He Didn’t Kidnap Me. Not Exactly novel Chapter 187

Chapter 187

(Daisy’s POV)

The silence that followed DeLuca’s final words felt strangely alive.

My place is here with you.

The sentence remained suspended somewhere between us long after he ad finished speaking, lingering in the room and settling somewhere deep inside my chest. The longer it stayed there, the harder it became to think, and for perhaps the first time in my life, words completely abandoned me.

Normally, awkward silences were my natural enemies. If a conversation stalled, I filled it. If tension appeared, I filled that too. If people stood around staring at one another while nobody knew what to say, I usually grabbed the thread of the conversation and dragged everyone forward whether they wanted

to come or not.

Now, however, I simply sat there staring at him.

Because what exactly was I supposed to say?

The man had just confessed his feelings, apologized for hurting me, promised to stay, and promised to make things right, all while looking at me as though he genuinely meant every word. Somehow, after all of that, I was apparently expected to continue functioning like a normal human being.

My heart certainly wasn’t helping.

It had been behaving strangely for the last several minutes and showed absolutely no intention of improving.

Eventually, after what felt like an embarrassingly long time, I managed to find a sentence.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a particularly impressive one.

“I don’t know what to say.”

To my surprise, DeLuca’s expression softened slightly. There was no disappointment in his eyes, no frustration, and no expectation that I should somehow produce a perfect response to everything he had just revealed.

“If I’m being honest,” he said as he leaned back slightly in his chair, “that’s probably the smartest response available.”

A startled laugh escaped me.

His mouth twitched in what was probably the closest thing DeLuca had to a visible smile.

“You don’t have to say anything right now, Daisy.”

The calm certainty in his voice immediately eased some of the pressure building inside my chest.

“You’ve spent months carrying conversations for both of us. I think you’ve earned a break.”

My cheeks warmed

“I talk that much?”

Colently”

The answer aritved so quickly that I almost felt offended.

Almost.

“I wasn’t aware I was being attacked while recovering from surgery.

“You aren’t.”

His expression remained infuriatingly serious.

“I’m making an observation.”

“That sounds suspiciously like an attack.”

For the briefest moment, amusement flickered in his eyes before fading again, leaving behind something quieter and more sincere.

“Daisy.”

The way he said my name immediately pulled my attention back to him.

“What I said was a lot.”

That was perhaps the greatest understatement in recorded human history.

Judging by the faint shift in his expression, he seemed to know it too.

“I know it was,” he admitted. “And I know you’re probably still processing it.

Probably?

I was currently processing enough emotions to qualify as another medical emergency.

“What matters right now isn’t your answer.”

His gaze remained steady on mine, and the sincerity in his voice made something tighten painfully inside my chest.

“It isn’t whether you forgive me today, and it isn’t whether you’ve figured out how you feel.”

He paused briefly before continuing.

“What matters is you.”

The simplicity of the statement somehow hit harder than everything else.

“You were shot.”

His gaze dropped briefly toward the blanket covering my stomach before returning to my face.

“Youryally died.”

The room seened quieter now.

Smaller somehow.

More intimate.

“I don’t need answers from you,” he said, his voice softening further I need you to get better.”

For several seconds I couldn’t do anything except stare at him.

Then I slowly nodded.

DeLuce studied me for a moment before something shifted in his expression. Confusion appeared urst, followed by realization, and before I could ask what had caught his attention, he leaned forward.

My heart immediately forgot every responsibility it had ever possessed.

His hand rose toward my face, and every functioning thought inside my head abruptly resigned from duty.

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