Chapter 155: Father Or Husband
The silence in the room broke when the phone in Daisy’s hand rang again.
Her eyes dropped to the glowing screen, and her lips pressed into a thin line. It had been a while since this number appeared, and of all times, it had to be now. She didn’t look pleased.
"Who?" Theo leaned closer, glancing at the screen. The moment he saw the name, his expression hardened. "Don’t answer it."
Daisy’s brow furrowed deeply at his sudden tone. She lifted her gaze to him, puzzled and uneasy.
"Is there a reason why I shouldn’t answer it right now?"
Theo swallowed the storm rising inside him, forcing his voice to stay even. "Because whatever she has to say can wait. Right now, you need peace and all she ever does is give you headaches."
Daisy hesitated, her thumb hovering over the green button before she finally pressed the call to silence and placed the phone on her lap. She drew in a breath and gave him a small nod. "Alright... I won’t answer."
But then her eyes lifted to his, searching. "Theo... is this the reason why you hid my phone from me?"
Theo went silent for a few moments, his jaw tightening. His mind wrestled... truth or lie, to protect her or risk breaking her trust. His lips parted, but no words came at first, only the heavy sound of his breath filling the quiet room.
"Daisy..." he finally said, his voice low, rough. "I only wanted to shield you from things that might hurt you. I wasn’t trying to deceive you."
"Explain..." Her voice was soft, but firm, leaving no room for him to dodge. The way her eyes locked on him made it feel as though she could see straight through his hesitation, straight into the storm churning in his mind.
Theo’s throat worked as he swallowed, his gaze flickering away for a second before returning to hers. His heart thudded painfully, she deserved the truth, but saying it would shatter the fragile peace they had rebuilt just a few days ago.
"Did she get my dad?"
The question cut through the air like a blade. The blood drained from Theo’s face, his chest tightening so hard it hurt. For a split second, he forgot how to breathe.
"Daisy..." His voice cracked before he steadied it, but the way her eyes pinned him down made it impossible to mask the truth.
Daisy immediately shot to her feet, not waiting for an answer she already sensed. Her movements were sharp, trembling with urgency as she turned toward the door.
"Wait—" Theo caught her hand, his grip firm but desperate. "You’re still not okay." His eyes burned as he tried to hold her back, his voice rough with pleading. "I already asked Miles and the others to bring him back... please, Daisy..."
Her chest heaved, her lips parting as if to argue, but the words tangled in her throat. The fight inside her cracked under the weight of everything her body weakened, her heart breaking, her father torn from her again. Tears she had tried to hold back spilled hot down her cheeks.
"Theo..." Her voice broke, raw and uneven. "Why... why does it always have to be like this?" She pressed her free hand against her face, shoulders trembling as sobs finally escaped.
Theo’s chest tightened painfully at the sight. Without thinking, he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her.
He rubbed slow circles on her back, whispering, "It’s okay... he’s going to be okay. I promise you I’ll bring him back." His voice was hoarse, fierce with an urgency that left no room for doubt.
Daisy hiccupped between sobs, fingers clutching his shirt. "I tried my best..." she choked out, each word coming like a small, ragged breath. "Every time I think I’ve found happiness, something rips it away and... reminds me I’ll never be happy. Why?"
Theo tightened his hold, letting her cry into him.
All the careful lies, the half-truths, every attempt to shield her, felt fragile and useless now. He pressed his forehead to hers for a moment, breathing with her. "Because life has been cruel to you," he said quietly. "Not because you deserve it, but because there are people who choose cruelty. I’m sorry I let you face any of it alone."
Daisy’s shoulders trembled. "You knew... and you didn’t tell me." The accusation was small, more a broken question than anger.
He swallowed, the admission burning on his tongue. "I didn’t want to panic you until I had facts. I thought I could make it right without dragging you into it." He opened his mouth to say more, then shut it, because the look in her eyes demanded honesty, not excuses.
