Chris?

It was strange. During this time, Freya hadn't been missing him crazily like she was when the car accident just took place.

It was not because she was too busy, nor it was because her parents finally recovered.

She just carefully placed Chris at the safest place in her heart, just like Joanne used to hide her love for Brian deep inside.

On that day, as usual, Freya set off to the hospital after work.

Mr. Norris actually was able to be discharged but stayed because he wanted to keep her wife in company. Therefore, Freya naturally saw the hospital as her second home as well and didn't go home until 11 o'clock at night.

However, today was a bit different, because the moment she stepped out of the elevator, she froze-

At the other end of the hall, her mother, who seemed to have awaited her for long, was walking toward Freya.

After confirming again and again, she was finally sure she's not imagining things. Her mother had been in a wheelchair after she woke up, and now, she could finally stand on her feet!

"Mom!"

Freya screamed out of happiness and rushed to hug her mother.

Mrs. Norris smiled tenderly and patted her daughter's back. "Freya, it must be hard for you during the past few days."

"Not at all!" Freya jerked her head, her eyes tearful already. "As long you and Mr. Norris recover, I'll do whatever it takes!"

At the moment, Freya felt that lady luck might start to favor her again.

Her parents were both discharged from hospital and Mr. Norris started to get his hands on the company affairs. Therefore, when she did not know what to do, Freya wouldn't have to worry like she used to, because she could just throw the case to Mr. Norris.

Sometimes, she would even discuss s certain company project with Mr. Norris, and they would get so heated up in a discussion till their faces redden if they had different opinions. However, in the end, they would always end up bursting into laughter together.

"Nasty girl." As if he were scolding her, Mr. Norris poked on the space between his daughter's brows, but his poking carried a parental tenderness. "I've just been discharged. Why won't you yield to me?"

"Cut it! out" The scattered files swished on the surface of the table, it was Freya putting them aside. "You've recovered long ago! Plus, it's about the company's interest. I can't be careless about that."

"..." Mr. Norris sighed as if he had been badly hurt.

Freya chuckled and wished that her life could always be like this.

On Friday night, Freya was invited to an evening banquet.

In the past, if attending an occasion like this, Freya would dress so sexily and glamorously to make sure that no man on the scene could take their eyes off her.

However, after getting used to black, white, or grey suit, she turned to keep a low profile as Joanne did. Now, in choosing dresses, she would pick elegance over sexiness. Thus she put on a black strapless gown, accompanied by a set of diamond jewelry.

After making herself up, she skillfully took a selfie in front of the mirror and sent it to Joanne on Wechat.

Joanne had gone off work and stayed at home now. So, soon, she responded with a question mark, along with a sentence: What are you trying to say?

"I'm the 'junior Director Norris' in Norris Group, so I gotta be composed and elegant!" After typing that, Freya added a coy emoji behind it, so Joanne had to reply with a series of dots.

Having just arrived in time at the hotel, Freya handed their invitations to the receptionist with her arm in Travis's. Travis joked. "Will people take us as a couple seeing us like this?"

"We nearly became a couple." Freya compressed her lips and smiled proudly as she used to. "But you missed your shot."

"Well." If it were on another occasion, Travis would have rolled his eyes at her words already.

Having taken a few steps with Freya's arm in his, Travis suddenly slowed down. He lifted his chin to someone in front of them, signaling Freya to look in that direction.

It was Chris, without a companion.

Freya's smile froze at that moment, and suddenly turned around grabbing Travis's hand. However, Travis calmly stopped her from fleeing.

"Are you afraid?" Travis smiled as if he had seen her through.

"Afraid, my foot!" Freya hurridly denied, looking into Travis's eyes, and her eyes betrayed her guilty feeling.

She felt a little mad and embarrassed, so she jerked her head away to hide her feelings.

However, the truth was she was lying. Now, she felt like when she saw Chris for the first time in her teens. She couldn't even control her heartbeat back then. Now, when he didn't bring a companion with her, she also secretly felt elated.

"Admit it, Freya, you'll always be a wimp in front of Chris."

Travis glanced at Freya. "I'm going to meet with a few friends. Are you going with me?"

Freya quickly pulled her arm from Travis's. "I don't want no toxic friends of yours. You go ahead."

The moment Travis left, Chris headed straight to her.

Freya secretly clenched her fists and her racing heart seemed to pop out of her throat. She almost wanted to escape.

Nevertheless, before she had a chance to put her thoughts into actions, someone dragged her away by hand.

It was crowded in the ballroom, so Freya didn't dare to yell. She kept struggling but couldn't get rid of Chris's hand at all, which was like a secure lock.

Chris brought her into a room.

The chandelier of the room was not lit, only dim sconces were on, leaving the atmosphere suggestive. Chris pinned Freya onto the wall, his chest slightly heaving. She could smell the familiar scent of his.

Freya swallowed and tried to sound as calm as possible. "What do you want?"

Chris fixed his gaze on her.

