Chapter 133: Pathetic Relationship
The moment Theo put Daisy down on the bed, she jerked back up instantly, her legs kicking off his legs before she bolted toward the door.
But Theo was faster. His hand slammed against the wooden frame just as her fingers brushed the handle, trapping her in place. The air between them grew thick, her ragged breaths clashing with his heavy silence.
"I told you..." He leaned closer, his voice low, controlled, but dangerous in its restraint. "We need to talk."
Daisy’s chest heaved as she glared at him, her hand still clutching the doorknob like a lifeline. "And I told you... I don’t owe you anything anymore!"
His jaw flexed, his eyes unblinking. "You owe me the truth."
Her breath hitched, just slightly, before she scoffed, masking the crack in her composure. "Truth? Or the version you already made up in your head?"
Theo’s lips pressed into a thin line. "The one you’ve been running from."
"I’ve been running from? What? Who? I didn’t run from you..." She sneered, though her voice quivered under the weight of her own words. "Tell me, why should I run from someone who didn’t even bother to check if I was alive or not?"
Theo’s chest tightened, his hand still braced against the doorframe, blocking her escape. Her words hit like a blade, cutting into the guilt he refused to show. His jaw locked, his silence heavier than any reply.
Daisy laughed bitterly, shaking her head. "So... would you please move away, because looking at your face at this moment is making me sick..." Her eyes flicked up, cold and empty, the hollowness in them far more painful than her words.
Theo’s throat worked, but no sound came. For the first time, he felt the sting of her rejection not as anger but as something closer to despair. Still, he leaned in, refusing to yield.
"Explain..." His eyes locked on Daisy’s, dark and unrelenting.
Her lips twisted into a bitter smile, though her voice trembled at the edges. "What do I need to explain? Why am I still alive?"
Theo’s chest rose and fell with uneven breaths. His hand pressed harder against the doorframe, knuckles white. "Don’t twist this on me, Daisy. You know damn well what I’m asking."
She tilted her head, a mocking glint in her eyes that didn’t quite hide the storm beneath. "Then spell it out, Theo. Because from where I stand, the only thing you’ve ever wanted from me was to get lost!"
Theo flinched, just barely but enough. The words hit harder than any slap could. His lips parted, but nothing came out at first. Then, slowly, his voice dropped, low and jagged. "I was just trying to—"
"To what?" Daisy cut him right away, her tone laced with fury, her eyes blazing up at him. "To punish me? To bury me alive in guilt? Or to finally convince yourself that I was the monster who killed our baby?"
The silence that followed was deafening, thick enough to crush the air between them.
"Can’t I take some time to calm myself?" Theo’s voice cracked with restrained frustration, his brow furrowing deeply. "Do you think it was easy for me either? That I could just—" He stopped, the weight of the unspoken words pulling at his chest.
Daisy let out a harsh laugh, her eyes glistening though her smile was cruel. "Calm yourself? You left me to bleed alone, Theo. Tell me, how much calmer could you possibly get?"
"Bleed?" His voice cracked with disbelief, anger laced through every syllable. "Why would you bleed? You chose to get rid of it, Daisy. Why would you?" His jaw clenched, the bitterness in his words cutting deeper. "Shouldn’t you feel free—that you didn’t have to be tied down anymore?"
Daisy bit her lip, the corners of her mouth curling into a smile so hollow it almost hurt to look at. Her eyes, however, stayed cold, unyielding. She gave a slow nod, her voice dripping with irony.
"Thanks to you, Theo... I’ve learned not to tie myself to someone who can be swayed by anyone but me. Congratulations... you’ve taught me that the man I trusted would rather believe whispers and shadows than the woman carrying his child."
She tilted her head, her smile widening into something cruelly sweet. "So no... I’m not tied down anymore. Not to you. Not to your doubts. Not to your version of me."
"That is why..." Theo’s voice broke through, rough and raw. His hand shot out before he realized it, fingers clamping around her arm with more force than he intended. "I asked you to explain?!"
The sudden pull jerked Daisy forward, her body colliding with his chest. Her eyes widened in shock, her breath caught between them.
For a heartbeat, silence roared louder than words. His grip trembled, not from weakness, but from the storm tearing him apart inside.
"Explain... what?" Her lips quivered, the words spilling out like broken glass. "Isn’t the first thing you should’ve asked me when you saw me... ’I’m sorry’?"
Her eyes blinked hard, fighting the burn of tears gathering fast. "I was terrified that day, Theo. I thought my life was ending right there. George... his madness, his eyes...they still haunt me in my dreams..." Her voice cracked, sharp and raw. "And you... you dare to stand here and ask me to explain? Explain what?!"
Theo’s grip on her loosened slowly, his hand falling away as if the weight of her words burned him. Her tears ran freely now, her reddened eyes piercing through his anger. He had been so consumed with their baby, with the grief and fury of what he had lost, that he had almost forgotten the terror she had endured... on how she had been kidnapped, hunted, left defenseless.
"Daisy..." His voice was low, fractured, barely more than a whisper. "I—I really am—"
Daisy raised her hand sharply, stopping him cold. Her eyes glistened, but her voice was firm, steady despite the tears streaking her face.
"Save it, Theo. Whatever you’re about to say... it won’t change the truth." She let out a bitter laugh. "From the start, what were we, really? A contract? A marriage built on revenge? We barely knew each other long enough to even pretend it was real."
Her chest rose and fell, ragged, but she forced herself to hold his gaze. "It was always too fragile to survive. Too hollow to begin with." Her hand trembled as she wiped her tears away, almost angrily, as if punishing herself for letting him see them.
Then, with a breath that shook her to the core, she dropped the words like a blade, "Let’s end this pathetic excuse of a relationship."