LOGINDaisy's POV ~
Humiliated beyond words, I grab my purse and rush towards the exit.
Outside the restaurant, my phone buzzes in my purse and I pull it out with shaky hands.
The buzz is from a notification. A tagged post on social media.
Someone has already uploaded a crying video of me sitting in that restaurant, with the caption:
‘Daisy Sinclair watching her husband propose to another woman LIVE #Karma #TrueLoveWins #PatheticEx’
And the post already has thousands of views with people celebrating my pain in the comments.
I can't see through my tears as I run towards my car after tucking the phone back into my purse. People are staring at me as I run past them, but I don't care anymore.
Let them look. Let them record. Let them post it online for the world to mock me.
Nothing matters anymore.
My hands are trembling so badly that I drop my car keys twice before I manage to unlock the door of my car.
The moment I’m inside, I rest my head on the steering wheel and cry my ears out.
The image of Sebastian on one knee is burned into my brain. The ring. The way he looked at her like she was his entire universe while I'm just... nothing.
Less than nothing.
I press my hand against my stomach, feeling the flatness there, knowing that a tiny life is growing inside me. A life that its own father doesn’t want.
“I'm so sorry,” I whisper to my baby through my tears. “I’m so sorry your father doesn’t want you. But I want you. I swear I want you and I'm going to keep you.”
My phone won’t stop buzzing. Notification after notification. I don't need to look to know what they say. More mockery. More cruelty. More celebrations of my pain.
I just need to get out of here. I need to go somewhere safe. Somewhere I can think. Somewhere peaceful.
My childhood home.
At least there, my mother will hold me in her arms and my father will comfort me. They will assure me that everything is going to be okay. They will help me figure out what to do next and also remind me that I’m worth something even if my husband thinks I’m worthless.
With my mind already made up, I start the car and pull out into road.
The drive to my parents’ house usually takes thirty minutes, but it feels like thirty hours. Every passing second is torture.
But finally, I turn onto the familiar tree-lined street where I grew up.
The sight of my parents’ mansion with its white shutters and lavish green lawn makes fresh tears spill down my cheeks.
I am home. I am safe.
Quickly, I drive into the compound before parking haphazardly in the driveway. Next, I kill the engine and stumble out of the car without bothering to grab my purse.
All I want to do right now is run into my mother’s arms and cry until I can’t cry anymore.
As soon as I reach the front door, I knock three times. “Mom? Dad?”
“Coming!” a cheerful voice calls from upstairs.
That’s not my mother’s voice.
Soon, the door is unlocked.
And instantly, I gasp.
Vanessa.
What is she doing here in my parents’ house?
She is wearing a casual sundress and her hair is pulled back in a messy bun. She looks perfectly at home in my parents’ house. MY PARENTS’ HOUSE!
“Daisy!” Her eyes widen with surprise that looks all fake. “It’s nice seeing you again. What are you doing here?”
What am I doing here?! Did she just ask me that stupid question when I should be the one who is supposed to be asking her that question?
“Vanessa, this is my parents’ house and I have every right to be here, but I can't say the same for you since you don't belong here you home breaker.”
“Excuse me?”
“My husband Sebastian King,” I snap, pushing her aside while I step inside the house. “You know he's married to me and yet you keep perching around him.”
“Well, we both know it's not my fault that Sebastian loves me and not you,” she sighs as if she's innocent. “Anyway, now that you're here—”
“What the hell are you even doing here?” I throw at her angrily.
“Oh, didn't Sebastian tell you? Your parents have been so kind, letting me stay here while I get back on my feet.” She says, stepping into the living room. “They’ve been absolutely wonderful.”
“They let you stay here?!” My voice rises.
“Yes. By the way Daisy, your bedroom is so comfortable and the bed is amazing.”
My bedroom.
She is sleeping in my childhood bedroom!
“You home-wrecking bitch! How dare you destroy my marriage and then come here to my parents' house and—!”
“Destroy your marriage?” she clutches her chest as if I just stabbed her with my words but I can see the silent mockery in her eyes. “Daisy, I didn’t mean to destroy anything. Sebastian and I are in love. We’ve always been in love.”
“Get out,” I snap, taking an angry step towards her. “Get out of this house right now!”
“But your parents invited me—”
“I DON'T CARE!” I'm screaming now, my hands grabbing her wrist and dragging her towards the door. “You don’t belong here! Get out before I—”
"Daisy Elizabeth Sinclair!"
My mother's voice stops me in my tracks. I turn around to see both my parents standing in the doorway to the kitchen. My father’s face is as hard as stone, his arms crossed over his chest.
And my mother? She looks even worse. Her eyes are blazing with anger, and her arms are crossed over her chest too.
