CHAPTER 40: THE VERSION EVERYONE LIKES

The air between them was heavy, stretched taut with unspoken things. Neither of them moved.

"Can you let me go now?" Her voice was low, steady despite the turmoil swimming beneath it. "I don’t know what’s changed... but you can rest assured... I never intended to expose your secret."

"No..." Theo turned her to face him, hands firm but not forceful. "Listen... I know I was wrong. It’s just—" he hesitated, eyes flicking to hers, "you seemed to like him more. And after that... I didn’t know how to just come out and say it was me."

"Oh." Daisy’s expression didn’t shift, unreadable. Then, with a faint curl of her lip, she added, "I never knew you were capable of speaking this much."

"I mean..." Theo’s hand hovered midair, clearly caught off guard. "I didn’t plan for it to go that far. I just—" he paused, jaw tight. "It got out of hand."

Daisy tilted her head, arms crossing. "And here I thought you had everything under control."

He exhaled sharply through his nose, irritation flashing in his eyes. "I’m trying to apologize."

"You are," she agreed with a nod, too calm. "In your own special way... where you lie, manipulate, then act like the victim."

His brows snapped together. "I’m not acting like the victim."

"So...you are acting like the villain?"

His jaw clenched. "What do you want from me, Daisy?" His voice rose, sharp now. "I said I was wrong. I said I was sorry. Isn’t that what people like you want to hear?" He never had that much patience, even in this kind where he was wrong.

Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. "People like me?"

"You keep poking at me like I planned this whole thing to mess with your head!" He stepped forward, temper fraying. "I made a mistake. But if you’re going to stand there and treat me like some kind of monster, then maybe I should’ve just stayed quiet and kept the damn mask on."

Daisy didn’t flinch. Her voice was steady, but there was a tremor just beneath it. "Then maybe you should have...because... I will never like this Theo Kingsley..."

The moment her words dropped, he snapped.

His hand clenched hard, the sound of his breathing, echoing through the room like a warning shot. His chest heaved, eyes burning with something that wasn’t just anger, it was hurt, raw and sudden.

"You think I don’t know that?" he bit out, voice low and dangerous. "You think I don’t already know that everyone preferred the version of me that wasn’t real? The one who smiled more? The one who played nice, said charming things, got along with everyone?"

He scoffed, taking a step closer. "That’s the version you liked, isn’t it? The one who didn’t scare you. The one who didn’t make things complicated."

His eyes burned into hers, jaw clenched so tight it looked like it hurt. "But that wasn’t me. It never was."

Daisy stayed silent, her stare unwavering but she gulped. It was slight but enough. Enough to give her away. She was nervous. And he saw it.

Theo’s eyes narrowed. "Right. That’s all I needed to know."

He got off the bed, fists clenched at his sides. "You know what’s funny?" His voice dropped, quiet but cutting. "I thought... for the first time... I finally could smile without the feeling of guilt."

He walked to the door, then paused. "Stay here... I’ll sleep elsewhere."

The moment the door clicked shut behind him, Daisy let out a shaky exhale she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Her shoulders slumped, the weight of the confrontation finally crashing down on her.

She was scared—who wouldn’t be? But that wasn’t how it started. She hadn’t meant to provoke him like that. She only meant to call him out, not... push him that far.

She sat on the edge of the bed, frowning at the floor.

When did she know?

It was that simple moment, when he asked, "What time is it?"

She and the other Theo had both just checked the time not long before. It wasn’t even long ago. It was such a small detail, but it stuck.

That was when she first started doubting. And once the thought crept in, it wouldn’t go away. So she had been pushing him just to confirm it.

She lay down eventually, pulling the blanket up to her chin, but sleep refused to come. Her eyes kept fluttering open, restless and unsettled.

Every few minutes, she reached for her phone.

2:57 a.m.

3:12 a.m.

3:27 a.m.

She wasn’t even sure what she was waiting for.

A sound. A knock. A message. Something. But nothing came.

At 3:56 a.m., she gave up pretending. She sat up in bed, her hair tousled and her thoughts messier. There was a strange ache in her chest that she couldn’t quite name.

Finally decided, she reached for her phone once again and dialed Marla’s number.

It took her a few moments to pick up the call until the line finally connected, "Hello?"

Marla’s voice was groggy as she was just waking up, of course, it was the time to sleep and here she was calling and disturbed others.

"I’m sorry, Marla... but did... Mr. Kingsley called you or Miles?" She didn’t want to beat around the bush and went straight to the question.

"Sorry?" Still half asleep, Marla’s voice barely heard until a few seconds passed and she shouted at the phone, "He was not there?!"

Daisy flinched, pulling the phone slightly away from her ear. "He was," she muttered quickly. "He was here but left two hours ago... I just..." she trailed off, unsure how to explain the gnawing feeling in her chest. "I needed to know if he told you anything. If he... if he told you where he is going."

Marla was quiet for a moment. Then, more alert now, she asked, "Did something happen?"

There was silence on the line until Daisy spoke again. "I think... I hurt him. With my words."

"How badly?" Marla’s tone turned serious.

Daisy gulped. "I told him I... I hate him."

"Ah, damn it..." Marla cursed under her breath before shouting, "Wake up, Miles! We need to find him!"

Then the line went dead, leaving Daisy staring at her phone, completely baffled.