Freya's Redemption

Freya's Redemption

Please read Catching Freya before reading this sequel.

Freya's Redemption happens nearly three years after the events of Catch Freya.

What Freya did to Charlie was terrible and she became a horrible pathetic figure because of it. Despite it all, leaving her like that just did not feel right to me so I decided to give her a chance at redemption and happiness.

If she deserves it or not you decide. Maybe in the end you will be happy for her.

This sequel is a lot longer than Catching Freya but then Freya did fall a very long way after her affair.

Chapter 1

The doorbell rang. Freya groaned and rose from the bed. She had a lie down while her mother took her two-year-old daughter, Morgan, out to the park so she could have a rest. It had been nearly three years since she ruined her own life. Nearly three years of so much unhappiness. Nearly three years of constant heartbreak. No day worse than giving birth alone to Morgan.

She had it all, a husband, Charlie, who loved her, a high-flying career, and a close network of friends then she blew it all by having an affair with a colleague, Kyle, on secondment from America, becoming pregnant with his child. She could have blamed Charlie for not being career-driven like she was and lacking ambition. Blamed him for being boring and not living life but that could not have been further from the truth.

Freya had long accepted that she was to blame. She had become obsessed with her career over everything else, including Charlie, which made her resent him. Kyle then stepped into the void she had created and she had a rampant physical affair with him. The sex was incredible. He was exciting, good-looking, and everything Charlie wasn't, or so she thought.

When she became pregnant, with Morgan, she was thrilled. She fully intended to leave Charlie for Kyle. That was until she discovered Kyle was married as soon as she arrived in New York for a business trip.

Freya tidied her hair, delicately dried her eyes, and put on the fake smile she had practised so hard to perfect before opening the front door. In front of her was a woman in her late thirties and an older woman who looked around fifty. Both were well-dressed in business suits. The younger woman's suit had a short skirt, revealing her attractive legs.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," the older woman said politely in an American accent. "Is this the residence of Freya Morrison?" Freya's stomach churned inside as she was gripped by fear.

"I believe you knew my husband, Kyle," the younger woman said with ill-concealed hostility.

Freya's eyes opened wide in panic and she put a hand over her mouth and tried to hold back the tears as she suddenly recognised the younger woman's face from three years prior. The two American women looked at each other with their brows furrowed. This was not the reaction they were expecting.

"You are Mrs Morrison, aren't you?" the younger woman said still sounding hostile although a little less sure of how to proceed. "I remember you from the airport when my husband returned from England."

Freya managed to compose herself, "You had better, come in," she said in a quiet voice of resignation. "I imagine you have questions."

Freya led them to the living room and the two American women stopped in their tracks when they entered and saw the pictures of Morgan sitting in picture frames hanging from the wall,

"Oh my god!" Kyle's wife exclaimed in dismay turning to Freya. "Is she Kyle's?"

Freya nodded and began to sob as she pleaded, "I am so sorry. I had no idea Kyle was married until I saw you and your children at the airport in New York, I swear it."

"Does Kyle know about her?"

Freya nodded again mournfully, "He refused to accept she was his."

On hearing that, Kyle's wife surprised Freya by squeezing her hand in emotional support. The two American women looked upon Freya with sympathy.

"I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry," Kyle's wife said while Freya composed herself.

"Why don't you take a seat," Freya offered. "Would you like tea or coffee?"

Freya went into the kitchen to make coffee for the two American women and composed herself further before returning with the coffee and a selection of biscuits, sitting down opposite them.

"Before we begin, I apologise, for not introducing ourselves," the older woman said. "I am Gwen Buchanan of Buchanan, Smith, and Taylor Associates, the law firm representing Mrs Goodchilds in her divorce."

"You can call me Brooke," Kyle's wife said reluctantly dropping her hostility.

"I know what you must think of me," Freya began, nervously. "A slut who tried to steal your husband and you're right, I was a slut but for betraying my own husband. I had no idea Kyle was married. If I knew, I would not have slept with him. If you are here to punish me or get some sort of revenge then you need to know I have suffered more than you can know and if you want to sue me you also need to know that I have nothing. This house is my parents and any money I had is gone."

