Chapter 13
The next day, whispers spread through the city like wildfire, and the Thomas Family was forced to cancel the wedding, because the bride was missing. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Portland, Gordon Davis, the eldest son of the Davis Family, stood in his groom’s suit, waiting for his bride. But she, too, had failed to show up.
“Son, you wouldn’t have been played, would you?” His mother’s voice broke the silence, her sharp eyes studying him.
Gordon turned toward her, his features set in a grim line. “Mom, Daisy and I are already married. What could she possibly do to fool me?”
“Then why isn’t she here?” His mother’s concern lingered in the air. Gordon glanced at the clock, then toward the hotel entrance.
Though he had known Daisy for only a brief time, he was certain of one thing: she wasn’t the type to go back on her word. If she said she would come, she would come.
But as the afternoon wore on and then bled into the evening, with the last guest departing, Daisy still hadn’t shown up. His family members watched him with sympathetic eyes, but Gordon’s frustration simmered beneath the surface.
He pressed his lips together, then dialed a number. “Find out everything you can about Daisy, the eldest daughter of the Johnson Family in Seattle.”
Once the call ended, Gordon stared at the image of Daisy’s smiling face on his phone’s screensaver. Had she regretted it? A frown creased his brow. He refused to entertain that thought.
Sending Daisy to the mental hospital had been a closely guarded secret of the Johnson Family, but Gordon’s sources had uncovered the truth. They’d also learned that Daisy had been forced into the wild, and she had disappeared without a trace.
Half a day later, Gordon entered the forest, his team trailing behind as they searched for Daisy. With each passing moment, his presence seemed to grow more formidable, his energy sharp as a blade.
From the information he had gathered, Daisy had been lost in the forest for five days. The longer she was out there, the slimmer her chances of survival became. Gordon’s aura became suffocating in its intensity.
Finally, beneath the shade of an ancient tree, they found her, a barely conscious figure. Gordon’s heart surged with hope. He rushed forward, gently cupping her face as he whispered, “Wife.”
At the sound of his voice, Daisy’s strength finally gave out. With the last of her resolve slipping away, she collapsed into his arms.
Daisy felt as though she had been trapped in an endless nightmare. In this dream, wild beasts relentlessly pursued her, poisonous snakes battered her body, and each escape was more desperate than the last. But no matter how hard she fought, death loomed closer, inevitable.
Finally, when the bloodthirsty jaws of a grizzly bear closed in on her, terror surged through her. With a gasp, she snapped her eyes open, her heart racing. The sudden movement almost caused the needle in her arm to fall.
Gordon, who had been vigilantly watching over her, rushed to steady her. “Careful.”
But the accidental restraint only heightened Daisy’s panic. In an instant, she pushed his hand away and curled up against the wall, trembling in fear.
Seeing her distress, Gordon hesitated, not daring to make another move. He slowly stood, backing away to give her space. Kneeling at a safe distance, he locked eyes with Daisy, his gaze softening as he watched her shrink in fear, her eyes wide with terror.
“Do you remember me?” Gordon’s voice was gentle, yet there was a quiet tension beneath. “I’m Gordon. We got married a month ago. Do you remember?”
Daisy didn’t respond. Her body trembled uncontrollably, as though the very air around her was too much to bear. Though she was surrounded by warmth, her mind was lost in the cold walls of the mental hospital and the unforgiving wilderness. The trauma had turned her into something fragile, like a bird too scared to fly.
Not daring to push further, Gordon slowly stood and pointed to the bedside button. “I’ll leave for now. If you need anything, just press that button.”
Daisy didn’t acknowledge him. Her eyes, hidden beneath her disheveled hair, flickered with silent fear.
When noon arrived, Gordon quietly entered, carrying a bowl of oatmeal. He placed it gently on the bedside table, his eyes falling on Daisy, still curled up against the wall. Standing at a distance, he spoke softly, “You need to eat, Daisy. Please, just a little.”
“Come…”
