Chapter 137: You... Is My Business
Daisy opened her eyes slowly. The cry from last night had left her eyelids swollen, heavy, and sore, each blink a dull ache. She sat up with effort, her body sluggish, and scanned the room.
No sign of Theo.
The sheets beside her were cold, as though he’d been gone for hours.
Closing her eyes again, she pressed her palm to her temple and frowned. The headache lingered, sharp, throbbing, the kind that made it hard to tell if it came from exhaustion, grief, or both.
Her thoughts tangled immediately, flashing back to the things he said, the things she said. Every word still echoed like shards inside her chest.
Her thoughts tangled immediately, flashing back to the things he said, the things she said. Every word still echoed like shards inside her chest.
"Good morning..."
The hotel room door clicked open, and Theo appeared behind it. His voice was soft, carrying a warmth that almost didn’t fit with the ache lingering between them. "Did you just wake up?"
He stepped inside, walking straight to the small table on the right, and set down a paper bag that carried the faint aroma of fresh bread and coffee.
"I tried looking for your favourite, but there don’t seem to be many dessert places open in the morning around this area..." He kept talking, his voice steady but a touch uncertain, as though filling the silence on purpose. "So I got what I could. Croissants, some fruit, and coffee...you like it a little sweet, right?"
Daisy blinked at him, her lips pressing into a thin line. She didn’t answer, not yet. Her eyes lingered on his back as he busied himself with the bag, carefully laying out the food like it was some fragile peace offering.
The quiet stretched, heavier with each second. Daisy didn’t move, her swollen eyes following him, unreadable.
Theo’s hands slowed as he pulled out the cups, the rustling of the paper bag suddenly sounding too loud in the still room. He cleared his throat, glancing at her briefly before looking back at the table.
"I... wasn’t sure if you’d want anything warm or light, so I just... got both." His voice faltered near the end, softer now, almost unsure if he should’ve spoken at all.
When Daisy still didn’t reply, he rubbed the back of his neck, the tension in his shoulders obvious. For a man who usually commanded every room he walked into, the nervous shuffle of his movements now was almost jarring.
Finally, he turned toward her, holding out the coffee cup like it was some kind of shield. "Here. At least drink this... it’ll help with the headache."
"Coffee?" Daisy’s eyes flicked up, still looking unsatisfied. "With a headache?"
"It works for me sometimes—"
"You... not me. If it works for you, it doesn’t always apply to me too..." Daisy replied sharply, "And who said I have a headache...?"
Theo pressed his lips, "Well, it was all over your face..." He replied slowly.
Daisy narrowed her eyes, her tone cutting but faintly hoarse. "So now you can read my face? Funny... you couldn’t back then."
The sting of her words landed, and Theo’s grip on the cup tightened until his knuckles blanched. He let out a shaky breath, forcing himself not to snap back. Instead, he set the coffee down quietly on the table beside her bed.
"What do you usually do when you have a headache?" Theo still tried to smile despite the tense. He really thought this conversation ended last night, but here they were again, feeling like coming back to the starting point.
Daisy let out a humorless laugh, her swollen eyes narrowing on him. "What do I usually do? Endure it. Alone. The same way I’ve endured everything else."
Theo’s smile faltered, his throat tightening as the words cut deeper than she probably intended. He sank slowly onto the edge of the bed, keeping a careful distance, like she might bolt if he got too close.
"I don’t want you to endure anything alone anymore," he said quietly, his voice stripped of bravado. "Not pain, not fear, not... me." His fingers twitched against his knees, aching to reach for her but holding back.
Daisy’s gaze wavered for a moment, the bitterness in her chest colliding with the ache of still loving him. But she straightened her back, masking it with coldness. "Words, Theo. You’re good at them. But they don’t erase what’s already been done."
He shook his head, "I don’t intend to erase anything... I know I was wrong... you can do anything you want as long as you don’t leave me..."
"Anything I want?" Daisy repeated, her voice shaking. Without warning, she smacked her palm hard against her chest. "Then give this back! Can you, Theo? Can you give back what’s already broken in here?"
Before she could strike herself again, Theo caught her wrist mid-motion. His grip trembled, not from force but desperation, and he yanked her hand toward him, pressing it hard against his own chest.
"Then break me instead," he rasped, his eyes burning into hers. "If it eases even a little of what you feel... do it here. Hurt me. Not yourself."
Her breath caught, her hand pinned over his pounding heartbeat. The intensity in his voice, the rawness in his gaze, it shook her more than the pain in her chest ever could.
She jerked her hand free, snapping herself out of the moment, refusing to let her heart soften. Turning away, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and tried to stand. But the moment her feet touched the floor, her body wavered, her balance betraying her.
"Daisy—" Theo moved instinctively, his hand steadying her shoulder. His voice was laced with worry. "Be careful... is it your head? Does it still hurt?"
Her jaw tightened, her hand shoving him away with a sharp push. "Not your business."
The words stung, but Theo didn’t flinch this time. He leaned closer instead, his brows drawn low. "Everything about you is my business," he said hoarsely. "Even when you don’t want it to be."