Chapter 23
Does Daphne hate Josephine?
Yes, she does.&
Just as Josephine had resented her since they were children, Daphne had never felt otherwise. Their parents‘ favoritism alone was enough to breed resentment between them, and when Josephine stole away her fiancé, Daphne couldn’t help but wonder–did Josephine simply have to take everything that belonged to her? Back then, Nestor had become Daphne’s only light in the darkness, the one person she could lean on. But in the end, she discovered it was all an illusion. Nestor loved Josephine, too. Josephine had stolen her fiancé and her husband, and time and again, tried to drive her to ruin. Hating Josephine was only natural.2
But that didn’t mean Daphne wanted to watch Josephine locked up, abused, or reduced to someone’s plaything for revenge.
After all, Josephine owed her, but she owed nothing to the Bridges family.
Daphne’s pity wasn’t reserved for Josephine alone–it was also for herself.
She pitied Josephine’s fate, but more than that, she pitied herself for never seeing through the people around her, for allowing herself to be deceived for so long. In the end, Daphne took Josephine away with her and never returned to the Bridges family.
When the black Mercedes pulled up in front of the hotel, Nestor still couldn’t understand why, after he’d proved he’d moved on from Josephine, Daphne only seemed to drift further away from him.
So, just as she reached for the door handle to get out, he quickly locked the doors and turned to her, confusion clouding his eyes.
“Why? Why are you still leaving me? I’ve avenged every wrong you suffered, I’ve let go of her completely–so why do you still want to walk away?“}
Daphne only laughed. The laughter started softly but soon rang out, sharp and clear.
She looked at him and realized, with a kind of detached amazement, how utterly unfamiliar Nestor seemed now–as if she’d never truly seen him at all. “Nestor, have you ever thought about what we mean to you? What are we, in your eyes?”
“Are we toys, ready to be picked up or discarded at your whim? Are we just props for you to show off your devotion, or maybe just excuses for you to feel noble?“% Her words were casual, almost gentle, but Nestor paled instantly.
“I didn’t-” He rushed to defend himself, but before he could finish, Daphne cut him off coldly.
She looked at him with icy determination, listing his sins one by one.
“Sixteen years ago, you thought you loved her. You sacrificed yourself so she could be with my fiancé, and then played the hero by pretending to love me for eleven years. Did that make you feel noble?”
“Five years ago, after Leonardo’s accident, you took his place and stayed with Josephine. You risked your own life for her–even tampered with the brakes yourself, ruining your left wrist so you could never race again. Did you think that made you devoted?”
“And now, you say you love me–you claim you’re punishing everyone who ever hurt me. You locked Josephine away, tortured her, and expect me to see you as my savior. But Nestor, the person who’s hurt me the most… isn’t it you?“N
Nestor was struck silent.
He wanted to protest, but every word she spoke was the truth—down to the last detail, she had seen right through him.
“Nestor, everyone calls you devoted and romantic, but maybe it’s time you listened to that voice inside you. It’s telling you: you’re not worthy.” She gave him a sidelong glance and tapped on the window. “Unlock the door.”
Face drained of color, Nestor unlocked the doors and watched as Daphne helped Josephine out of the car.
Still, the engine didn’t start up again.
Daphne’s cutting words-“you’re not worthy“-stabbed through him like a knife, ripping apart every last shred of his self–deception.
The pain was raw, excruciating
And in that moment, he finally understood.
Nestor and Daphne’s story had ended the very day he’d made that fateful choice to take Leonardo’s place–and when she learned the truth, there was no turning back