"They took Thomas this morning. Jasmine came and signed the paperwork... she insisted they couldn’t refuse. Miles is tracing them now. So, let’s wait for a while, hmm?"
But Daisy shook her head, refusing. "No, how can I wait? You don’t know what that devil Kennedy can do." She bit her lip, holding back her frustration.
Theo reached for her trembling hands, his thumbs brushing over her knuckles, grounding her. "Daisy, listen to me. I know what Kennedy is capable of. That’s exactly why we have to move smart, not desperate. If we rush without knowing where they’ve taken Thomas, we could lose track of him completely."
Her chest rose and fell in quick, uneven breaths. "But sitting here feels like doing nothing," she whispered, voice breaking. "He’s all I have left, Theo... and that old man... he’ll use him against me. I can’t let that happen."
"I know... I know—" Theo began, raw with urgency.
"No! You don’t know!" Daisy snapped, emotion spilling over. "They want me... and I will go to them as long as my father is safe."
Theo’s face crumpled for a heartbeat, then hardened. He reached for her, steadying her hands in his. "You’re not going anywhere alone," he said, low and fierce. "We do this together... but we do it smart. I’ve already got people tracing them. The moment Miles has a location, we move. I won’t let you walk into their trap."
"They won’t hide him, Theo," Daisy shot back, shaking her head. Her voice trembled but her eyes burned with certainty. "I know that old man... he’s at Kennedy’s place. Where else would they take him? They don’t need to run, they don’t need to cover it up. He’s sitting there right now, waiting for me to come." She bit her lip, anger and despair mixing. "You don’t need to waste time tracing what I already know."
Theo remained quiet for a moment before his lips parted. "Okay... I’ll ask them to go straight there and bring your father back. You stay here with me." His voice was steady, but his grip on her hand betrayed the feelings he was holding in.
Before Daisy could respond, the phone in her hand buzzed sharply. A series of message notifications popped up one after another across the screen.
Her breath caught. Theo’s eyes narrowed, already reaching for the phone. "Who is it?"
Daisy’s fingers trembled as she unlocked the screen. "Mom..." she whispered, her voice cracking. But the moment her eyes scanned further, her breath hitched violently. "No... Dad!"
Theo instantly snatched the phone from her hand, his jaw clenched. His gaze darkened as the images filled the screen, a photo of Thomas lying on the cold floor of a dim room, his face pale and frail. Seconds later, another string of messages appeared.
’Come if you want him alive. Choose...your father, or your husband.’
Theo’s jaw clenched so tightly it hurt, his chest rising and falling with barely contained rage. His first instinct was to crush the phone in his hand, to storm out and tear Kennedy apart with his bare hands.
But then his gaze flicked to Daisy. Her face had gone pale, her lips trembling, her whole body shaking as she stared at the image burned into her mind.
A cold fear shot through him, ’they knew exactly what they were doing.’ Not just tormenting Thomas, but cornering Daisy into a cruel choice.
"No..." he muttered under his breath, his eyes blazing as he crouched in front of her, gripping her trembling hands. "Daisy, listen to me... don’t even think about their twisted game. They want you to choose because they know you’ll throw yourself to save him. That’s exactly what they’re counting on."
Her eyes filled with tears, her voice breaking. "But Theo... he’s my father...what if..."
Theo shook his head fiercely, cutting her off. "No. Don’t say that." He cupped her face, eyes burning with a fierce, pleading intensity. "I swear to you, I’ll bring him back. But I’m not letting them take you from me. Please... believe me."
Tears blurred Daisy’s vision. For a moment she did nothing but press her forehead to his chest. "I—I’m scared," she admitted into his shirt.
"I know." He wrapped her tighter, breath hot against her hair. "I’m scared too. That’s why you have to trust me now." He drew back just enough to meet her eyes. "Stay. Sit. Breathe with me. Don’t decide anything in panic."