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Chapter 23

Freen was on her way back to the office when she was stopped in her tracks by her bestfriends, "No. I'm not doing this." Freen said trying to walk away.

"Please hear her out." Noey said pleading.

"You weren't there, Noey. She publicly humiliated Becky when I specifically told her not to."

"I only spoke the truth." Nam defended.

Freen was utterly exhausted, her body was aching, the meeting took hours and hours and it took more of her energy than she thought to convince the investors. On top of it all she is worried about Becky who went to Phuket alone. She was in no mood for arguing, "If you think I'm gonna stand here and listen to you after what you have done, you are absolutely mistaken."

"I don't recognize you anymore."

Freen scoffed, "I have always felt like I have been living someone else's life. Now that I'm finally living for myself, if that makes me someone you can't recognize, then that's your problem not mine."

"This is all pretty big, right? We just wanna talk, I swear." Noey tried again to convince her. Freen more than anything didn't want another argument, because even if she doesn't like to admit it, it really sucked to fight with Nam. So she finally gave in and nodded.

All three of them settles into their seats in a nearby cafe.

"So you are with her?" Noey asked curiously. She was genuinely surprised to hear that when Nam told her about them.

"Why does it matter if I'm with her or not?"

"It matters cause right now, you are just like Saint. Living a double life." She tried to reason.

"That's not true. I know the old Freen wouldn't have done it. Wouldn't have gotten together with someone like Becky. Someone so impulsive and irrational and at the same time kind and free. She'd lean out the window and see buildings and concrete and geometric shapes and...But the new Freen..."

"What does the new Freen see?" Nam finally spoke up. 

"Myself."

"People get confused. Affection confuses everybody." Noey says.

"I'm not confused. I love her. And I love Lyra like she is my own daughter."

Nam frowned, her eyes unblinking as she held Freen's gaze, "Why can't you see this is exactly what drove Saint crazy? You are living two lives, one here in Bangkok and another one in Pattaya. This going back and forth, this playing both sides might come back to haunt you."

"To haunt me? Why? I'm not deceiving anybody like Saint did."

"What about the people in your life? Your friends, your mom, your family....Do you think they are gonna accept your relationship with your husband's lover?"

Freen huffs in anger, "I've spent my whole life worrying about others. My mom, Saint, projects, my studies...Well, I'm sorry, but now it's my turn."

Nam sighs deeply, "We are just trying to help you."

"And I can see that. But like I said I love her and I wanna be with her. If you can't support my decision the least you can do is respect it and let me be." She didn't want to be rude. Freen tried her best to keep her voice steady.

"You know we are your bestfriends, right? We will always support you." Noey says.

"If grilling Becky about her family when she clearly didn't wanna talk about it is support..."Nam cuts her off, "I made a mistake. I'm sorry. I only want the best for you. I know you have also heard things and wondered about them yourself."