The Truth Of It All.

Daisy POV

Sebastian.

My heart stops beating for a second when I see him standing there in the doorway, his eyes instantly locking onto mine.

Maybe it is best that he is here.

Maybe this is my chance to finally show him the truth. A chance for him to finally see Vanessa for who she really is.

“What the fuck are you doing here in my house?”

The sharpness of his voice makes me flinch, but I force myself to stand my ground. His eyes are cold and deadly as though he is looking at a thief who trespassed into his house and not the woman he has been married to for years.

“Bast..” I instantly stop myself from completing that nickname. “I’m here because there is something you need to see,” I finish, holding up the envelope for him to see the contents

“I don’t want to see or hear anything from you,” He says sharply, taking a step closer. “I asked you a fucking question Daisy. What are you doing in my house?”

“Your house? This is my house too. I’m still your wife Sebastian.”

“Not for long.” He laughs, but there is no humor in it. “The divorce papers are ready. All you have to do is sign them and get the fuck out of my life.”

Each word is a knife to my heart, but I refuse to back down. Not this time. Not when I finally have proof.

“Sebastian, I don’t care what you say but you have to see this. I just need you to look at what’s inside.”

He has to see the proof that I’m innocent of all his accusations.

Determined, I push the envelope into his hand and he takes it. “This contains proof of what actually happened three years ago. I didn’t push Vanessa off that cliff. I hired a private investigator and he found—”

“Proof? Private investigator? Is something wrong with you?” He scoffs as he eyes the envelope in his hands. “What other lies have you cooked up to humiliate Nessa? Aren’t you tired of scheming and plotting?”

He leans in so close that I can smell his cologne—the same one I bought him for our first anniversary. The same one he’s probably wearing for her now.

“You really think I give a damn about whatever lies you’ve cooked up this time?”

“They’re not lies!” My voice cracks as desperation starts to build up in my heart. “Sebastian please! Just look at it! That’s all I’m asking! Just open the envelope and see for yourself!”

I watch as he opens the envelope and fishes out the papers inside.

He is going to read them. He is finally going to see the truth about Vanessa.

But no.

He does not read the papers. He didn’t even spare them a glance.

Instead, he just turns and walks towards the kitchen.

What is he doing?

Confusion washes over me as I quickly follow him, my heart pounding against my ribs. “Sebastian? What are you doing?”

He doesn’t answer. Not even a word.

Instead, he reaches for a lighter.

No!

“Sebastian stop—!”

He clicks the lighter.

And instantly, the flame springs to life, bright and deadly.

“No!” I scream, lunging forward. “Sebastian don’t! Please don’t—!”

But he is already holding the envelope over the flame.

And I watch in both pain and shock as the fire catches the corner of the white documents and the brown envelope, the flames spreading quickly, hungrily, and devouring the evidence of my innocence like it’s nothing.

“STOP!” I try to grab the envelope from him, but he holds it high above my reach, his face twisted with hatred as he watches me scramble and cry. “Sebastian please! That’s the only proof I have! Please!”

“Then it’s good there’s no proof since all your proofs are lies,” he says coldly, his eyes never leaving my face as the flames grow higher. The papers blacken and curl, the words that could have saved me disappearing into smoke and ash. The investigator reports, witness statements, photographs…

All is being destroyed by Sebastian. By my husband.

The wickedness of it all makes my knees give out and I collapse on the kitchen floor, watching helplessly as the last of the envelope crumbles into nothing but more ashes. Sebastian drops the burning remains into the sink and turns on the water, washing away the ashes like they never existed.

Like my innocence never existed.

“Why?” The word comes out as a broken sob. “Why would you do that? Why won’t you even listen to me?”

He turns to face me, his expression so cold that it sends ice through my veins. “Because nothing you say matters anymore, Daisy. Nothing you do will ever change the fact that I love Vanessa. That I’ve always loved her. And that I want you gone.”

“But I’m carrying your child!” I scream, placing both hands on my stomach. “Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

His phone rings with a call before he can answer. He pulls it out, and I watch his face transform. The hardness melts away, instantly replaced by a soft, loving smile.

“Hey baby,” he answers the call, his voice smooth like honey. “Yeah, I’m just at home. I’ll be with you in about fifteen minutes. I miss you too.”

He is talking to her. To Vanessa.

And he is smiling like she is his entire world.

He ends the call and looks down at me with disgust. “Get out of here, Daisy. And don’t come back. This house, this life, none of it is yours anymore.”

Done speaking to me as if I’m trash, he steps over me and walks out of the house, leaving me alone in the kitchen surrounded by the ashes of my last hope.

I don’t know how long I sit there on the cold floor. Minutes? Hours? Time doesn’t seem to exist anymore.

The evidence is gone. Sebastian is gone. My parents are gone. Everything I ever had or loved or believed in is gone.

I have nothing left.

Nothing except the tiny life growing inside me.

Slowly, I pull myself up from the floor. My legs feel like jelly, my head is spinning, and my heart—God, my heart feels like it’s been ripped out of my chest and stomped on.

But I have to keep moving. I have to survive. For my baby.

I need help. I need someone who won’t judge me or hate me or betray me.

And I need that person right now or I’m afraid I’ll lose my remaining sanity forever.

With shaking hands, I pull out my phone. The screen is cracked—I don’t even remember when that happened—but it still works. I scroll through my contacts until I find the name I’m looking for. A name I haven’t called in years. Not since I married Sebastian and he made me cut ties with everyone from my past.

Logan Pierce.

My childhood friend. The boy who used to share his lunch with me in elementary school. The one who walked me home when I was scared of the dark. The one who promised he’d always be there for me if I needed him.

I pray he still means that promise.

My finger hovers over his name for just a second before I press call.

It rings once. Twice. Three times.

Pick up. Please pick up. Please—

“Daisy?”

His voice—warm and familiar and safe—instantly breaks something inside me. The dam I have been holding back finally bursts and I start sobbing so hard I can barely breathe.

“Logan,” I choke out between sobs. “Logan, I need your help. Please. I need you to take me away from here. Please, I’m begging you. I have nowhere else to go and no one else to turn to. Please—”

“Daisy, breathe. Just breathe,” his voice is steady and calm. “Where are you right now?”

“I’m at—” I hiccup through my tears. “I’m at Sebastian’s house but I can’t stay here anymore. Logan, everything’s falling apart. My parents, Sebastian, everything. Please come over. Please just take me away from here.”

There’s a pause. One heartbeat. Two.

“I’m on my way.” He breaks the pause and I hear keys jiggling in the background. “Send me the address. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”

The words instantly fill me with a relief so powerful that my knees almost give out again.

“Thank you,” I whisper hoarsely. “Thank you so much.”

“Stay on the line with me until I get there okay? Don’t hang up okay?”

“Okay.”