“Mom, Dad, thank God you’re here,” I breathe out in relief despite their angry faces. “Vanessa is—”
My mother moves so fast that before I can finish speaking, her palm slaps my face. Hard. So hard that I stumble and nearly fall to the ground.
W-what's happening?
My hand flies to my burning cheek and I lift my face, the slap stunning me into silence, shock, and confusion as I stare at my mother.
She has never hit me before. Never. Not once in my entire life.
“How dare you speak to Vanessa that way?!” She hisses furiously.
“Mom, she… she's destroying my marriage. She—”
“Enough!” My father shuts me up. “Daisy, we’ve had enough of your drama.”
“Drama? What are you saying? Vanessa came back and Sebastian is leaving me for her! He proposed to her on live television today! He told the whole world he is divorcing me!”
“And he is right to do so.” My mother says coldly, her words instantly hitting me harder than her slap.
“What?”
“You heard me clearly, and now you will apologize to Vanessa for your rude behavior,” she orders.
I must be in a nightmare. This can’t be real. My parents can’t be taking her side!
But I'm not giving up.
“Mom, Dad, I'm not going to apologize to her. Can't you see that she is manipulating all of you?! She’s trying to steal my life, my husband, and she's—”
“Your husband?” My father scoffs. “Sebastian was never truly yours, Daisy. Everyone knows he has always loved Vanessa. You trapped him into marrying you.”
“Trapped him? Where is all this coming from? I didn't trap Sebastian! We got married because—”
“Because Vanessa was gone and he needed someone, but now Vanessa is back and it's time for you to wake up from your delusions Daisy.”
“Mum—”
“Don't act dumb and stop bringing disgrace to this family.”
“Disgrace?! But everything that's happening is not my fault. I'm your daughter! Can't you see that I'm the one who's being disgraced?!”
“What we see is a selfish, ungrateful woman who refuses to accept reality,” my father says coldly. “Vanessa is a good woman. A kind woman. She has been through hell and instead of showing her compassion, you were screaming at her and treating her like garbage!”
“She's not who you think she is!” I plead desperately. “She's sly and manipulative and—”
My mother slaps me again, whipping my head to the side. “That’s enough you ingrate! Don't you ever badmouth Vanessa again!”
“Y-you hit me because her?”
“And I will do it again if you continue being a brat. I have had enough of your shenanigans. Vanessa has done nothing but try to be kind to you.”
“Kind?” I laugh bitterly. “She made me serve food at a party that should have been my own birthday party! She humiliated me in front of everyone and she's trying to take my husband!”
"Sebastian was her boyfriend first," my mother snaps. "If anyone stole someone else's man, it's you. Now apologize to Vanessa!”
“I can't believe this.” Hot tears stream down my already-burning cheek as I back away from them. I can't believe my own parents are doing this to me.
“Daisy, apologize right now.” My father warns.
“No.” I shake my head, still retreating backwards. Behind my parents, Vanessa is standing there with her head bowed like she's the real victim here.
But when she lifts her eyes and meets mine, I see a smile on her face.
Damn her! She's enjoying this.
“Mum, dad, you need to believe me. I don't understand what's happening here but Vanessa can't be tru—”
“Vanessa is staying and that's final,” my mum cuts me off coldly. “As for you, you deserve all the bad things happening to you. All of them.”
~ SEBASTIAN’S POV ~I freeze.Maybe I heard wrong. The girl in my arms is Damien's daughter? How is that possible? Is he kidding me? My eyes are locked on the small girl in my arms. I look at her face, searching for a trace of Damien. I look for the shape of his nose or the curve of his jaw.But I don't see him in her. I don't see any resemblance to the man standing a little distance away from me.But then, she looks clearly like the one person I could never forget. She has the same eyes. She even has the same soft, rose petal lips.All in all, she looks exactly like the woman I spent five years trying to erase from my soul. She looks like Daisy.Maddie doesn't notice my shock and she doesn't feel the way my heart is beating faster, hammering against her small chest. She just squeals for joy, her arms tightening around my neck.“I have two daddies now!” she says, her voice bright and happy. She looks at Damien, then back at me, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “But you're my fav
~ DAISY'S POV ~It feels as if the air in the room has been drawn out. I can hardly draw it into my lungs.Damien stands there, his gaze pressing on me, while my world is spinning out of control. He is offering me a lifetime but it feels like a heavy chain.“I know nine months sounds like a long time, Daisy,” Damien continues with a low voice, his voice soothing like he is trying to calm me. “But I can find medications to slow the progression of Mason's condition. I have access to experimental drugs from abroad… we can keep him stable and buy him the time he needs until the child is born and we have that cord blood.”I stare at Damien, my mind a messy web of thoughts. I know he is only trying to help me and I can see the sincerity in his eyes and the way he looks at Mason with genuine care.He is offering a part of himself to save a child that isn't even his. He is offering me a way to escape Sebastian's shadow forever.But I cannot help but feel uneasy with his words.A cold shiver r
~ DAISY'S POV ~Damien brings a form and gives it to me. He wants me to sign it so that he will go on with whatever treatments he claims Mason needs.My hands are shaking so hard I can barely hold the pen. The paper in front of me is a blur of medical words and warnings, but I don't care.How should I even care at that moment? I don't even read the print and I don't ask about the risks. I just see Mason’s pale face in my mind and the urgent look in Damien's eyes.I sign the consent form immediately and scrawl my name across the bottom line, the ink smudging as my tears hit the page. I am filled with a panic that I can't turn off.Damien doesn't waste a single second. The moment the pen leaves the paper, he grabs the form and disappears back into the treatment room, the door swinging shut behind him with a dull thud.I am left standing outside the room with Maddie. I start to pace, walking back and forth. One step, two steps, turn. One step, two steps turn. I am hoping. I am praying.
