Chapter 3: No begging. No tears

Daisy stirred awake when the warmth of the sun kissed her cheeks. Her cheeks were still red, and her lips were swollen and sore from last night.

She just winced in pain.

“Gosh… Brody. Are you an animal?” Daisy grumbled, turning over to look at Brody, but the spot where he had slept was empty, cold and still had the evidence of the last night’s craziness.

A red patch stuck on the sheets, reminding her how she’d lost her virginity to none other than her crush …her stepbrother.

And now he was nowhere to be seen.

Her heart couldn't stop racing. He really meant it. She was going to be his little dirty secret. How she wished she had stayed away from him.

She went to the bathroom, but he was nowhere to be seen. She called his name, but he didn't respond.

Sighing heavily, she looked at the wall clock. It was already 11:00AM, and the day was bright.

“Shit… shit… Mum and Dad are about to arrive,” she said anxiously, getting out of bed and picking up her wet clothes.

Immediately, she entered the shower. She had to scrub herself clean. She needed to wash away all the memories, or she would never forget what had happened.

The dark marks on her neck were difficult to conceal, but after a while, she managed to cover them up.

That night, Brody never came back.

Three weeks passed very quickly. Every time a car drove into the compound, she would rush to the window and look outside, hoping it was Brody.

But every time it was her step dad.

“Sweetie, why are you always so tense?” Frank, her stepdad, asked one day after finding her staring outside, lost in her own thoughts.

“Mmh… I'm sorry, Dad. What did you say?” Daisy asked, avoiding her dad's gaze. She knew she shouldn’t look at him. He could read her too well, and that was dangerous.

“Are you looking for Brody?” her mum asked.

Her eyes lit up. She had been calling him for the last three weeks, but he hadn't even answered.

She had been blaming herself, wondering if there was something she had done that he didn't like. Maybe he had realized that what happened between them was wrong and didn't want to face her.

Yet, he had promised that they would spend every single night together.

And all of that had been a lie.

“Mum, I'm just worried. I've been calling, but he hasn't been picking up. What am I missing?”

“Oh… no, sweetie. You know Brody likes to fool around. I think he's just out of town with a friend, making trouble. But he'll eventually come home.”

Of course, Daisy knew this about him. She had known it all these years.

Brody would disappear for days and then come home as if nothing had happened.

It started when she moved into the house with her mum.

Brody was still mourning his mother, and he thought his dad shouldn’t have married soon after his mother’s death…which she never blamed him for.

The initial years together were particularly hard.

Brody would ignore her and even keep quiet whenever his friend’s made fun of her. He blamed her and her mother for trying to take his mother's place.

During this time, he would disappear and come back whenever he pleased. His dad was always busy and had no time to discipline him.

Somehow, her mother showed Brody that he could depend on her as a mother.

She only hoped that he hadn't disappeared to be with another woman.

“Honey, have you forgotten? Now that Brody has graduated, he's supposed to marry Vera Griffin.”

The moment she heard that name, Daisy's heart clenched.

Of Course, Vera had been promised to be Brody’s wife.

How had she forgotten that fact? Why hadn't Brody mentioned it? But she had been so consumed with what had happened between them that she hadn't thought about the possibility of another woman.

“Yeah… Brody knows, and we've agreed that the arrangement will be finalized soon. We need it for the business partnership. Vera is a good woman, and she'll make a good wife for my son.”

What about her?

Did they know what they were doing to her?

It didn't take long before the door was knocked on.

Daisy's lips curved into a smile as she turned to see the familiar face.

Gosh, she'd missed him so much. Right now, she didn't care about why he had left in the first place. All she needed was a hug from him… something to reassure her that he still wanted her., that somehow, she still mattered to him.

But the smile disappeared from her face when a woman walked in behind him.

She was pretty and classy, something Daisy could never be. Effortlessly, Brody wrapped his arms around her waist and planted a kiss on her cheek.

“Vera, welcome home…”

Her stepdad smiled. “Brody… if this is the reason why you disappeared all this time, I can't hold it against you.”

“Yes, son. You should make it official as soon as possible,” her mother chimed in.

“We've discussed it, and it's scheduled for next week. Our engagement will be small and intimate because we only want close family members in attendance.”

Daisy felt her insides tearing apart.

He hadn't given her an explanation. He hadn't even blinked before introducing another woman.

What had their night together meant to him?

Was she just playing with her heart?

Daisy, how could you be this stupid?

Even though every part of her told her to scream, she controlled herself. They must not see her weakness. They were meant to act as if nothing had happened, and this was a secret she would keep for the rest of her life.

“Congratulations to the both of you,” Daisy said, faking a smile.

For a moment, Brody looked at her, but she avoided his gaze.

There was nothing more for her to do here. He had made his choice, and she was going to respect it.

No begging. No tears. No nothing.