The Bride Who Said No: Escaping the Shadows of Yesterday

Kieran watched the couple who owned the small diner, both well into their fifties, tirelessly working from dawn till dusk without a moment's rest. It suddenly made him think of Freya. Would he and Freya end up like this if they went through with marriage decades down the line?

Just then, the lady behind the counter handed Kieran a bag of sandwiches, her smile warm as she said, "Hope your girlfriend gets better soon!"

Kieran offered a faint smile in return before paying them a generous tip that left the couple speechless. When they stepped out to thank him, Kieran was already in a cab back to the hospital. Freya had just finished her soup in the hospital room.

Kieran turned on the light, noticing the empty soup bowl on the table. He casually placed the bag of sandwiches on the small table.

Seeing the pile of sandwiches, Freya frowned, "All this?"

"I wasn't sure what you'd fancy, so I got a couple of each kind."

Kieran kept himself busy cleaning up the table, moving quickly and efficiently.

Freya, however, mentioned, "You took your time getting back. I'm already full."

didn't seem

deepened. "You're not

leg. Given your injury, I'll let it slide." After cleaning up, Kieran settled on a nearby couch

get a rise out of Kieran, Freya opened a sandwich and took a

from the couch, Kieran casually asked, "When was the last

paused, her tone

dad was in

Kieran's words, Freya's demeanor chilled further. "That's none of your concern. We've called

her appetite. Freya vividly remembered being

Johanna

was obvious she

inheritance. The bigwigs connected to the Dawson family all had their ulterior motives, leaving her feeling like a frightened rabbit

on Freya as a suitable bride for the