CHAPTER 119: GETTING RID OF THE CHAIN

"Hel–lo?" Daisy held back her tears, forcing her voice to sound steady though it cracked at the edges. Her knuckles whitened around the phone as she tried to calm herself down.

On the other end, Theo’s breath hitched. His voice was shaky, rough, desperate. "Daisy? Daisy—! Oh, thank God... where are you? Tell me, I’ll come and get you."

Her throat tightened at the sound of him. She could hear the raggedness in his breathing, the way his voice shook between pain and fury. She knew he was hurt, but she couldn’t even ask how he was doing because at this moment, George’s eyes were glaring straight on her.

"Theo..." Daisy’s voice trembled, every word like a shard in her throat. She tried to breathe evenly, but George’s presence loomed closer, his shadow crawling over her as if daring her to say the wrong thing. "I have something to tell you..."

On the other end, Theo’s ragged breathing grew heavier. "What is it? Are you okay, Daisy? Is he there? Is George standing near you right now?"

Her lips parted, but no sound came. George tilted his head, raising his gun ever so slightly, the silent warning clear in his darkened eyes.

Daisy swallowed hard. "Theo, I..." Her fingers shook around the phone.

"Answer me!" Theo’s voice cracked, his desperation breaking through. The muffled sound of commotion in the background reached her, men shouting, Theo being restrained, or maybe struggling through the pain in his leg just to find her. "Please tell me... where are you? I’m going crazy over here, looking for you."

She bit her lip, her tears flowing uncontrollably now. She wanted to scream out the truth, to beg Theo not to come because if he did, George would kill him without hesitation.

But George leaned closer, his whisper chilling her spine. "Tell him, Daisy."

"Theo, I’m going to fly out of the country," She started, shaking. "And I won’t be back. I just want to tell you to not wait for me—"

"What the hell are you saying?!" Theo knew she muttered nonsense out of threat.

"No, I’m being serious. I’m just tired of everything. So I choose myself. I hope you respect my decision and let me go..."

"Did he ask you to say this?" Theo’s voice softened.

Her sob caught in her throat. She wanted to scream yes, to tell Theo everything but George’s hand pressed hard against her shoulder, his nails biting into her skin like a warning.

Daisy swallowed hard. "No, it’s my choice."

On the other end, silence stretched. Theo’s breathing grew heavier, more ragged, and she could picture him, injured, furious, pacing with that stubborn fire in his eyes.

Finally, his voice came low, steady, but trembling underneath. "Daisy... you don’t sound like you."

"How do I normally sound? It is not like you know me well. I chose to choose myself. Can you just accept it, I am really tired of everything! I want to rest, I want to stop all this madness! Please! Please Theo, the exhaustion is killing me!"

On the other end, silence stretched. Theo’s breathing grew heavier, ragged, but then it slowed, as though he were forcing himself to rein in every emotion burning through him.

Finally, his voice came low, steady, almost defeated. "Alright, Daisy. If that’s what you want... I won’t stop you."

Her heart twisted painfully. This wasn’t what she wanted at all, but George’s hand hovered near the gun, his cold eyes daring her to slip.

Theo continued, quieter now, like he was speaking to the fragile edges of her soul. "I don’t understand you, Daisy. But if you’re that tired... I’ll respect it."

Her throat burned as she forced the words out, her voice trembling but sharp enough to cut him. "Then... respect this too. I’m pregnant, Theo. And I hate it, really really hate it."

The silence that followed was deafening. She could hear his breath hitch, hear the faint rustle as if he staggered back.

"You... what?" His voice cracked, raw, disbelief pouring through the phone.

"I told you before... I didn’t want this. I never wanted to be a mother. And now... now I’m carrying something I don’t want. I’m getting rid of it, Theo. Do you understand? I don’t care how you feel about it. This is my choice, and I won’t let it tie me down to this madness any longer."

Her hands trembled around the phone, every word laced with poison that wasn’t truly hers but it had to be convincing. George’s eyes narrowed, watching her like a predator, waiting for any slip that might betray her desperation.

On the other end, Theo was silent. Too silent. She could picture him, broken and bleeding, his hand clenching around the phone as if it was the only thing tethering him to reality.

When he finally spoke, his voice was hoarse, a jagged whisper. "Daisy... don’t do this to me. The baby, our baby..."

"I’m tired!" she burst out, the tears slipping even as her voice shook. "Tired of carrying burdens I never asked for. Tired of being trapped in a cycle that only breaks me! This baby... it feels like another chain I can’t escape from."

Theo’s voice dropped low, breaking, but firm in its hurt. "Don’t say that. Don’t... don’t talk about our child like it’s a curse."

Her throat closed. Every word Theo spoke pulled at her like an invisible thread, threatening to unravel the mask she was forced to wear. But she forced the next words out anyway, the ones George demanded, the ones that tasted like poison on her tongue. "I’ve already decided, Theo. I’m getting rid of it."

The silence on the line was deafening. She could almost hear Theo’s world shattering in that pause, the slow crack of his hope splintering apart.

Finally, his voice came, hoarse, quiet, yet carrying the weight of a storm barely contained. "Daisy. Don’t. Please."

"I only asked for your respect, Theo. And after going through this hell of events... I don’t think I can do this. And you, with your mental health... both of us are not ready to have a child."

With that, she ended the call.