Chapter 34
Daisy
“Hello, my little sunshine.”
I sob, unable to stop the sounds that escape me. My mom is here. In Solara.
No… this can’t be real. It can’t be real. She died thirteen years ago. But she looks exactly like how I remember—long blonde hair, warm honey-coloured eyes, her smile so full of love.
“How?” I whisper.
“Your mother visits my realm often,” Sariya says gently. “Since I’m not only a queen, but also a goddess who harnesses the power of light, spirits from the realm you mortals call Heaven often come by here every now and then. The moment I saw you, I knew exactly who you were, and I called for her.”
I look at Sariya, tears pooling in my eyes. “You called her here?”
She nods, smiling softly. “Take it as a wedding gift from me. Now go, speak with your mother. She cannot stay long, unfortunately.”
I stand on wobbly legs and run into my mother’s arms, sobbing into her shoulder as she wraps me in her embrace. She feels real. Solid. Warm. Her sweet comforting scent wraps around me and I break all over again.
“I’ve missed you so much, Mom,” I cry.
“And I’ve missed you, my little sunshine. I’ve been watching when I can, I promise.” She pulls back, cupping my face with both hands. “What is this I hear of marriage?”
“About that…”
We sit beneath the pavilion, the sunlight casting a halo around her as if she truly were an angel. I tell her everything—my dad’s soul bargain, Korithax, our deal, and the fact I’m going to become immortal. She listens without interrupting, her eyes pinned on me.
“So… you’re marrying for a business transaction?” She asks, her eyebrow quirked.
“I guess you could call it that,” I say with a weak smile.
She exhales slowly. “Daisy Duke, I swear if I could, I’d strangle your father right now.”
I laugh softly, keeping her hand firmly in mine, afraid that if I let go, she’ll vanish. “It’s okay. I suppose in a strange way if all of this hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have gotten to see you again. That alone makes every bit of suffering I’ve endured worth it.”
Her eyes shimmer with emotion. “I would’ve waited on the other side for as long as it took so I could greet you when it was time. I guess I’ll be waiting quite a bit longer now.” She laughs gently.
I smile through fresh tears. “If you can visit here, can you visit me in Hell?”
She shakes her head, sorrow flickering across her features.
“No, my love. Korithax isn’t a God of light, and it takes a tremendous amount of energy to leave the other side.
I come sometimes when I want a change of scenery, but I have to rest for so long afterwards.
But when Sariya called, I knew it was important.
I never imagined I’d see you here. It’s strange, isn’t it?
How all of this exists, and most mortals never know until they die. ”
“What’s it like… on the other side?”
She smiles wistfully. “That, I can’t tell you. But it’s beautiful. Peaceful.”
“And you’re happy?” I ask, my lip trembling.
“As happy as I can be without my baby girl. But the cancer’s gone, and I’m not in pain.”
I laugh gently through a sob. “I see you got your hair back.”
She grins, running her fingers through her thick waves. “Came back the moment I crossed over. Like it had never even fallen out.”
The weight in my chest lifts just a little. I’m so glad that she wasn’t suffering anymore and that her golden locks had returned. She looked exactly like she had before the cancer took over. Her radiance was a rival to Sariya’s. Even when she was alive, she was so angelic, so bright.
“I have to go soon, Daisy,” she says softly, pulling me into another hug. “But please, try to be happy. For me. I know life has been hard for you since I left, and I’m so sorry. But you are so incredible, and you deserve the world. I hope Korithax treats you like the queen you are.”
I scoff. “Fat chance of that happening. He can’t stand me.”
“That’s not true, sweet girl. You’ll see in time how he truly feels. He hides behind anger and fear, but there are big things coming your way. You are more than you ever imagined. You’re going to change everything, my little sunshine, and I am so excited to watch.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
She smiles, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “You’ll see, my darling girl.”
She looks up to where she had initially entered the pavilion, a soft glow now pulsing there. “I have to go. But remember—I’m always watching. And if you return to Solara, I’ll find a way to say hello.”
“Wait. But if you knew everything, why did you ask?” I ask, confusion wracking my brain.
“You looked like you needed to just get everything off your chest.” She smiles, stepping away from me.
Typical Mom. Taking my burdens from me, even now. I don’t understand how I’ve survived so long without her. Because I really did need to just get it all off my chest. And now I feel so much lighter.
“I promise I’ll come back,” I whisper.
“I love you, Daisy Duke.”
“I love you too, Mom. So much.”
Fat tears stream down my face as I watch her turn and walk away, the soft golden glow swallowing her until nothing but the faint smell of her remains behind.
A sob breaks from my chest, but this time it’s not one of pain.
She’s okay, she’s happy, she’s radiant. And she’s still with me—even if I can’t always see her.
Something inside me shifts, a crack I’d grown used to carrying feels like sunshine is slowly filtering through.
“Daisy?” I turn to see Sariya smiling at me from the garden arch. I rise from the seat I’d been sitting on with my mother and walk toward her, wiping away the tears from my cheeks.
“Can I hug you?” I sniffle.
She doesn’t hesitate. She pulls me into her embrace, stroking my hair with a tenderness that feels like home.
“Death is painful for mortals,” she whispers. “I hope seeing your mother and knowing she is well has lightened the burden of your grief. You are welcome to return here any time you wish.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. “You have no idea how much that healed a part of me I thought was gone forever.”
She pulls back, her smile kind. “Come now, it’s getting late. You need rest before your wedding tomorrow.”
My stomach knots. The word wedding slamming me back into reality. I nod quietly, following her out of the garden.
I’m lying in bed, staring at the ceiling.
It shifts faintly, mimicking the sky outside.
The realm of Solara never truly darkens, but it feels dark tonight.
