With Knox.
If we could survive everything standing in our way.
Chapter 10: Daisy
Timberline Tavern was crowded for a Friday night.
I spotted Knox the second I walked in. He was at the bar, nursing a beer, positioned with a clear view of the entire room. His eyes found mine, held for a beat, then slid away. Casual. Like he was any other local having a drink after work.
But I knew better. I could feel him watching, a steady presence at my back as I scanned the room for Garrett.
He'd claimed a booth near the window. Of course he had. Garrett always positioned himself to be seen and to command attention. He stood when he spotted me, that perfect smile spreading across his face.
God, how had I ever fallen for this man.
"Daisy." He reached for my hand as I approached. I didn't give it to him. "You look beautiful."
"Let's get this over with." I slid into the booth across from him. "You wanted to talk. Talk."
His smile flickered. He wasn't used to this version of me. The Daisy he knew would have softened by now, would have let him take her hand, would have given him the opening he needed to work his charm.
That Daisy was gone.
"I ordered you a wine," he said, gesturing to the glass in front of me.
I didn't touch it. "I'm not staying long enough to drink."
"Daisy, please." He leaned forward, all earnest eyes and practiced sincerity. "I know I hurt you. I know what I did was unforgivable. But people make mistakes. I made a mistake. And I've spent every day since you left realizing how much I need you in my life."
"You didn't make a mistake." My voice was calm. "You made a choice. Over several months. With your business partner's wife. That's not a mistake, Garrett. That's a pattern."
"It didn't mean anything."
"It meant everything." I held his gaze. "It meant you didn't respect me. It meant our entire relationship was built on lies. It meant every time you told me I was being paranoid or insecure, you were gaslighting me to cover your own betrayal."
His expression hardened. There it was. The real Garrett, the one who lived beneath the charm.
"You're being dramatic," he said. "You always do this. Blow things out of proportion. Make yourself the victim."
"There it is." I smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "The real you. The one who made me doubt myself for four years. The one who criticized my body, isolated me from my friends, and made me feel grateful that anyone wanted me at all."
"I never did that."
"You did. Every single day. And I let you, because I was so desperate to believe that someone loved me that I accepted whatever scraps you threw my way." I leaned forward. "But I'm done, Garrett. I'm done being small so you can feel big. I'm done apologizing for existing. And I'm done having this conversation."
I started to stand. His hand shot out and grabbed my wrist stopping me.
"We're not finished."
His grip was tight. Not painful, but firm.
I looked down at his hand, then back up at his face. "Let go of me."
"Not until you listen." His voice had dropped lower so no one else could hear. "You don't get to walk away from me, Daisy. Not after everything I've done for you. I gave you four years of my life. I was going to marry you. And you threw it all away because of one mistake."
"One mistake?" I laughed, sharp and brittle. "You cheated on me for months. You made me feel worthless. And now you're sitting in a bar in a town you've never been to, grabbing my wrist and telling me I don't get to leave?" I shook my head. "You never loved me, Garrett. You loved controlling me. And that's over."
"You're making a scene." His grip tightened.