"You're delusional, Beth," Daryl spat, his voice sharp and cutting. "You think you can fix everything with your goddamn cookies and smiles? You’re just a naive girl who can’t see the real world for what it is."
His words cut through me like a knife. I felt the sting of tears misting my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I sucked in a breath, trying to steady myself.
"Get outta here," he growled, his eyes cold and unforgiving. "I don't want you here or your stupid Christmas decorations or any of it. And don't fucking come back."
The finality in his voice hit me like a sledgehammer. I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat making it difficult to speak.
"Don't worry," I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper. "I won't."
I turned on my heel and walked away, each step feeling heavier than the last.
He stepped back into the house without another word and shut the door.
I stood there for a moment, the cold night air biting at my skin, feeling utterly defeated. I knew I needed to show Daryl that I wouldn't run easily, that I wasn't like everyone else who had left him.
But I couldn't force him to accept me, not anymore. Part of this was on him.
My heart ached with the realization that I had no idea what to do next. A single tear slid down my cheek, warm against the chill.
Without another word, I turned and walked back to my car, leaving the container of food by his door as a silent offering.
As something.
I ignored the heaviness in my chest. I ignored the ache in my heart or the quiver of my jaw.
I slid into my car, turned the keys… only to find that the car wouldn't start.
Chapter20
Daryl
Igot back inside my house and slid down to the floor, my back pressed against the cold door. What the hell was I thinking? Pushing her away like that.
Her smile lingered in my mind, bright and warm, but my words had been colder than December snow. I didn't deserve someone like Beth. She was sunshine, and I was nothing but a storm cloud.
The sound of her singing echoed in my ears, a soft melody that had wrapped around my heart before I even realized it.
“Fuck you do that for?” I muttered to myself, voice barely above a whisper.
I ruined it because something that good couldn’t last. At least not for someone like me. Happiness wasn’t in the cards for me; I’d learned that lesson a long time ago.
But damn if I didn’t feel the weight of it now—guilt gnawing at me, wrapping itself around my chest like a vice.
The more I thought about it, the more I felt like I'd lost something precious before even having it. Was this what heartbreak felt like? If so, it sucked.
I’d never known love, not really. But whatever I felt for Beth? It was different. She was different. She made me want to believe in things again, things I’d long since given up on.
I rested my head against the door and closed my eyes. Maybe it wasn’t too late. Maybe there was still a chance to make things right with her.
But for now, all I could do was sit there and feel the ache of what might have been if I'd let myself reach out instead of pushing her away.
And that thought alone tore me apart more than anything else ever could.
A pounding on the door jolted me awake. My head throbbed like someone had taken a hammer to it. I blinked, disoriented, realizing I’d fallen asleep on the floor, slumped against the door.
“Daryl! Open up!”
I groaned and pushed myself up, wincing at the stiffness in my joints. The knocking continued, relentless. I twisted the knob and opened the door, squinting against the morning light.