Maybe it’s the silence, or the heavy weight on my chest. The shifting light reminds me of the orb Korithax got me for Christmas, which now sits in an abandoned apartment I’m not sure I’ll ever see again.
I wonder if it’s already been emptied out by the landlord since I didn’t get a chance to pay my rent before being whisked away.
Seeing my mom felt like a fever dream. Part of me still doesn’t believe it really happened. But she was there. I felt her, and I can still feel her touch on my skin, her lingering scent still clinging to me. The soft vanilla and honey smell. A comfort I’d long forgotten.
Tomorrow, everything changes. A part of my life—my freedom, my identity—is going to shift forever.
And that scares the shit out of me. I don’t have a choice anymore; I signed a contract.
And I doubt Korithax would let me go back on it now.
In fact, I know he wouldn’t; he made that very clear when he pinned me down to the bed, his voice cold and cruel.
My mind trails back to my mother’s words:
“That’s not true, sweet girl. You’ll see.”
“Things are coming.”
“You’re going to change everything.”
Cryptic as ever. What had she seen? What could I do that would change everything so drastically?
I’m so tired of confusion, of the grumpy, towering demon whose every word seems to undo me. Could I ever have a happy ending with Korithax? Could I love him?
I think maybe I could. At least a part of me does. That kiss in the shower lit something inside of me. I let myself imagine being happy with him in that moment, let myself imagine a long lifetime of being by his side. How naive of me.
The door creaks open, making me jolt upright with a gasp.
Framed in the doorway, backlit by the hues of the sunset outside, stands Korithax. He doesn’t speak, he doesn’t move. He just stares at me, his face unreadable as he sways gently where he’s standing.
“Korithax?” I mumble.
He swallows so loudly I can hear it. Still, he says nothing. A silent, unmoving force that seems to be radiating an energy I can’t quite decipher. I slowly climb out of bed, my silk nightgown clinging to my skin. It barely covers anything, but I don’t care. Something feels off.
“Korithax… talk to me.”
He steps into the room, shutting the door behind him. Then another step. Is he… stumbling? I blink, taking in the mess of his appearance. His hair’s tousled, some of it half-wrapped around one of his curved horns. His eyes look exhausted.
“Are you drunk?”
“Well…” He gives me a crooked grin. “Gotta have a bachelor party, right?”
“Sure.” I sigh, watching him sway. “Go sit down. I’ll get you some water.”
He stumbles to the bed, kicks off his boots, and flops backward like a starfish—legs dangling off the edge. Not quite sure what I meant, but sure.
I return with water to find him sitting up, head in his hands. I hold the glass out in front of him. “Here.”
He lifts his gaze to mine and takes the glass, draining it in one gulp before handing it back. “Do you want more?” I ask with an arched brow.
He shakes his head, and I place the glass down on the nightstand before stepping back in front of him. “Why are you here, Korithax?”
He looks up, eyes bleary but soft. “I like it when you say my name.”
I blink, heat creeping across my cheeks.
“And when you blush,” he adds with a soft smile. “You look like a pretty flower. My pretty little flower,” he slurs to himself.
My brows furrow. Yeah, he’s definitely wasted. His hands grip my hips, pulling me closer between his knees. His thumbs stroke softly across the silk of my nightgown.
“You don’t have to marry me, Daisy,” he murmurs, eyes trained on the floor.
“What?” I gasp.
He looks up from the floor, yet still he has to look down at me. Even sitting, he’s still towering.
“I said, you don’t have to marry me. I’ll void the contract. I’ll even let you stay in Zeriavoss so you don’t have to go back to that miserable world.”
I pull away from his grip, pacing across the room, biting the nail of my thumb. A mixture of emotions runs through me, but not a single one of them is relief.
“You hate me that much?” I snap, anger forcing its way to the surface. “You’d rather void the contract than marry me?”
“What?” His head snaps to me sharply. “No. That’s not what I—”
“You show up here at nearly midnight, slurring words, drunk off your ass after a full day of ignoring me, and now you’re saying you don’t want to marry me?”
“I didn’t say that.” His voice grows sharper.
“You basically did!” I yell.
He stands, crossing the room in two strides, backing me against the door. His chest heaves with every breath as he braces his hands at either side of my head.
“I said you don’t have to marry me. Not that I don’t want to,” he growls.
I stare up into those endless black eyes, his shadow draping over me like a blanket of night. “Then why are you offering me a way out?” My voice trembles. “You literally pinned me down this morning and told me I had no choice.”
“Because I don’t want to force you.” His voice softens, breaking just slightly. “I want you to—” He sighs, “I want you to choose me.”
My breath catches at his confession. “What?”
He turns away from me, walking back toward the bed. “Forget it. I’m giving you a choice. That’s all.”
I follow, grabbing his arm—my hand barely spanning his wrist. God, this man was huge.
“You seem to forget… I did choose to marry you, Korithax.”
“You did it out of desperation,” he mutters. “To escape your old life.”
“I wanted to be tied to you!” I almost scream. But I don’t. I can’t. Not when he’s looking at me like this. Not after how he treated me this morning. I can’t allow myself to be vulnerable with him again because it never ends well.
“I’ll still marry you,” I say instead, keeping my face passive. “I made a deal.”
He exhales sharply, jaw clenching like he’s frustrated with that answer. “Okay. I’ll see you at the wedding tomorrow.”
“I look forward to it,” I say, every inch of the words dripping with forced sarcasm.
He chuckles under his breath. “Me too, little flower. Me too.”
And just like that, he’s gone. The door softly clicks shut, leaving me in silence—my heart pounding and my mind more tangled than ever.
His words and his actions continuously contradict themselves, and I was starting to believe that maybe Korithax wasn’t being entirely honest with me, just as I wasn’t with him.