- 27.
“That’s because…”
“Because Heather threatened to commit suicide, right?” Daisy’s smile was a hollow curve, her eyes cold and distant. “Desmond, you can fool everyone else, but what about yourself? Are you going to lie to your own heart? Can you truly say you don’t have feelings for Heather?”
Desmond’s gaze faltered, avoiding hers. After all these years with Heather, he couldn’t deny it, he had developed feelings for her. And that was the root of his constant indecision, the reason why his attempts at marriage with Daisy had always fallen apart
“Daisy, I was wrong.” Desmond’s voice cracked, rough with emotion. Under Daisy’s knowing eyes, he had not defense left. “I did care for Heather at one point. But now I know the truth. The one I really love… the one I want to marry… is you. Not her.”
“Daisy, now that you’ve married Gordon to get back at me… can we call it even?”
“Daisy, now that you’ve married Gordon to get back at me… can we call it even?”
Daisy shook her head slowly, her expression unwavering. “I didn’t marry someone else just to get back at you.” Desmond’s breath grew sharp, his voice edged with disbelief. “Don’t tell me you married Gordon because you love him. How long have you ever known him? We’ve known each other for more than twenty years. Daisy, are you really willing to marry a man you don’t love just to get back at me?”
Daisy had stepped outside to meet Desmond to make one thing clear they would never be together again and she wanted him to leave her life for good.
Hearing his words, Daisy’s reaction was as cold as the air around them. “I haven’t fallen in love with Gordon yet, but I will. And you… will never be the one I choose.”
Her words hit like a dagger to his heart. “Desmond, if I could turn back time, I would never have saved you from that crash.”
With that, Daisy turned and walked away, her figure fading into the distance, leaving Desmond with nothing but his regret.
Desmond stood there, stunned, as if a piece of his soul had been torn away. In the end, he had lost the woman he
loved.
The next time Daisy saw Desmond, he delivered a message from Hannah. “Your mother’s health has taken a turn for the worse. The doctor says it could be any day now. She wants to see you.”
Daisy’s answer was immediate. She refused.
Hannah passed away, her grudge clinging to her until the very end.
When Daisy heard the news, a single tear slid down her cheek, staining the paper she held.
After a long moment, she wiped the tear away, turned the page and in that motion, it felt like she was opening a new chapter in her life.
Two years later, Daisy and Gordon finally admitted their feelings for each other.
On the day their child was born, Desmond drank himself into oblivion and drove his car off a cliff. In his final moments, his hand reached toward Portland,
“I’m giving my life back to you. Will you turn back and look at me.
(The End)