"We are not here to punish you or for litigation," Gwen assured Freya. "We are just here for the truth. To gain evidence for the divorce trial."

"We are trying to untangle Kyle's lies and infidelity," Brooke added. "I want to know how much he cheated on me. I should tell you that you were not the first person he cheated on me with and you probably wouldn't have been the last. Could you please tell me about what happened between you and Kyle?"

Freya looked at the two women. She could quite easily refuse. They probably would threaten her but she knew they wouldn't be able to follow through with it. She sighed remorsefully and turned to look out of the window,

"When I met Kyle, I was married myself to a wonderful man named Charlie. When I joined the company, I worked at my career took off," Freya smiled wistfully at the memory. "It was an exciting time of my life. I got promoted very quickly and I loved my job. I became career-driven, too career-driven. I worked long hours. began to work when we were on holiday or travelling. I saw Charlie and could not understand why he wasn't the same as me. He could have gotten promoted but he didn't and I got frustrated with him. Then Kyle arrived on secondment. He was good-looking, charming, and had the ambition Charlie didn't. We got on well. Nothing happened at first but we began to work late, which turned into drinks after work. At no point did Kyle give me the impression that he was married or had children. During a night out, celebrating a new deal we had been working on, we kissed. Myself and Charlie had not been intimate for a while and were drifting apart so his touch and kiss felt incredible. Then we went on a business trip together where we had sex for the first time. I'm sorry, but the whole situation made the sex amazing. It wasn't just Kyle, my own infidelity made it so. Charlie then began to go on business trips of his own before he was made redundant and Kyle began to stay the night at my house and we would have sex non-stop. I then got pregnant. I forgot to take my birth control pills and the inevitable happened. I was thrilled and started to plan to leave Charlie. It must have been around that time Charlie got suspicious but I had no idea. I was too infatuated with Kyle. At the end of Kyle's secondment, I travelled with him to the New York office for work and I was going to surprise him with my pregnancy. When I saw you and your children at the airport and how Kyle embraced you, my world crashed down around me. If cheating on Charlie wasn't bad enough, in my desperation I planned to pass off Kyle's baby as Charlie's and rebuild our marriage but when I got home, I found Charlie had filmed Kyle and I having sex. There was no going back. Charlie and I got divorced and now I am a single mum, I haven't worked in two and a half years, I'm friendless and I lost a great husband. That is how I made a mess of my life."

The two women looked at Freya in pity.

"Did you try and persuade Mr Goodchilds to take responsibility for the baby? Would you sign an affidavit to that effect?"

"I can send you the email thread that we had about it. How he told me he didn't want anything to do with me or Morgan."

"That would be extremely helpful, Mrs Morrison."

"It is Ms Morrison now but you can call me Freya," she said trying to make her sad smile friendly.

"Did you and Charlie try to reconcile?" Brooke asked gently, her brow furrowed in sympathy.

"I tried. I tried so hard but Charlie moved on very quickly. I can't blame him. He couldn't bring himself to raise the child who was the result of my infidelity. He would have been a wonderful father to Morgan. I hear he is a wonderful father to the baby he had with his new wife."

"What about your career, Freya? Do you have plans to return to work?"

"I would like to but I can't afford childcare. Morgan needs to play with other children but I can't afford to pay for the childcare while I work. I'm ashamed because I am a burden on my parents and I am failing as a mother as much as I failed being a wife." Freya began to sob again.

Brooke and Gwen's eyes filled with tears at seeing a successful woman fall so low even if she was the cause of her own downfall. Brooke pursed her lips trying to make a decision.

"Freya, may I ask what you did for a living?" she asked.

"I was the North European Assistant Sales Director for the company Kyle and I worked for."

"My family's company is opening an office in England in the next few months which is why I am in England, amongst other reasons. Would you be willing to work for us?"

"I don't understand?" Freya looked confused through her tears. "I had your husband's child."

"Yes, you did," Brooke agreed tartly. "But I am also a Christian and I choose to forgive you. I can see Kyle deceived you as much as he did everyone else. That makes you a victim too and Morgan is a blessing born from an evil deed thanks to God's love. On meeting you, I genuinely believe God has decided that you have suffered enough for your choices. If you sign the affidavit and provide the evidence of Kyle's infidelity then I would be inclined to offer you a job. It will not be as highly paid as you used to be but I promise a good salary."