~ DAISY'S POV ~ The beep of the heart monitor sounds like a countdown in the silence room. Sebastian is frozen. His hand is still gripping the edge of the door, his knuckles so white they look like bone. The pale, broken look on his face from moments ago has changed into a sharper look. He looks at me, his eyes focused on my face. He makes it look as if he is searching my face and he is doing that with a terrifying intensity. But then again, his gaze snaps to his grandmother . “What?” He whispers, his voice barely audible, like a ghost of a sound. “Grandmother… what did you just say?” The Old Madam doesn't look away. She stares at him with those ancient, watery eyes, her chest rising and falling in shallow movements. “What kidney?” Sebastian asks, his voice getting louder and more frantic. He takes a step into the room, his eyes wide. “What are you talking about? Vanessa gave me the kidney. We all know that. Why are you saying Daisy's name?” She opens her mouth to speak.
~ DAISY'S POV ~Looking back, I remember how happy I was to marry him. When the old madam presented the marriage contract five years ago, I didn't see it as a trap. I saw it as a dream come true. I was all too happy to comply with the wedding at that time. I was foolish, probably because I was young and I was hopelessly, dangerously in love.I had loved Sebastian since I was a little girl. I remember the day the bullies in our own home had cornered me in the garden, throwing mud and calling me a nameless orphan.Sebastian had appeared like a knight. Yes, he was older, stronger and he had chased them away without a second thought. From that moment, he held my heart in his hands.But I had underestimated Sebastian's hatred for me. The marriage wasn't a fairy tale, it was a prison. Sebastian must have believed that I was a gold digger. He probably thought I had twisted his grandmother's head, taking advantage of Vanessa's death to claw my way into the King family fortune.Every time h
~ DAISY'S POV ~I watch them. Damien is walking toward the hospital exit with Mason perched on his shoulders. Mason is giggling, his small hands buried in Damien's hair, looking down at the world with a joy I haven't seen in months.My heart clenches. A part of me wants to run forward, grab Mason and pull him away. I want to refuse this. I want to tell Damien that we don't need his ice cream or his kindness. And the reason is this… they are getting too close and I can see the bond forming right before my eyes. I know how this ends. I know that once Mason's treatment is finished, once the bone marrow is transplanted and he is healthy again, we will have to leave, probably disappear again back into the shadows to stay safe from Sebastian.And I know it will break Mason's heart to lose a daddy twice in one lifetime.But then, I look at my son's face.The paleness is still there, but his eyes are dancing. The obvious, tired look he's carried for weeks has vanished. He looks more alive,
~ Daisy’s POV ~Perfect.After a few minutes of uploading the video, I decide to make myself some breakfast before checking the post again. I go downstairs to the kitchen and prepare just a few slices of toasted bread and scrambled eggs. Done, I quickly enjoy the meal before washing the dishes and
~ Daisy’s POV ~Around us, I hear a collective gasp from the crowd of guests.But Sebastian doesn’t stop.The kiss is deep and instantly consuming, as if he has been holding back all these years and finally snapped tonight. He is kissing me like I am the only soul he wants to keep claiming forever,
~ DAISY’S POV ~I am sitting in Mason’s hospital room the next morning when my phone buzzes.It is a message from Catherine. She sent a link with three shocked emojis.What is this?Curious, I click the link.And instantly, my heart stops at the headline of the post that reads: SEBASTIAN KING ENGAG
~ DAISY'S POV ~Another episode?!God, what is happening to me today?!I dash out of the hospital but before then, I meet Maddie's attending doctor on the way and I tell her about my absence.Done, I leave the hospital and get into my car.The drive back home feels like the longest twenty minutes o







