Chapter 7: Doubts

By the time Freya was done tinkering with her laptop, it was nearly eleven o'clock. She yawned, then flopped onto the bed and went straight to sleep.

The next morning, she woke up even earlier than the day before. Instead of going out to buy breakfast, she made an omelet, poured some milk, and prepared two small side dishes. She had forgotten to toast bread yesterday, so this would have to do.

By the time Louis got up, Freya had almost finished preparing breakfast. He came out after washing up, just in time to eat.

"You can make omelets?" Louis looked at the dish in front of him, fluffy eggs filled with green peas, diced ham, beef, and cheese, once again adjusting his perception of Freya.

"Yeah, I don't cook a lot, but I can manage simple dishes. It's nothing fancy, just edible. Don't expect too much."

Louis took a bite and nodded. "Not bad, it's actually pretty good."

"As long as you like it." Freya didn't even look up, already thinking about her plans for the day.

"I'll be coming home for lunch today," Louis suddenly said.

"What?" Freya quickly responded, "Oh, okay. What do you want to eat?"

"Whatever you make."

"Got it." Freya thought for a moment. "How about pork ribs, scrambled eggs, salad, and mushroom soup? Will that be enough for you?"

"Should be."

"Alright then, go do your thing. Lunch will be ready a little after twelve."

After finishing breakfast, Louis tidied himself up and left. As usual, Freya cleaned up the dishes.

Once outside the apartment complex, Louis got into a car parked by the entrance. His former assistant, Derek Trent, who was also the childhood friend his grandpa had chosen to accompany him growing up, was behind the wheel. As soon as Louis settled in, Derek handed him a paper bag.

"Louis, breakfast from The Baker's."

"No need, I already ate. Freya made breakfast."

What?" Derek froze mid-motion, still holding the bag. "Ms. Stone can cook?"

"I only just found out myself. Yesterday, she made coffee, and salad, which I thought was shocking enough. When she said she could cook, I figured she was just bragging. But this morning, she actually made an omelet. And when I told her I'd be back for lunch, she said she'd cook that too."

Derek frowned. "She's not plotting something, is she? Weren't you two basically living separate lives before? She never knew how to do anything. Oh, right, wasn't she pushing for a divorce? I already looked into the process, but now she's completely silent about it."

"She says she's not divorcing anymore. She's accepted this life, plans to live properly, and even wants to earn her own money so I don't have too much pressure." Louis leaned back against the seat, his tone unreadable.

"Wait, is Ms. Stone suddenly feeling bad for you? Planning to stick with you through thick and thin? If that's the case, she's not as bad as we thought."

Louis spoke flatly. "She did nothing in college, spent the last two years of our marriage doing nothing but shopping, said she wanted a divorce one day, then changed her mind the next. What do you think?"

Derek didn't know how to respond. After a moment, he said, "Well, people say you see a person's true nature in tough times. Maybe she just had a change of heart. You know, some people don't realize who they are until they go through hardship. We've seen plenty of people turn their backs on you lately, maybe Ms. Stone is just someone whose character only shows under pressure."

"Maybe." Louis didn't seem too concerned. "Let's go. She won't change anything in the grand scheme of things. We'll just wait and see."