"Thank you," Freya began to sob again, but this time with a glimmer of hope that her long nightmare might just be at an end.

Gwen reached into her briefcase and removed a plastic packet, "Would it also be possible to get a DNA sample from Morgan? I will sue to get a paternity test done to prove Kyle is Morgan's father. I might be able to get a lump sum from Mr Goodchilds in the form of child support."

Freya nodded in agreement, "I can't afford to pay you, though."

"I can take a cut from any money you receive."

Freya gave the two women her phone number, address, and email address and Gwen gave Freya her business card before the two American women gave their goodbyes as they left.

Chapter 2

Freya breathed a sigh of relief. She never thought she would have met Kyle's wife. She had accepted being a jobless single mum until Morgan started school but her meeting was so unexpected and terrifying. Brooke was kind to her at the possibility of a job gave her hope. Hope that she will finally be able to provide for Morgan and find a place of her own.

A couple of weeks went by and Freya took Morgan to the local hardware superstore. Morgan needed to play with other children and the superstore had a free children's play area. It broke her heart that she couldn't afford to join groups or childcare so Morgan could play with other children. She tried to make friends with other mums in the park and in the play area at the superstore but when they asked about Morgan's father, they seemed to sense Morgan was the result of an affair and would quickly distance themselves.

"Is that your daughter?" a woman asked. "She is beautiful."

"Thank you," Freya smiled nervously. "She is. I am so lucky."

"Is her dad shopping here?"

Freya's heart sank. This question always came too quickly.

"Morgan doesn't know her father. The circumstances of her birth are complicated."

"Oh, I see!" the woman said sounding sad. "The poor girl."

Freya went silent. This was where they would take their children and leave.

"How old is she?" the woman persisted.

"Two," Freya replied sounding surprised.

"You don't sound sure," the woman said with a little amusement.

"I'm sorry, normally people walk away as soon as they find out about Morgan's circumstances," Freya sounded shameful as she spoke.

The woman looked at Freya sympathetically.

"Which one is yours?" Freya asked trying to change the subject.

Before the woman could answer, a voice she instantly recognised, that made her heartbreak as it always did, said, "Freya?"

"Charlie, you know this woman?" the woman said sounding confused.

"I'm Charlie's ex-wife," Freya said quietly, her guilt flooding back to her. "Hello, Charlie, how are you?" Freya greeted her ex-husband with a weak and nervous smile. "I'm sure Charlie has told you all about me," she said to Charlie's new wife.

"Oh my god! You're Freya!?" Charlie's wife exclaimed in surprise.

"I'll leave you. I have a good day." Freya said quickly reaching for her daughter, not wanting a drama in public and seeing Charlie was still far too painful, especially with a new wife.

"No! Please, don't go!" Charlie's wife protested. "I'll leave. I'm sure you both have some catching up to do. Charlie did tell me about you but it isn't as bad as you may think," she assured Freya before picking up her son. "We'll wait for you in the car, Charlie. It was nice to meet you Freya, I hope life gets better for you. I truly mean that."

"She is nice," Freya admitted, talking about Charlie's wife.

Charlie smiled his agreement, "I'm sure under different circumstances you could have been friends. Are you making some home improvements?"

Freya shook her head sadly, "This is the only place I can afford where Morgan can mix with other children."

Charlie's brow furrowed in sympathy, "I'm so sorry, Freya. Noelle is right, I hope things do get better for you. I mean it. I won't lie to you; you did hurt me a lot but it is in the past now, you shouldn't suffer forever. That isn't right especially because if it means Morgan suffers too. For what it's worth, I'm no longer angry with you and I never found in my heart to hate you."

"Thank you, you are a good man, Charlie. Noelle is a lucky woman and congratulations; your son is adorable. He looks so much like you."

"Thank you. It was good to see you, Freya."

As Charlie walked away, a thought occurred to Freya,

"Charlie, do you still have that video of myself and Kyle?" she asked Charlie in a pained voice.

"No, Freya. Please, don't do that to yourself! You have to move past it!" Charlie urged her.

