Chapter 4

"You don't have to keep running between here and home because of me. Go take care of them."

My voice shook despite my effort to keep it steady.

"I'll be fine. I don't need you here anymore."

Before, those words would've terrified him. If I was even slightly upset, he'd panic, stay beside me, apologize, tease me, spoil me, do everything he could to make me smile again.

This time, he just stared at me for a few seconds. Then he walked over and pulled me into his arms.

"Don't think too much, Freya. I know you're upset, but I'll handle everything. I'll be back soon, okay? Just rest and wait for me."

He kissed my hair. Then he left.

Just like that.

I watched the door close behind him. A small smile crossed my face. Then tears rolled down my cheeks and soaked into the pillow.

I didn't know what hurt more... that he left, or how easily he did it.

A few days later, I was finally strong enough to walk around. I went to get my own medicine, and on the way back I passed the emergency stairwell.

That's when I heard Alaric's voice. He was on the phone. His friend's voice came through loud enough for me to catch.

"Ali, I'm honestly shocked. Didn't you used to hate that little boy? You said he looked too much like Alice and you couldn't stand hearing him cry. So why'd you let Freya get hurt protecting him?"

I stopped walking. My fingers tightened around the medicine bag.

A long pause. Then Alaric answered quietly.

"No matter how much I disliked Arkin before, he's still my son. My family pushed me into having kids with Alice, and I fought it at first. But he's five now. I've watched him grow up, raised him, and somewhere along the way I started caring."

His voice grew heavier.

"Blood is blood. I can't watch my own child die in front of me, even if things between Alice and me aren't what people think."

His friend laughed in disbelief.

"So you've really changed? Then tell me, Arkin's your son, so he's the Mancusso heir now, right? All that wealth eventually goes to him? And Alice? She gave you three kids, two sons and a baby girl. After everything she's done, are you still calling her nothing more than an old family friend?"

The hallway went silent.

I didn't move. My heart was already pounding.

Then Alaric spoke.

"Yes."

One word. It felt like a knife through my chest.

"I'll marry Alice."

My fingers went cold. His friend exclaimed, "I knew it! But what about Freya? You were crazy about her and you said you couldn't live without her!"

"I love Freya. I don't think I'll ever love another woman the way I love her."

My eyes burned.

"Then why won't you marry her?"

His voice dropped. "Because her background isn't suitable for my family." I stopped breathing. "She's the daughter of an alcoholic. Her mother's seriously ill. She grew up in the slums. No matter how much I love her, she can't be my wife. She was never going to fit into the Mancusso family."

Every word cut deeper.

His friend went quiet. Alaric went on. "She can stay beside me. I'll give her everything she wants. I'll protect her, spoil her, make sure she never struggles again." A pause. "But she'll always be my canary. Something beautiful that stays safely in its cage."

A canary. A bird that never sees daylight.

I stood there, frozen. So that's what I was to him: a pretty thing to keep hidden. He loved me, but not enough to give me his name. He wanted me beside him, but never in the light.

I lowered my eyes and turned away.

How funny.

...

A few days later, I was discharged. Alaric came to pick me up himself, guilt written across his face. "Freya, I know I haven't been around as much as I should. Let me make it up to you, okay? There's a horse auction nearby. Whatever catches your eye, I'll buy it. Don't worry about the price."

I almost laughed. After everything, he still thought money could close the distance between us.

Still, I didn't refuse.

At the auction, Alaric kept his word, raising his paddle again and again without blinking at the cost. His friends started complaining. "Ali, seriously? Planning to leave anything for the rest of us? Every decent horse comes up and you grab it."

"I haven't even found one for my father's birthday. You're ruining the whole auction."

I sat quietly beside him, playing the same clueless girl they'd always taken me for.

Someone glanced my way and laughed. "Alaric, don't take this wrong, but you're spending a fortune on someone from the slums. What does a girl like her know about horses? Put a fancy saddle on a cheap horse and it's still cheap."

Alaric's face went cold. "Watch what you say."

The man raised both hands. "Fine, fine. Not saying another word. But you know I'm right. She's a poor girl, and you're treating her like some priceless treasure. She's nowhere near Mancusso level."

I'd heard it for years. Poor girl. Slum girl. Not worthy. Alaric would shut them down sometimes, but the same people always said it again the moment he wasn't around. Now that I knew what he really thought of me, none of it surprised me anymore.

If he truly believed I was worthy of standing beside him, why had everyone always felt so comfortable insulting me?

I already knew the answer.

Then Alice appeared at the entrance of the VIP lounge, dressed beautifully, their four-month-old daughter in a nanny's arms behind her, one twin holding her hand and the other beside the nanny.

Everyone greeted her at once. "Miss Alice, what brought you here?" "It's been a while! Woah, you look amazing."

Alice smiled and touched her hair. "I've been so busy with the children since the baby came, I barely have time to dress properly. Since I'm finally out today, I thought I'd see if there's a horse I like."

Someone laughed. "You're naturally beautiful. You don't need expensive things to stand out."

Another glanced at me. "Exactly. Some people can spend all the money in the world and still can't hide where they came from."

I said nothing and just watched.

The second half of the auction began, and a few beautiful horses were brought out. The teasing started again. "Ali, you've already bought half the auction. Leave something for Alice, it's rare she gets out with the kids."

Alaric smiled. "Fine. I won't compete for these."

As expected, he lowered his paddle. Alice bought several horses in a row, each time flashing me a smug little smile.

I almost smiled back. Was she really that happy about a few horses?

Then the final horse came out, and the room went quiet. A magnificent black stallion. Glossy coat, strong legs, unmistakable presence. The auctioneer called it a rare champion bloodline worth a fortune.

Alice's eyes lit up. She raised her paddle.

The bidding climbed fast. A hundred million. Two hundred. Three hundred. It passed a billion.

I laughed softly.

Alice turned, annoyed. "What are you laughing at, Freya?"

I rested my chin on my hand. "Nothing. Just funny that everyone's willing to spend over a billion on a horse with questionable papers."

The room went silent.