Chapter 22: Freya Starts Wondering

Freya returned quietly to her bedroom before Louis or Derek noticed her. She sat at her desk but didn't open her writing document. Instead, she stared at the wall and replayed everything she had observed since waking in this world.

Louis had supposedly lost almost everything, yet Derek still followed him faithfully. They used an expensive car. They held frequent private meetings. Louis never appeared anxious about finding employment, paying rent, or surviving after his remaining money ran out. Most importantly, when she mentioned being followed, his reaction had been immediate and controlled rather than confused.

Maybe rich people simply handled bankruptcy differently. Freya tried to convince herself of that explanation for nearly thirty seconds before rejecting it. Something was definitely wrong.

She opened the notebook where she had summarized the original novel. According to the ending, Louis's businesses collapsed after Ethan Hale anticipated several major investments. Banks withdrew support, partners abandoned him, and assets were seized. The author described him as having "nothing left." But that phrase might have been emotional rather than literal.

The novel had been written from the protagonists' perspective. Ethan believed Louis was finished, therefore readers believed Louis was finished. What if Louis had resources Ethan never discovered?

Freya slowly tapped her pen against the desk. If that was true, then Louis was pretending to be poorer than he actually was. The thought should have annoyed her. She was carefully budgeting groceries while this man might have hidden millions somewhere.

Then she remembered the apartment, his offer to give her nearly all his remaining visible money, and the fact that he had never asked her to sell anything. Even if he had a backup plan, he hadn't used it to manipulate her. At least not yet.

Freya decided against confronting him without evidence. Instead, she would observe. She had survived years as a freelance writer by researching people, industries, and behavior. Watching one suspicious husband couldn't be harder than researching an unfamiliar profession for a novel.

At dinner, she began her experiment. "I was thinking," she said casually, "maybe we should move somewhere cheaper when the six-month lease ends." Louis looked up. "Why?" "To save money. If you're still unemployed by then, rent could become a problem."

"It won't." The answer came too quickly. Freya raised an eyebrow. Louis corrected himself. "I mean, I should have income by then." "Very confident." "I usually am."

Freya continued eating. A few minutes later she tried again. "What kind of job are you looking for?" "I'm not looking for a job." "Starting a company?" "Possibly." "With ten thousand dollars?"

Louis's chopsticks paused. Freya smiled innocently. "You told me you only kept ten thousand after offering me the rest." "I remember." "That's not much startup capital." "There are businesses that require little capital."

Technically correct. Annoyingly correct. Freya abandoned the interrogation before becoming obvious. After dinner, Louis offered to wash the dishes again. She refused again.

As she cleaned the kitchen, she reached one conclusion: Louis was hiding something, and he was extremely good at answering questions without lying directly. Instead of feeling frightened, Freya found herself curious. The antagonist she had pitied when she woke up might not need nearly as much rescuing as she had assumed.

Neither of them realized that the small changes in their daily life were slowly pulling them deeper into the conflicts left behind by the original story. What had begun as a temporary arrangement after bankruptcy was becoming something far more complicated, and the people watching Louis were beginning to understand that Freya was no longer the predictable weakness they had expected her to be.