Page 81 of Law Of Love

It felt as if the world was about to swallow me whole—like the earth beneath my feet was crumbling, ready to drop me down into the pits of hell.

Shit.

Freya knew.

Thirty-six: Freya

Kaleb had lied to me. My father was involved in all this, and he hadn’t told me. Was it the reason he’d got so close to me? To weasel information out of me about my father? I felt sick. I wasn’t sure about the timings of everything and when certain information had been made apparent, but I knew one thing for sure. My father was a criminal, and the man I loved was adamant about putting him behind bars without my knowledge. Did he expect me never to find out? Was he planning on keeping it from me forever?

I couldn’t think. I was driving on autopilot over to Hannah’s house with a racing heart. I couldn’t stay at Kaleb’s house any longer, and I immediately muted his number so I didn’t receive any calls or texts from him. I wasn’t in the frame of mind to talk to him about all of this.

When I reached my best friend’s house, she flung the door open and engulfed me in a spine-crushing hug. I wasn’t complaining. Even without her lanky arms wrapped around me, breathing was a task, anyway. My body was rejecting the oxygen.

I told her everything, and she remained quiet as she allowed me to vent. I clutched onto the hot cup of coffee she’d made me, relishing in the way the heat stung my palms and took my focus away from the crushing sensation my heart was experiencing.

This wasn’t the life I’d envisioned for myself. I was no longer going to have a father. He was a felon, and his work buddies were hunting me for some unknown reason. They were dangerous, and that also meant that so was my dad. Had my father been involved in murdering people, too?

My head spun.

How would I ever look Kaleb in the eyes again without thinking about him helping lock my father away and getting so close to me without admitting it to me? Kissing me. Sleeping with me. What I thought was perhaps loving me. Fuck.

I fiddled with the gun he’d given me in my hands—it had become a habit to bring it everywhere.

“You’re going to be fine,” Hannah soothed me, offering me a sad smile.

I wiped at my teary eyes. My emotions were running rampant, wreaking havoc on my body and destroying me mentally and physically. It was as if I was being swallowed whole, encased in a dark blanket of heartache and agony.

What had my life turned into?

Hannah and I spent a little while talking about everything, but after an hour, we settled into a comfortable silence and focused on the TV. My throat was hoarse from speaking, and nothing else needed to be said.

My phone vibrated.

Ty: Hey Freya, the party starts at seven tonight. In advance, I’m sorry about the house. It’s kind of ridiculous, but my auntie and uncle have far too much money and like to make it known. See you and Hannah soon!

Hannah gazed at me as I read the message aloud, and she cursed under her breath.

“I have work tonight. Damn it, I forgot about Ty’s party.” She pouted.

“So had I.” I sighed, running a hand down my face. Apparently, Ty’s auntie and uncle had explicitly asked him to invite some of his friends to their dinner party to keep him occupied. I felt awful leaving him with no one to keep him company—none of his hockey buddies could attend.

“I’m sure he’ll understand if you—“

“No.” I shook my head. “I’ll go. I don’t want to let Ty down. He seems excited.”

Hannah allowed me to shower and raid her closet, and I slipped into one of her old dresses, dusting my face with a tad of makeup.

The house was forty minutes away, and we spent most of the journey in tortuous silence. I wanted to open my mouth to speak, but I didn’t have control of my body. Hopelessness had taken the reins. I was going to need to plaster a phoney smile on for tonight.

“Jesus,” Hannah muttered as she slowed the car down and pulled onto a narrow cobbled path leading to a steep hill. “Ty’s uncle and auntie are rich as fuck.”

The hedges directing us down the path were freshly trimmed and blossoming, and the large manors and estates that we passed were definitely worth millions. Their exteriors were exquisitely decorated, with gargoyle figurines standing guard outside each door, the stone glistening in the setting sun.

“This is it,” I said, pointing to a set of open black iron gates. “I’m not sure Ty’s uncle and auntie will appreciate me bringing this in.” I laughed as I gestured to the gun that sat on my lap, and Hannah shook her head at me.

“You have people wanting to kill you, Freya. Sorry to be blunt, but you need it. What they don't know can't hurt them."

I nodded, hiking my long burgundy dress up and wrapping the gun's strap around my thigh, clicking it in. It felt inappropriate to bring it to a dinner party, but Hannah was right. I needed to make sure I had it handy, just in case.

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