Chapter 89: Are you truly sorry
Anna’s grip on Daniel’s shoulders tightened, her eyes widening in shock. One moment she’d been sitting stiffly on her seat, and the next she was on his lap as though she weighed nothing at all.
Am I really that light for him to carry me so easily? The thought flickered, but vanished quickly when the awkwardness of their position struck her.
"Daniel, you can’t just—"
"Are you truly sorry?" His abrupt question cut through her words, making her blink.
His deep gaze locked on hers, unrelenting, demanding. She felt pinned, bound by it, unable to look away.
"Are you sorry, Anna?" he repeated, his voice low, almost dangerous in its calm.
She blinked again, retreating from her trance, and finally gave a slow nod. Her teeth worried her lower lip as she struggled under the weight of his stare—it reminded her too much of the night he had nearly broken through all her defenses.
"Then promise me," Daniel said, his voice softer now but no less firm, "you won’t throw yourself into trouble again. Promise me you won’t make me worry like that."
Anna froze.
’Worry? Was he... worried for me?’
Daniel, meanwhile, knew holding back was useless. Every time he tried to lock his feelings away, they slipped out through cracks he couldn’t seal. So he chose to be vocal, hoping she would finally see through the armor to the truth beneath.
"Do you even realize," he murmured, lifting her chin so she had no choice but to meet his eyes, "what I went through, watching you fight those boys alone?"
Confusion clouded Anna’s gaze, mirroring the storm in his own.
Yes, he was drawn to her—he could no longer deny it. But why? Was it because she was his wife? Because she defied him like no one else dared? Or was it simply because she was Anna—raw, stubborn, unyielding, unapologetically herself?
He didn’t know.
But he knew this much: when one of those boys raised his hand against her, his heart had seized with a pain so sharp it was almost unbearable. He had wanted nothing more than to tear her away, hold her close, and never let go.
Anna reeled under every word spilling from Daniel, each syllable leaving her more dazed, her head spinning.
’Why is he saying all this? And why... why is my heart racing like this?’
Her eyes widened in sudden panic. Holy goodness, don’t tell me I’m having a heart attack.
Her lips parted, breath coming uneven and shallow. She must have looked like a fish tossed onto dry land, gasping helplessly.
This—this wasn’t what she expected from Daniel. Not his concern. Not his raw honesty.
But she couldn’t deny the truth either. He had come for her, he had taken down the video, and now he held her as though letting go was no longer an option.
Just when the tension between them felt unbearably thick, salvation—or perhaps another complication—interrupted. Both their phones rang at the same time.
"Uh?" Anna blinked at Daniel, who glanced back with equal confusion.
Seizing the moment, she scrambled off his lap and back into her seat, fumbling for her phone. Her heart sank when the caller ID lit up—Ethan.
Daniel, meanwhile, answered his own call. His voice was clipped. "Yes, Henry." A pause. His brow furrowed. "Did you make it clear why we pulled our funding from the academy?"
Anna’s ears perked up at the word academy. Her grip tightened on her phone, but Ethan’s call continued to ring insistently until she finally pressed accept.
"H-Hello?" Her voice was small, hesitant.
"Anna," Ethan’s tone was sharp, almost incredulous. "Is it true? Did you get into a fight with college kids?"
Her blood ran cold. "H-how did you—?" She stole a glance at Daniel, who was still focused on his own conversation. Relief flickered briefly.
"The video was online before it got pulled down," Ethan replied grimly.
Anna’s shoulders sagged with relief. So Daniel really did get rid of it. A shaky smile tugged at her lips.
"It’s nothing, haha," she laughed awkwardly.
Across from her, Daniel ended his call and turned his head. His stare, sharp and cutting, pinned her mid-laugh.
Her smile faltered instantly.
Ethan hesitated on the other end, clearly unconvinced. "Anna... are you sure everything’s fine?"
"Yes, of course! I’m great. Really." Her laugh came out forced, brittle. ’Why won’t he just end the call?’
"I’ll call you later, Ethan. I’m busy right now." Before he could respond, she hung up, slipping the phone back into her lap.
But the air in the car shifted, turning heavy, suffocating.
"You seem," Daniel’s voice cut through like a blade, deep and cold, "quite close to Ethan Helmsworth."
Anna’s lips trembled. She forced a nervous laugh. "Hehe, no—I mean, yes. He was my senior in school."
It wasn’t a lie, but when she dared to look up, Daniel’s dark, unwavering gaze was still locked on her, unreadable. Her throat went dry as she swallowed hard.
’Did he believe me or not?’ Anna wondered, her heart uneasy.
But then Daniel’s hand moved, brushing lightly against her face as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The simple touch made her cheeks flush, her chest tightening in ways she couldn’t explain.
"Tell me about yourself," he said suddenly, his voice steady, his gaze unwavering. "How were you as a kid?"
The question caught Anna off guard. For a moment, she could only stare at him, stunned by the gentleness behind the words. There was no mockery, no hidden edge—just sincerity.
And that was exactly why she felt cautious.
Her childhood wasn’t something she liked remembering. There were no fond stories to share, no warmth to pull from. Only shadows.
What was there to say—that she had always been considered second best? That despite her father’s wealth, he had never shielded her from the ridicule, the whispers, or the endless bullying?
That her parents had been so blind to her pain they didn’t even notice the way anxiety had eaten at her for years—until finally, they married her off to Daniel, as though handing her away was easier than facing her?
Her lips parted, then closed again. The words burned in her throat, but her heart recoiled from letting them out.