ident that implicated Freya, followed by Freya''s ident involving Ashley. This sequence pointed unmistakably toward someone harboring deep admiration for Kristian.
"Have you identified the perpetrator?" Ashley''s brow creased with concern.
"I haven''t," Freya acknowledged, hoping Kristian''s resources might yield better results, her voice betraying subtle emotion. "Perhaps Kristian could assist you with the investigation."
The irony struck her forcefully.
She found herself actually directing Ashley to seek Kristian''s help. Ashley paused momentarily, studying Freya''s expression with careful scrutiny. She epted the truthfulness of Freya''s assessment.
From their initial hospital encounter, she had recognized that Freya bore no responsibility for the car incident. Despite her dislike for Freya, their subsequent interactions had convinced her that Freya valued honesty too highly to resort to deception.
Under different circumstances, Ashley would have preferred avoiding causing Freya harm. Desperation, however, had eliminated all other options.
"Freya, I apologize for today''s actions," Ashley suddenly offered. "But please understand, I must still ce me on you."
"I never fully grasped the meaning of hypocrisy until this moment," Freya remarked lightly, delivering a scathing critique without resorting to vulgarity. "You embody the definition perfectly."
Ashley''splexion flushed crimson with indignation.
"Repeat that!"
"This term seems specifically created to describe you," Freya articted deliberately. "Never have I encountered someone who so thoroughly exemplifies hypocrisy, opportunism, and self-righteousness."
''Freya!" Ashley exploded with fury.
Freya disregarded her outburst, anticipating Liam''s arrival.
Anyone experiencing a simr incident would have immediately contacted
authorities and preserved evidence o prevent fraudulent ims from seeding.
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Chapter 65 Hypocrisy
Liam entered approximately ten minutester.
He offered no introduction, instead delivering several admonishments to Ashley.
His character prevented him from tempering his response merely because she upied a hospital bed.
Ashley had recklessly rushed toward his vehicle. Had he not applied his brakes swiftly while already traveling at reduced speed, she would have lost her life that
day.
"What gives you the right?" Ashley bristled at his reproach, her temper ring uncontrobly. "You struck me with your vehicle!"
"If you''re determined to self-destruct, no one can stop you," Liam responded, maintaining his characteristic nonchnce as he settled into a chair with crossed legs. "Should you attempt to falsely use me again, I will not hesitate to end your life."
Freya could only stare in stunned silence.
Impressive indeed.
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