Chained To The Cold CEO: Why Won't My Husband Let Me Leave?

After Timothy disappeared from view, Zoie finally broke her silence. Leaning in with wide eyes, she whispered, "Freya, is Alexander really that... you know?"

Freya blinked, confused. "That what?"

A quick gesture from Zoie spelled it out, and everything clicked into place for Freya.

Truthfully, her earlier comment about Alexander was far from the full story. The start had been rough, but things did get better afterward. What Alexander lacked in finesse, he certainly made up for with sheer physical presence.

In that regard, his body picked up the slack where experience didn't.

None of Alexander's shortcomings were really his own doing, though. Had Freya not spent years coaxing him into drinking those herbal tonics, he probably still wouldn't even be capable of intimacy now.

Naturally, there was no chance she'd ever share that part of the truth with Zoie.

"Enough about him, or I'll lose my appetite. Did you get any news about that property I mentioned?" Freya said with a dismissive wave, brushing the topic aside.

Zoie nodded, but her face fell. "I checked into it, but the rent is outrageous. With you about to split from Alexander, and with how much he hates you, do you honestly think he'll give you anything at all?"

"I'm not expecting a thing from him. I'm ready to walk away with nothing," Freya answered without hesitation.

"Why would you settle for that?" That only made Zoie bristle. "You two only get married because his aunt made him, not because you forced him. You spent three years by his side, looking after him without complaint. Now his aunt's gone, and you're stepping aside so Yvonne can have him. What else does he want from you?"

Freya reached across the table and offered Zoie a glass of water. "Calm down, will you? Just breathe."

"How am I supposed to calm down?" Zoie slammed her hand on the table. "Honestly, I hope Alexander can't perform with Yvonne at all!"

For a second, Freya was at a loss for words.

Zoie didn't realize that sort of wish would never come true and Alexander would never have that problem—maybe three years ago, but definitely not now.

If he did, Brett himself might crawl out of his grave just to scold her for being useless.

"You're too forgiving, Freya. That's exactly why Alexander walked all over you for three years," Zoie said with a deep sigh as she watched Freya shrug off the anger. "But maybe this is for the best. Letting go of him will be the best thing you ever do. Honestly, it's his loss. He's going to wake up one day and realize what he threw away."

Freya gave a quiet nod, fully agreeing.

The conversation shifted as Zoie took a steadying breath. "If you're low on funds, I'll put down the deposit for you. That spot won't stay available for long. You can't hesitate, or someone else will snatch it up."

Even though the Lambert family wasn't at the top of Giastead's social circle, Zoie still had plenty more money than Freya could dream of. And that made it easy for Freya to accept her offer.

"Thank you, Zoie. Please go ahead and lock it in for me."

When lunch wrapped up and Zoie headed her own way, Freya flagged down a taxi and set off for the hospital.

Erick Wilson's face lit up with surprise the moment he spotted Freya, but his happiness quickly faded when he caught sight of the bandage on her hand. "What happened to you? Did you hurt yourself?"

Freya shrugged off his concern. "Just a run-in with some broken glass. Nothing serious."

Worried that he'd press for more details, she pretended she was about to peel off the bandage to reassure him.

Erick quickly stopped her, gently holding her hand in place. "Don't even think about it. You need to keep it clean and dry."

Freya felt a wave of relief wash over her. The gash on her hand looked bad, but at least Erick didn't push for a look for himself.

He couldn't help himself as he poured her some water. "So, what brings you by today?"

Instead of answering right away, Freya simply flashed a playful grin. "Erick, would you mind giving me a quick check-up?"

He went into doctor mode instantly, concern sharpening his features. "Are you not feeling well? Where does it hurt?"

Erick wasted no time, running through the tests and checks until the results came back. The instant he saw them, his mood soured, and he shot up from his seat. "You must have lost your mind!"

That was when he noticed the faint marks along her neck, and his expression darkened. "You've spent years helping him recover, and now that he's finally getting better, you went and put yourself in the line of fire just to see if the treatment worked?"