Chapter 5
Leaning against Desmond’s shoulder, Heather let a faint, triumphant smile tug at the corners of her lips, quickly hiding it beneath a mask of concern.
“Don’t worry,” she said gently. “I’ll bring my sister some food. I won’t let her starve.”
Desmond nodded, a flicker of gratitude in his eyes. “Thank you.”
As soon as Heather left, Desmond glanced back at Daisy’s bruised and battered form. Guilt flickered across his face, softening his expression.
“What I said earlier… it was in the heat of the moment,” he murmured. “Once Heather’s feeling better, we’ll pick a new date for the wedding.”
He checked the calendar. “How about the third of next month? It’s a good day.”
But Daisy’s heart felt like stone. His words couldn’t reach her anymore.
The third of next month would be her wedding day, but Desmond wouldn’t be the one waiting at the altar.
Outside the door, Heather overheard every word, her jaw tightening. A vicious gleam flared in her eyes. After all her schemes, all her patience, Desmond still refused to let Daisy go.
Fury bubbled under her skin. Her nails dug into her palms as she stormed into her room and snatched her phone.
“Make it look like an accident,” she hissed into the receiver. “Kill Daisy.”
As night fell, fire began to spread, silent, creeping, deadly.
Daisy had no idea that death’s shadow loomed so close, its blade already raised.
For more than two decades, her life had revolved around Desmond and her parents. Cutting them out had left behind a raw, gaping wound that refused to close.
Curled up in the freezing garage, her breath came in ragged gasps, every inhale a fresh wave of agony. The cold was unbearable, but nothing compared to the ache in her soul.
It felt like something inside her had been torn apart.
In that moment, Daisy teetered on the edge. Everything hurt. Everything was empty.
And when flames finally erupted, swallowing the room in a fiery roar, Daisy didn’t move.
Outside, alarms shrieked through the Johnson estate, piercing the night.
“What’s going on?”
“The garage, the one the eldest daughter’s locked in, it’s on fire!”
Desmond’s heart plummeted. Panic overtook him, and he sprinted toward the blaze.
But someone got there first.
Heather.
She kicked the door open and rushed inside without hesitation.
“Sis!”
Desmond’s face twisted in horror. “Heather! It’s too dangerous!”
But she didn’t stop. She ran headlong into the flames.
Left with no choice, Desmond followed.
Through the smoke and fire, Daisy’s dull eyes caught sight of them, two blurry figures cutting through the chaos. A flicker of life returned to her gaze.
But then Heather turned to her, her lips curled into a cruel smirk. She mouthed the words slowly, deliberately:
“Sister… guess who he’ll save?”
Before Daisy could react, Heather let out a scream and collapsed dramatically onto the floor.
Desmond caught her without thinking, torn between her and Daisy.
His eyes darted back and forth. Hesitation burned in his chest.
But in the end, he made his choice.
“I’ll take Heather out first,” he said, backing away as the fire closed in. “I’ll come back for you.”
But he wouldn’t.
The fire spread like a wild beast unleashed, devouring everything in its path. There would be no second chance.
The light in Daisy’s eyes dimmed, then vanished completely.
She didn’t move. She didn’t cry.
She just watched, watched Desmond disappear with Heather in his arms. Watched her parents run to their precious Heather, panic and worry all over their faces.
Not one glance in her direction.
In five short years, she’d gone from beloved to invisible.
Smoke filled her lungs. Beams crashed down around her. She sat back, calm in the chaos.
This was fine.
Maybe this was freedom.
As her world blurred, her last thought was a quiet wish:
In the next life, may I never know Desmond, or these people who call themselves family.
She didn’t know how long had passed, but when her eyes opened again, she was met with the harsh white glow of a hospital ceiling.
And beside her, a cold, humorless laugh broke the silence.
