Leaning against Desmond’s shoulder, Heather allowed a faint, triumphant smile to tug at her lips, though she masked it with a veneer of concern. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring my sister some food. I won’t let her starve.”

Desmond nodded gratitude in his eyes. “Thank you.”

Once Heather left, Desmond glanced at Daisy’s state, a flicker of guilt tugging at him. His expression softened slightly. “What I said before was that it was in the heat of the moment. Once Heather’s feeling better, we’ll set a new date for the wedding. Daisy, you don’t have to take it this far.”

He checked the calendar and added, “The third of next month seems perfect.”

But Daisy’s heart felt like stone, unaffected by his words.

She had long given up on this fiancé.

The third of next month would indeed be her wedding day, but Desmond wouldn’t be the one at the altar.

Outside the door, Heather overheard, her teeth grinding together. A malicious gleam flashed in her eyes.

Heather hadn’t anticipated that, after all the schemes and all the years of waiting, Desmond would still refuse to let Daisy slip away.

Her nails dug painfully into her palms as frustration boiled over. Once in her room, she immediately dialed a number. “Make it look like an accident. Kill Daisy.”

And as the night deepened, the fire began to spread, silently licking its way through the shadows.

Daisy had no idea that death’s blade hovered over her, unseen but inevitable.

For more than twenty years, her existence had been defined by her parents and Desmond. Now, extracting them from her heart left a raw, empty wound that nothing could fill.

Curled in the cold, she felt a searing pain that made even the simplest of breaths feel like a cruel torment. The anguish gnawed at her as if her very soul were being pulled apart.

In that agonizing moment, she felt the pull to surrender, as if nothing in the world was worth holding on to.

And when the fire erupted in the room, Daisy remained unmoving.

Outside, the shrill sound of alarms pierced the silence of the Johnson villa.

“What’s happening?”

“The garage where the eldest daughter was locked... it’s on fire!”

Desmond’s face shifted instantly, a flash of panic overtaking his features. He sprinted toward the garage, but someone beat him to it, kicking open the door with force. "Sister!"

Seeing Heather rush in, Desmond’s heart dropped. "Heather, it’s too dangerous!"

But Heather, as if deaf to his warning, ran straight into the fire.

Desmond had no choice but to follow.

As Desmond stepped through the flames, Daisy’s blank gaze, locked onto the oncoming inferno, flickered with the faintest trace of life.

But before she could even process it, Heather, running ahead of Desmond, turned, a sly smile playing on her lips as she mouthed silently to Daisy, "Sister, guess who he’ll save, you or me?"

Before Daisy could react, Heather screamed and crumpled to the ground.

Desmond caught her instinctively, his eyes flickering between her and Daisy, the hesitation burning in his chest.

Ultimately, he lifted Heather in his arms and said to Daisy, the fire closing in, "I’ll take Heather out first... then I’ll come back for you."

But the fire spread like a beast unleashed, swallowing the space between them. There was no chance for him to return.

The faint light in Daisy’s eyes dimmed and then died, extinguished completely.

She watched, unmoving, as Desmond’s figure grew more distant, his footsteps hastening. Her parents rushed toward Heather, their faces twisted with concern and focus, yet not a glance in her direction.

She had become invisible in just five short years.

Daisy sank back to the ground, her expression blank. The air around her was thick with smoke and the sound of falling beams.

This was fine.

Death might have been a release.

As Daisy’s consciousness slipped away, the faces of the people on the other side of the flames blurred, their outlines dissolving into the smoke.

She tilted her head back, forcing the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks to stay hidden. In silence, she wished that, in another life, she would never cross paths with Desmond or her parents again.

She couldn’t tell how long had passed, but when she opened her eyes again, she saw the harsh white of the hospital ceiling.

It was then that she realized she had somehow survived.

A cold, humorless laugh cut through the air beside her.

Daisy turned her head, her gaze locking with Heather’s, which radiated pure malice. "You really are impossible to get rid of. Even a fire like that couldn’t finish you off."

Heather chuckled, a smug grin spreading across her face. She produced a mirror, holding it up with a gleam in her eyes. "But once you see what you look like now, you might just wish you hadn’t survived."

Daisy’s heart sank as her eyes met the reflection.

Her skin had been scorched from the left side of her forehead to the corner of her eye, a cruel reminder of the flames.

Daisy’s pupils contracted involuntarily.

The satisfaction in Heather’s eyes was palpable, almost overflowing.

To a woman, having her face marred like this was more tormenting than death itself.

Heather leaned in closer to Daisy, a hint of feigned sympathy in her eyes. "Do you think Desmond will still want you after this?"

But the breakdown she had anticipated never came. Instead, Daisy stayed eerily calm. Heather’s eyes narrowed and with an immediate motion, she shoved a scalpel into Daisy’s hand, slashing her own face in one clean stroke.

Before Daisy could process what was happening, Heather let out a piercing scream. "Ah! Sister, don’t!"

In that instant, Desmond appeared at the door.

Heather wasted no time, rushing into his arms with dramatic sobs. "Desmond!"

Desmond froze, his brow furrowing. "What happened?"

Heather trembled in his arms, her voice shaky. "She... she tried to destroy my face."

Seeing the blood running down Heather’s face, Desmond’s eyes hardened in anger.

His gaze snapped toward Daisy, sharp and accusing.

Their gazes locked and Daisy, her expression unreadable, reached for the scalpel that had fallen beside the bed. Without a second’s hesitation, she flung it toward Heather.

The scalpel flew through the air like an arrow aimed directly at Heather. Her eyes widened in terror and she screamed.

