Chapter 5
Terrell felt a bit disappointed, but he just couldn't bring himself to let go.
Terrell said, his voice soft and a little whiny, "Why can't I hug you anymore, Valerie? Back when we were kids, you always held me when I slept, and every night you'd warm my feet. Did you really forget all that?"
Valerie's breath hitched, and she swallowed hard.
She was just about to say something when she realized Daniel had been standing at the doorway the whole time. She froze, looking a bit embarrassed.
"You're back," she said.
Daniel nodded and headed back to his room. Just as he was about to close the door, he caught Terrell's taunting voice.
"Valerie, I told you he was just pretending! There's nothing wrong with him. He's just milking it in the hospital to get you to feel sorry for him and care about him. Don't let him fool you," Terrell said.
"Valerie, you can only be good to me, and only me. I'm the only one who gets a place in your heart," Terrell added.
"Of course, Terrell. You're the only one I'll ever care about," Valerie replied.
Her words felt like a knife stabbing straight into Daniel's heart.
He closed the door, and with it, locked his heart away for good.
Just then, Daniel's phone rang.
"Daniel, everything's set up overseas. We're just waiting for you to get here," Brody said.
Daniel glanced at the calendar.
"Alright, my visa should be ready in a few days," he replied.
Brody asked tentatively, "So, how are you going to handle things with Valerie?"
Daniel answered without a second thought, "I'm planning to divorce her."
"Once the divorce goes through, I'll head over right away," he added.
Just as he finished speaking, the door swung open, and a cold voice rang out.
"Where are you going?" Valerie said, her tone frosty.
Her face was stone cold, not a trace of warmth in her eyes.
"Nothing. You're taking Terrell abroad for his birthday, right? Well, I'm about to go all out myself," Daniel said.
Valerie's expression iced over.
"Are you coming with us?" she demanded.
"No way. I promised Terrell it'd just be the two of us. If you tag along, he'll be pissed," she shot back.
"I said I'd spend more time with you, but you can't hold that over my head," she added.
Daniel watched Valerie's reaction and couldn't help but find it amusing.
He hadn't even said a word, and she was already eager to shoot him down.
"You're overthinking it. I never planned on tagging along with you two," he said.
Hearing that, Valerie let out a small sigh of relief.
Valerie said coldly, "My parents want us home for dinner tonight. Just keep it together and don't mess with Terrell again."
Daniel didn't respond; he just clenched his fist so hard his nails bit into his palm.
That evening, when they got back to the old house, Arianna kept piling food onto Daniel's plate.
"Since this whole thing was just an accident, you and Valerie really need to get serious about having a baby. Your dad and I are dying to have a grandchild," she said.
Seeing Daniel stay silent, Arianna, Terrell's mother, turned to Terrell.
"Terrell, you're an adult now. You can't keep living with your sister forever. It's time you moved out," she said.
With a soft thud, Terrell dropped his fork onto the floor.
He looked up at Valerie, tears streaming down his face.
"Valerie, you don't want me anymore, do you?" he choked out.
Before Valerie could even respond, Terrell bolted out of the room.
"If you don't want me anymore, then I'll go," he cried out.
Valerie couldn't hold back her anger anymore. She shot to her feet, her face twisted with rage.
"Daniel, if you keep trying to get my mom to kick Terrell out, I swear I'll make you pay. Don't forget, you're the one who doesn't belong in this family," she snapped.
With that, Valerie rushed out after Terrell.
Daniel stared after Valerie, feeling like someone had reached right into his chest and was crushing his heart, making it hurt so much he could barely breathe.
It was already late when Daniel finally got home. Right as he reached for the door, he heard noises coming from inside.
"Valerie, are you really going to send me away just because of him?" Terrell's voice was thick with tears.
Peering through the half-open door, Daniel saw Terrell clinging to Valerie's waist, burying his face in her chest.
"Valerie, you said you'd always be good to me. Did you not mean it?" Terrell sobbed.
"Now that you're married, you don't want me anymore, do you? Should I just make him go away? Please, don't leave me," he pleaded.
The veins on Valerie's hand stood out as she gripped the rosary, her face flushed red, fingers restlessly fidgeting with the beads.
Anyone could see she was fighting hard to keep her urges under control.