His gaze appeared more intense against the dim lights, almost burning Freya.

Dazed, Freya only saw a dark figure shadowing her, and then a familiar touch hit her lips...

"Strange. He looks so cold but his lips still feel as soft as before."

All of a sudden, Freya found that she remembered all things about him: his kiss, his fragrance, his hug. She never had forgotten any of them.

Something electric ran from her spine to her entire body. She nearly collapsed in Chris's arms.

Luckily, she had learned how to stay rational-The next second, she placed her hands on Chris's chest and pushed him hard. She mumbled some protests, but could not stop him from going further.

She didn't know how long it had been before Chris released her. He pressed his forehead on hers. "Freya..."

His voice was husky but still attractive, full of helplessness as well as affections. Freya's feisty hands froze in the air, and her heart softened bit by bit.

During the past months, Chris did have crossed her mind.

Chris was not the only one who had been hurt.

"I didn't mean to hurt you or try to hide it from you for the rest of my life." Chris caressed Freya's cheek with his coarse thumb, but she tossed it away.

She avoided his touch. "Maya has told me that her father helped you and I know you had to save Maya's name back then."

"..."

"..."

"I've done and said everything I could." After a long while of silence, Chris's voice betrayed his despair.

Freya suddenly dived at Chris and blocked his lips, kissing him without any skills, like a revengeful little lion.

Chris's limbs froze and didn't come around until seconds later. Then, he circled one hand around Freya's waist, and another at the back of her head, seizing the initiative to kiss her hard.

Freya didn't surrender either. She untied Chris's tie and unbuttoned his shirt. Before long, the two had shifted from the living room to the bedroom.

It was more like a game where no party wanted to be the passive one or admit defeat. They both went all out.

When they finished in the early morning, Freya was already exhausted.

She kicked Chris. "When... was... the last time you...?"

"What?" Chris's eyes looked appealingly languid, and he asked her in an unruffled voice.

Freya gritted her teeth and snapped three words. "Touch a woman!"

Chris stared at her. "How long have you been avoiding me?"

Freya fell silent. She turned around, and Chris couldn't read her mind.

"Freya." Chris reached out, trying to touch Freya's back. However, she seemed to have expected it and stumbled out of bed. She picked up the clothes on the ground and staggered over to the bathroom.

Soon, she got dressed and walked out. "I'll be off."

However, she didn't go far before Chris clutched her wrist from behind. "Let's get this straight." He couldn't stand the ambiguity anymore.

"I don't see the need. It's people getting what they want if you ask me." Freya turned back, smiled charmingly as if she hadn't given a damn about him. "We're all grown-ups. You don't think it'll mean anything, do you?"

Chris's chest suddenly heaved up and down, and he spat two words through his teeth. "Freya!"

"I've told you before, we... can't go back anymore." Freya broke free from Chris. "This is the last time. Chris, goodbye."

She galloped out the door, collected her coat to wrap herself up, and got on the taxi to home.

Her parents were already asleep and Freya snucked into her room, but she couldn't sleep.

She swooshed open the drawer at the bottom of the bedside table and fished out some photos. Chris and she took those photos in the ancient town.

...

For several times, she wanted to shred these photos and threw them into the trash bin. However, when she thought these were their only photos, she couldn't do it no matter how determined she had been.

She stuffed the photos back into the drawer, threw herself onto the bed, and finally fell asleep when the dawn was breaking.

She dreamed Chris in her hazy dreams.

In her dreams, he resolutely let go of her hand and said, "Freya, goodbye."

Then, he left, without so much as a backward glance.

Her heart seemed to get entangled in thin threads. It cut her so deep that she lost her voice and could only squat in pain, holding her knees.

She shrank into a lump as if she could minimize the damage.

When she woke up, Freya involuntarily wiped the corner of her eye and actually found tears all over the back of her hand.

"Damn! I even cried in dreams."

Looking at the time, she found it was already past 10 o'clock.

She gasped but then realized it was Saturday. Then, she calmed down again and dragged herself to the washing room. She put on turtleneck to hid love bites on her collarbone and neck and went downstairs in a composed manner.

Mr. Norris was drinking tea in the living room. Seeing her have woken up, he asked her to have breakfast.

Freya shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

"Come here." Mr. Norris patted on the seat beside him. "Sit. I want to talk to you."

Freya had to sit down by Mr. Norris's order.

Then, Mr. Norris smiled first. "When did you came back last night?"

"Early morning." Freya was feeling guilty. "You were asleep when I came back so I didn't wake you up."

"I thought you wouldn't come back." Mr. Norris's smile suddenly became meaningful.

Freya's sense of guilt turned stronger.

Mr. Norris raised his hand to say that Freya didn't have to justify herself. "Seriously, now that I'm fully recovered and can take charge of Norris Group any time. Do you still want to work in Norris Group? If you do, I'll arrange a suitable job for you to improve yourself. And of course, you have the right to say 'no'."

"..."

Freya had long known that she had to make a choice sooner or later.