Desmond hadn’t expected Daisy to attack, especially not in front of him. Panicking, he raised his arm instinctively, the blade slicing a deep gash into his forearm.

"Desmond!" Heather cried, grabbing his arm, her face painted with concern.

Desmond’s eyes were filled with sorrowful disappointment.

"You used to say we wronged you and favored Heather," he said, his voice cold as ice. "What do you have to say for yourself now?"

Daisy had no intention of justifying herself. Her brush with death had sharpened her view of the world. She looked at the two of them, her eyes icy with disdain.

"Didn’t she say I wanted to ruin her face?"

"Not following through would make me as false as her accusations."

"Daisy!" Desmond’s voice grew colder still, his eyes narrowing as if he had never seen her before.

The parents rushed in, their faces a mix of concern and disbelief. They could hardly recognize their daughter anymore.

Heather’s voice was weak, almost pleading. "Sister, I know you’re upset because Desmond saved me last night instead of you."

"I should’ve been the one disfigured. Forget about me taking the knife from you; if it makes you stop resenting him, I’ll do anything you ask."

At this, Desmond’s brow furrowed, his expression darkening. "You ran into the garage to save her. If anyone should’ve been saved first, it’s you. Besides, who I save is my choice and no one has the right to question that, especially not someone who resorts to violence!"

By the time he finished, his voice had turned as cold as ice, cutting through the tension like a blade.

Daisy remained unfazed, her composure never once slipping.

No number of justifications or excuses could change one simple truth and he didn’t care.

Once Daisy understood that, everything else felt utterly meaningless. When she heard Heather’s words, she couldn't help but smile, a quiet expression that seemed out of place. "I don’t blame you," she said softly, as if at peace. "In fact, I should thank you."

Thank you for showing me just how fragile hearts can be.

The room fell silent, everyone struck by her unexpected calm.

"I don’t think she’s learned anything," Samuel said with a sharp edge in his voice. "From now on, you’ll stay in this room and think about your actions. You won’t take a single step outside!"

With that, they all left, carefully escorting Heather away.

Samuel left two bodyguards to keep watch over Daisy. Once the door to the hospital room clicked shut, she reached for her phone and contacted another hospital.

The one she was currently in was managed by the Thomas Family and she had no intention of staying tied to them or her biased parents any longer.

After securing her transfer, she changed out of her hospital gown, waiting for the bodyguards to leave for their meal break before slipping away unnoticed.

But as she rounded a corner in the corridor, the voices of her father and Heather reached her ears.

Daisy paused mid-step.

"Heather, you acted too hastily! Hiring someone to start that fire will be easy to trace. Thankfully, I stopped Desmond from digging deeper. If they find out who’s behind this, I won’t be able to protect you. Don’t make such reckless moves again."

“Hah! It’s because you’re too useless! You promised my mom you’d give me everything from the Johnson Family. And now? Are you hesitating because you still can’t let go of your precious daughter? Don’t forget, I’m your biological daughter too!”

“Let go? If I truly couldn’t let go, would I have personally planned that car accident five years ago? Heather, you need to understand that I’ve always loved you and your mother.”

A smug chuckle drifted from around the corner. “And Desmond, too. I want him and I want the Thomas Family behind him.”

The words hit Daisy like a lightning strike, the shock nearly paralyzing her.

Her blood seemed to freeze in her veins. The truth was too much to bear.

Daisy stumbled back, her nails digging deep into her palms. She felt as though she were turning to stone; her only movement was the tremble in her eyes.

Her father had been behind the plot to kill her. And Heather... she was his illegitimate daughter?

In that moment, Daisy saw her father for who he truly was, not the upright man she had believed him to be.

A cold gust of air swept through the hallway, snapping Daisy back to reality.

Without another thought, she rushed home.

When she arrived, both her mother and Desmond looked up in surprise at her sudden appearance.

Her mother’s face darkened in an instant. “Why are you back?”

Desmond’s brow furrowed, confusion and concern flickering in his eyes.

Daisy gripped her mother’s hand tightly, her voice trembling with the weight of her words. “Mom, Desmond…”

“I overheard a conversation between Dad and Heather. The car accident from five years ago, Dad planned it. And Heather… she’s his illegitimate daughter!”

Both her mother's and Desmond’s faces drained of color, their expressions twisted in shock.

“Are you sure?” her mother asked.

Daisy nodded, the truth stinging her heart. No matter how broken she felt, her instinct was to warn them, to keep them from being blinded by lies.

But before she could speak further, Heather’s voice rang out from behind her, filled with feigned innocence.

“Sister?”

Daisy’s heart clenched painfully in her chest. Slowly, she turned, facing the two people who had once been her entire world: her father and Heather.

Heather’s eyes filled with disbelief, tears welling as if her heart had been shattered beyond repair.

“I never imagined you’d fabricate such lies. Has Dad’s love for you not been enough? Even a tiger wouldn’t harm its own cub; how could Dad ever hurt you?”

“And as for me… I know I was brought into the Johnson Family as your stand-in simply because I resemble you. If it weren’t for this face, I’d never have been loved by a father, mother and brother who cared for me so much.”

“But just because I look like you, you think it’s fair to tarnish my name like this?”

At her words, Hannah, who had wavered in suspicion, pushed all doubts aside, immediately rushing to Heather’s side. “Of course not. Mom has never once doubted you or your father.”

Desmond turned his cold gaze to Daisy. “Is this your childish attempt to cause a rift between us all?”

It was as if a freezing wave of water had crashed over Daisy.

Her lips parted in shock, but after a moment’s pause, she realized returning had been a mistake.