"It's not what you think!" Freya said quickly. "Kyle's wife and lawyer visited me a couple of weeks ago. They said they might be able to get some child support from Kyle. If I can give them the video then that and the DNA evidence would prove beyond doubt that Kyle is Morgan's father."

"Wow! I see. That must have been tough for you. I will send you the video. I hope you can get a lot of money from the bastard. It was really low of him to deny that he was Morgan's father. How was it meeting Kyle's wife?"

"It was hard, very hard. I never expected to meet her but she forgave me. I don't think she holds grudges easily and is angrier with Kyle than anyone else. She even offered me a job. I haven't heard anything yet so it is probably just false hope."

"I hope it isn't," Charlie said with a smile that broke her heart again. "Good luck, Freya. It was good to see you again."

Charlie kept his word and sent the video which Freya forwarded on. A week later, Freya received a phone call from Brooke's company asking her to attend an interview and was offered a job as a senior marketing executive. This salary was considerably less than what she was earning before she had her affair and it was a very much more junior position but Freya was just happy to have a job and the salary was still good. It was enough to be able to rent a small apartment and be able to put Morgan into daycare. She wasn't bothered about the seniority either. More seniority meant working more hours. That meant spending less time with Morgan and she loved Morgan more than anything else in the world. Freya wept with relief that she would now be able to move on with her life and climb out of the dark hole she fell into as a result of her infidelity.

Two months later Freya started her new job. Freya was transformed. Her self-worth returned and she stopped sobbing and learned to smile again. She was so happy to talk to adults again, some of whom she made friends with and so happy that she could afford to send Morgan to daycare so her daughter could at last mix with other children. She was also able to start looking for a place for her and Morgan. It wasn't fair that she had imposed on her parents' retirement for so long.

A month into her job, Freya was called into a meeting on the executive floor.

"Brooke!" Freya said sounding startled as she entered the room. "And Mrs Buchanan!"

"Hello Freya," Brooke welcomed her standing up and she surprised Freya by giving her a small warm hug. "How have you been?" Gwen and Freya shook hands with a smile.

"I've been good. Thank you, so much for this opportunity. You have no idea how much you have changed my life, especially after, you know," her voice trailed off as she referenced her affair.

"Please sit down. That is why I wanted to talk to you. Don't worry," she said still smiling, "I just want to bring some closure to all this ghastly business. Thank you for the video. It accelerated my and Kyle's divorce and I am a free woman again. I think Gwen can give you more details."

"Yes, the video and your daughter's DNA results gave Mr Goodchilds no place to hide. He agreed to all of Brooke's demands and I am pleased to say, Mr Goodchilds, has also agreed to accept that he is Morgan's father." Freya breathed out a sigh of relief. "Mr Goodchilds is prepared to pay you a lump sum of $50,000 dollars." Freya's hand went straight to her mouth and tears welled in her eyes. "Now there are conditions." Gwen pulled out two documents, "The first is that you must agree to Mr Goodchilds waiving all parental rights from your daughter and the second is that you sign a non-disclosure agreement, that you don't discuss with anybody that Mr Goodchilds is your daughter's father. Is that acceptable to you?" she asked Freya looking at her intently.

Freya nodded enthusiastically and quickly signed the documents.

"The document says slightly more than $50,000. The difference is my fee. Considering the international nature of the non-disclosure agreement, it isn't worth the paper it's written on so it is totally unenforceable if you discuss it outside of the USA," Gwen smiled with genuine enthusiasm. "Congratulations, Freya!"

"I can't believe it! I just don't know what to say. My and Morgan's life has been transformed!" Freya said laughing, wiping away a tear of happiness, "and I have you to thank Brooke. You were the last person who I thought would help me. Thank you so much!"

"I'm just so happy some good had come out of Kyle's infidelity," Brooke replied, her eyes sparkling with her friendliness. He is no longer a father in any shape or form anymore. He has many children from three different mothers and he is father to none. My children only see him because the courts force them to and if Kyle doesn't keep up his visitations, I'm not going to go back to court to force him. The money isn't a problem for Kyle because his family is very wealthy and I know his parents are ashamed of him."