Freya's POV
I stood up slowly, letting his words sink in.
"Keep it in the family," I repeated. "How thoughtful of you, Jasper."
Lila looked between us, confusion written across her pale features.
"You know what else I should keep in the family?" I walked to the foot of her bed. "A coffin. Since we're talking about wedding gifts."
"Freya!" Cecilia's voice cut through the room like a blade.
"What? Too morbid? I thought it was practical. Lila's dying, right? Might as well plan ahead."
Lila's face crumpled. Waylon stepped forward, his complexion turning an alarming shade of red.
"How dare you speak to your sister that way?"
"My sister?" I laughed. "Since when do you care about family relationships, Dad?"
"You will show respect—"
His hand flew toward my face. I didn't flinch.
Jasper lunged between us, taking the slap meant for me. The sound echoed through the small room.
"Enough," Jasper said, his cheek already reddening. "This has gone too far."
I stared at him. Even now, playing the hero. Even now, trying to protect everyone but addressing nothing.
"You're right," I said quietly. "It has gone too far."
I turned toward the door.
Jasper grabbed my wrist. "Where are you going?"
The contact sent fury shooting through me. After everything, he thought he could still touch me? Still control my movements?
My palm connected with his face before I could think twice. The slap rang out sharper than the one he'd taken from Waylon.
"Don't ever touch me again."
Jasper stumbled backward, a perfect handprint blooming across his cheek.
Lila cried out from the bed. "Stop hurting him!"
I looked at her once, something cold and final settling in my chest.
"Get well soon, dear sister. You're going to need your strength for what's coming."
Then I walked out.
The hospital corridor stretched endlessly in front of me. Families huddled in waiting areas. Visitors carried flowers and get-well cards. Normal people living normal lives.
I kept walking until I reached the parking garage.
My phone buzzed as I got in the car. A text from Katie.
*Coffee? Now?*
*The Marlborough. Soon.*
I needed my best friend.
Katie was already waiting when I arrived, claiming our usual corner booth. She took one look at my face and waved the server over.
"Two whiskeys. The good stuff. And keep them coming."
"It's barely noon," I said, sliding into the booth.
"And it's been only days since your fiancé destroyed your life. I'd say whiskey is appropriate."
The drinks arrived quickly. Katie pushed one across the table.
"Talk."
So I did. Everything. The jewelry boxes, the hospital confrontation, the coffin comment, the slapping.
Katie listened without interrupting, her expression growing darker with each detail.
When I finished, she drained her whiskey in one swallow.
"That son of a bitch."
"Which one? I've got several to choose from."
"All of them. But especially Jasper." She pulled out her phone. "I'm calling him."
"Katie, don't—"
Too late. Her fingers were already dialing.
"Jasper Tristan, you pathetic excuse for a man." Her voice carried across the restaurant. Other diners turned to stare.
I could hear his voice through the speaker, trying to explain.
"Shut up," Katie snapped. "I'm talking. Do you have any idea what Freya sacrificed for you? Do you remember the weekly blood transfusions? The months she spent barely eating so she could donate more? The way she nearly passed out at work because giving you her blood was more important than her own health?"
My chest tightened. I'd asked her never to mention that to anyone.
"Five years, Jasper. Five years she kept you alive with her own blood. And this is how you repay her?"
"Katie, please," I whispered.
She held up a finger, still talking into the phone.
"And don't give me this dying sister bullshit. I know Freya. If Lila had asked her directly, Freya would have moved mountains to help. But no. You went behind her back. You stole her wedding. You humiliated her in front of everyone."
Jasper's voice rose from the speaker, defensive.
"What did you just say?" Katie's voice went deadly quiet. "Did you just call her selfish?"
She looked at me, eyes blazing. "He called you selfish. After everything."
I reached for her phone. "Let me."
"Katie? Put Freya on the phone."
His voice sounded tired. Defeated.
"I'm here," I said.
"Can we talk? Just us?"
I looked at Katie. She nodded.
"The civil affairs bureau. Soon."
"Freya, I—"
I hung up.
Katie reached across the table and took my hand. "You don't have to do this."
"Yes, I do. We need to make this official."
"The divorce?"
"The divorce."
The civil affairs bureau was busier than I expected. Couples filing paperwork, some happy, some decidedly not. I wondered which category Jasper and I fell into now.
He was waiting by the information desk when I arrived, his face still bearing the mark of my slap.
"Thank you for coming," he said quietly.
"Let's just get this over with."
We took a number and sat in plastic chairs that reminded me of the DMV. Institutional green walls, fluorescent lighting, the smell of anxiety and bureaucracy.
"Freya," Jasper started.
"Don't."
"I need to explain—"
"There's nothing to explain. You made your choice."
"It's not that simple."
"It's exactly that simple."
A voice called our number. We approached the desk where a bored-looking clerk waited.
"Divorce filing?" she asked without looking up.
"Yes," I said.
She handed us a stack of forms. "Fill these out completely. Both parties must sign. There's a thirty-day waiting period before the divorce is finalized."
I froze. "Excuse me?"
"Thirty days. Mandatory cooling-off period. New law."
"Thirty days?" My voice came out strangled.
"Standard procedure now. Gives couples time to reconsider."
I stared at the papers in my hands. Thirty days. During which time I would still be Mrs. Jasper Tristan. Still legally married to the man currently planning to marry my half-sister.
Jasper was reading over my shoulder. "So we'd still be married during..."
"During your wedding," I finished. "Yes."
The irony was suffocating.
"Maybe," Jasper said slowly, "we shouldn't file these papers at all."
I turned to stare at him. "What?"
"Think about it. Lila's condition is terminal. After... after she's gone, we could work things out. Figure out where we went wrong."
The words hit me like ice water.
"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"
Jasper's expression was almost hopeful. "It would save us the trouble of remarrying later."
The world tilted sideways. After everything – the betrayal, the humiliation, the theft of my entire life – he actually believed I would take him back.
He actually thought I was waiting for Lila to die so we could resume our fairy tale.