CHAPTER 21

**(Ash’s POV)**
"I want you, Freya," I whisper in her ear. I feel our hearts beating against each other. Her hands tremble as I grip them tightly. I tighten my arms around her waist. Not letting her get away from me for a second.

"Want me?" Her voice was low. She tried to push me away, but I pulled her body against mine even more.

"Right, I want you," I said, "to be honest, that admission was just an excuse I made up so I could keep seeing you. There's no other way I can think of other than this to get close to you, Freya."

"How could you do such a thing to me?" she asked, "I've already had a boyfriend. Our relationship ended a long time ago, Ash. Don't you remember? You're the one who divorced me and pushed me away from you."

"I realize that, and it was indeed my fault. It can't be denied that I made a fatal mistake back then. That's why, now I'm trying to fix it," I said, looking at her intently.

Her eyes trembled. Blinking a few times while observing me. I never realized that Freya looked so beautiful, even more beautiful when I looked at her at such a close distance.

"There's nothing to fix anymore because it's all over." She turns her face away when I touch her cheek. Even though she keeps rejecting me, I'm still going to keep trying to get her to come back to me.

I shook my head. "No. I may not have realized my true feelings before, but now I do." I swallowed my saliva with difficulty. Covering her face with both my hands. Our eyes met. "I want you only for myself, Freya. No one else."

"But I don't want you, Ash." She pushed me away, but I didn't let go.

"Marry me," I whisper in her face.

She widened her eyes in surprise. She pushed hard on my chest until she slipped out of my arms.

"You're crazy, Ash." She stepped back. Shaking her head repeatedly as her hands stretched forward, forcing me not to approach her. "You're saying outrageous things!"

"Why? It's not the wrong thing to do."

"Are you living in your dreams? It's wrong because I'll never marry you again." She pressed against my chest as I forced my way closer to her.

"Can't you feel it?" I pulled her hand to press further on my chest. So that she can feel the pounding of my heart.

But Freya immediately pulls her hand away. She looks at me with confusion. With a pair of eyes that tremble uneasily.

"No," she muttered, shaking her head. "It's not right."

I could see her wavering from the way she gazed and the way she acted towards me. I could sense that she still loved me. And I'll use that as a way to get closer to her. To make her love me back like she used to.
She has to be mine again. No matter what happens.

"Stop lying about your feelings, Freya. I know you still love me," I said.

"You think I still love you?"

"Yes," I answered firmly. I looked at her intently, but she kept avoiding looking at me. And that meant she still loved me because she got nervous every time she was with me.

She smiled wryly. "You're too confident, Ash. I don't love you anymore."

"Then give me proof that you don't love me anymore," I urged her.

"I already have a boyfriend!"

"That's not enough of an excuse. In fact, Sia and Gia are my children. And I want to be their father. I want to be next to them, to live together with you," I admitted with all my heart. Trying to make her believe my every word.

"Have you forgotten the bad things you did to me in the past?" her hands clenched into fists. She looked at me with a disappointed expression. And it made my heart hurt. "How can you still dare to ask such a thing after you've been so bad to me, huh?"

"Freya..."

"No!" she exclaims moving away from me. "Don't touch me," she protests.

My hands froze in midair. I stare at her intently.

"Give me a chance and forget everything that happened in the pastー"

"Forget everything? You think that's something easy to do for me?" Her voice trembled. I tried to grab her hand, but she brushed it away. She gave me a sharp look. "Do you enjoy seeing me miserable, Ash?"

"Of course not. I only want you and the children. I don't need anything else, as long as you come back to me."

"If you're so desperate for a partner and children, ask Stella to marry you. Aren't you lovers?" she snorted in annoyance.

"I don't want her, Freya," I whisper, reaching for her waist. Pressing her tightly there.

"Let go of me, Ash!"

"I don't want to," I insisted. "I only want you. Can I?" I spoke right above her lips. Staring at her full, rosy lips.

I wanted to kiss her so badly. I wanted so badly to hold her and make sure she stayed by my side without anyone else having her.

"Get off me, Ash!" She pushed me hard, slapping my face until I groaned in pain.

She looked at me with anger as I tried to kiss her, but it didn't make me angry or try to stop what I wanted to do.

"Look, I will never marry you again. Even if the world ends and there are only two of us on this earth. I'd rather die with them!"

"I know you don't mean what you say. I know you still like me, right?" I reached out my hand, to touch her cheek, but she brushed it away roughly and glanced at me sharply.

"If you dare touch me again, I will never forgive you, Ash," she warned.

I couldn't help but obey her words because I didn't want to see her hate me even more. Because I plan to make her come back to me and leave her bastard lover behind. No one can have her but me.
Only me.

"Then, consider what I'm asking you."

"No matter how many times you ask, my answer is no! And don't expect me to marry the man who threw me away!" she exclaimed. "I don't think this conversation is going to end well, so I'm going to get out of here. And remember, don't ever bother me again!"

"Wait, Freya!"

Freya walked straight out of the restaurant. I tried to chase after her, but right at that moment, I got a call from the hospital.

"Hello?"

"With Mr. Ash?"

"Yes, it's me. What's wrong?" I furrowed my brow as I received the call from the hospital.

"Currently, a patient named Miss Stella is being treated at the hospital for fainting and some injuries on her body. I'm notifying you because she said that you are her guardian."
"What?!" I widened my eyes in surprise. "Okay. I'll be right there!"

I immediately ended our phone call and rushed to the hospital. I was shocked to hear that Stella was injured. While some time ago we were still exchanging messages and she was fine.

Arriving at the hospital, I immediately looked for Stella's hospital room and after getting it, I went straight to the room number that the hospital staff had told me.

"Stella? Are you okay?" I asked after I entered the room and saw her sitting on the bed with an IV attached to her hand.

I stood beside the bed and checked her condition.

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied.

"What happened? You heard you fainted and got hurt. Did something happen?"

She lowered her head. Her hands were shaking as she clutched the edge of the blanket that covered her up to her waist.

I sat on the edge of the bed and touched her hand.

"What's wrong? Why do you look scared?" I asked as I furrowed my brow. She was acting very strange.

"I...." she bit her lower lip nervously.

"Just tell me. What's wrong?" I urged.

"Uh, there were some guys who attacked me in the middle of the street on my way to work. They hurt me, but luckily someone saved me," she explained. Her eyes trembled with fear.

"Some men?" I was surprised. "Who? Do you recognize them? Do you remember their faces?"

"They were...." She was silent for a moment. Swallowing her saliva with difficulty. "They said, they were Freya's men."

My eyes bulged with shock. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Freya? Trying to hurt Stella?

That can't be…