Daisy's pov...
A dull ache throbbed at the back of my head. For a moment, I thought I was floating—caught between sleep and waking. My chest felt heavy, each breath shallow, and my throat dry like sandpaper.
Slowly, I forced my eyes open. The world came to me in blurred shapes and washed-out colours, the white ceiling swimming above my gaze. I blinked, trying to steady the dizziness, until outlines sharpened.
That's when I saw him.
Damien.
My heart stuttered painfully in my chest, betraying me as always. He was standing so still, his tall frame casting a long shadow against the dim hospital light. His storm-grey eyes locked on me, and for the briefest, fragile second, I thought he was there because he cared. That maybe—just maybe—the boy who used to smile at me with kindness had returned.
But my hope shattered the instant I caught the coldness in his eyes. Not warmth. Not concerned. Only judgment, like I was nothing more than a stain on the floor he was forced to notice.
The ache in my chest spread until I could hardly breathe.
Before I could say a word, another figure moved into view. Lola. Draped in a delicate cardigan, her perfectly brushed hair falling over one shoulder, she clung to Damien's arm like she belonged there. And beside them, leaning casually with a scowl carved into his features, stood Jallen.
The sight twisted the knife deeper.
"Oh, look, brother—she's awake," Lola cooed in her sugary sweet tone, pressing her cheek lightly against Damien's sleeve. Her voice was syrupy enough to rot teeth.
Jallen let out a sharp scoff. "If you're done pretending, get up and do your work. Hospitals are expensive, you know. Don't waste time lying around."
I clenched my fists beneath the blanket, nails biting into my palms. The fury and humiliation swelled until it spilt out of me. "You should have left me to die." My voice cracked, half-broken, but the truth rang sharp.
Damien's brows furrowed. He stepped forward, his gaze darkening. "Stop being dramatic, Daisy."
His hand shot out, wrapping around my wrist with an iron grip. Before I could resist, he yanked me upright. Pain shot through my body as the sudden movement dragged me from the bed. A gasp tore from my throat, my knees buckling beneath me.
"Let go," I hissed, tears springing to my eyes from the ache in my ribs. "It hurts, Damien!"
"Go easy on her, brother," Lola chimed sweetly, tilting her head with feigned pity. "She's sick, after all."
Her words might have sounded merciful to anyone else, but I knew her game—knew how she loved twisting knives where no one else could see.
Damien's fingers shifted, catching my chin this time, forcing me to meet his stormy gaze. His eyes searched mine like he was trying to peel away my skin, to find the girl he once knew. "You've changed, Daisy," he said, voice low and filled with something like disappointment. "How did you turn so wicked?"
Anger burned hot inside me. "It's you who changed," I spat, my voice trembling with more than fury. "You and Jallen—you let her poison everything."
At the mention, Jallen's lip curled. "After pushing Lola down, she still begged Mom to take you to the hospital. And this is how you repay her?" His voice dripped venom. "Always pretending, always faking sickness to cover up the ugly inside. That's who you are."
The room spun, not from illness this time but from rage. The weight of their accusations pressed against my chest until I could hardly breathe.
I slapped Damien's hand away, the sound sharp in the sterile room. "You want me to leave, right?" My voice cracked into a shout. "Fine! I will!"
I swung my legs from the bed, my body trembling with the effort. Every muscle screamed, but I forced myself forward. I would not cry in front of them. I would not break.
But before I could take more than a step, Damien moved. In a swift, terrifying motion, he scooped me up, throwing me over his shoulder as if I weighed nothing. My fists beat against his back, weak and useless.
"Put me down!" I screamed, my voice echoing down the hallway as he strode forward, unbothered by my struggling.
"You're coming with me," Damien said, his voice like steel. Final. Unyielding. A command, not a choice.
The last thing I saw before the door swung shut behind us was Lola's delicate smile curving at the corners, her eyes glinting with victory.
And in that moment, I realised: it wasn't just my body Damien carried. It was the last fragile pieces of my freedom.
___
Damien stood in the doorway of my room, his broad frame blocking out the hallway light. His eyes—cold, unreadable—rested on me as I sat upright in bed, clutching the sheets against my chest like a shield. I met his gaze with all the defiance I could muster, refusing to flinch even though my whole body trembled.
"You're awake," he said, voice low and clipped. "Good. Go take a bath and get dressed. You're washing the dishes from last night's party."
I didn't move.
I didn't blink.
I simply tightened my grip on the sheets until my knuckles turned white.
His jaw twitched when I ignored him.
For a moment—just a fleeting one—his expression shifted. His gaze dropped to my hands, to the slight tremor in my fingers, and something like guilt flickered across his eyes.
"Why do you have to cause so much trouble?" he muttered, softer than before. "Look at you. You're weak… you look like you could break."
He reached out, slowly, as if unsure whether he should touch me.
I leaned away instantly.
"Don't touch me." My voice came out cracked but strong enough. "I used to love you the most, Damien… but right now? You're dead to me."
He froze.
The flinch was so small anyone else would have missed it—but I saw it. His eyes widened just a fraction, his breath hitching like my words had stabbed somewhere he didn't even know was vulnerable.
Then—just as quickly—he shut it down.
His expression hardened back into marble. "I don't need you to love me," he said, voice colder than ice. "I just need your respect. My family is the reason you're alive."
He stepped closer, leaning down until his face hovered inches from mine. His fingers gripped my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye. His breath hit my lips, warm and infuriatingly familiar.
My heart hammered painfully in my chest.
Not from fear.
Not anymore.
From proximity.
From memory.
From the stupid, stubborn love I still couldn't tear out of myself.
'If only you knew how much I want you to love me instead…'
The words screamed inside my head, burning behind my lips, desperate and pathetic.
Damien's voice ghosted against my ear, a low whisper that sent a shiver down my spine.
"We're going on a family vacation tomorrow," he murmured. "Mother will be there. You will behave."
Then he released my chin abruptly and turned his back to me, walking out of the room without waiting for a reply.
The door clicked shut.
The moment it did, the defiance inside me crumbled. My breath hitched, and hot tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them. I pressed my hands to my face and sobbed—quiet, broken, humiliating gasps.
I cursed myself for loving him.
For yearning for him.
For wanting a man who saw me as nothing but a burden.
A man who should've been my brother—my family—but instead became my heartbreak.
Loving Damien Javier was the worst decision I ever made.
And the one I still couldn't escape.