Freya Leaves Her Cheater

As soon as the call ended, I walked through the front door of my house. Seeing the room filled with belongings, a sense of discomfort washed over me. I pulled out some storage bags and began sorting through all the shared items I had naively bought.

"Freya, what are you doing?" Nikolai's voice interrupted my thoughts, catching me off guard.

I hadn't noticed he'd come back until he wrapped his arms around me from behind, his lips brushing the side of my neck. Snapped out of my daydream, I nudged him with my elbow, trying to free myself from his embrace.

Nikolai, mistaking my reluctance for playful resistance, picked me up and carried me toward the bedroom.

"When did my sweet Freya become such a little firecracker? So fierce, I must admit I like it," he said, desire gleaming in his eyes.

A wave of nausea rolled over me. It seemed Isla’s pregnancy might not be solid yet, so Nikolai had sought me out for entertainment. The thought of his unfaithful ways made my chest feel heavy, like a stone was lodged there.

"Nikolai, put me down. I'm not feeling well today."

Around this time every month, my mood would always plummet. Seeing my somber expression, Nikolai believed me, though I could see a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

As I turned to leave, his phone rang. The unfamiliar ringtone made me hesitate. I glanced back to see Nikolai’s face light up with amusement.

"Isla, what's going on?" he answered.

Even from a few feet away, I could hear Isla’s surprised shout from the other end.

"Isla, what happened? Don’t scare me like that!"

Nikolai’s brow furrowed immediately. He brushed past me, worry lining his face as he rushed toward the front door. It swung open from the outside, and Isla walked in with a wide smile.

"Nikolai, did I just give you a scare?" she teased.

"Isla..." Nikolai hesitated by the door, momentarily shocked. Realizing she was fine, he sighed in relief, pretending to scold her. "You almost gave me a heart attack, you know?"

Isla, eyes twinkling, wrapped an arm around his neck but paused when she noticed me holding my lower back.

"This must be Freya, right?" she asked.

Releasing Nikolai, she lightly patted his shoulder, her eyes direct as they met mine. Nikolai turned to look at me as well, a slight frown crossing his face.

Seeing my steady gaze, Isla eventually let go of Nikolai. There was no awkwardness of being caught by the actual girlfriend—just the confident sway of her hips as she approached me.

"Hi, Freya. I’m..." she started, glancing back at Nikolai before finishing, "I’m your new neighbor, Isla Gibson."