Chapter 30
Tears streamed down Daphne’s face like broken pearls, her voice filled with helplessness and despair.
To her surprise, the man took a few steps back after seeing her distraught state.
“I’ll let you go tomorrow morning,” he said quietly.
Daphne was baffled. Why would this man first kidnap her and now promise to release her?
But his words were like a faint ray of sunlight piercing through the thick clouds of her despair, reigniting a glimmer of hope in her heart.
“Who ordered you to do this?” Daphne asked, her tone calmer now.
She couldn’t understand why anyone would want her dead. As far as she knew, she had no
enemies.
“I can’t tell you that. But I promise, tomorrow morning, I’ll let you go,” the man replied
coldly.
Daphne didn’t press further. All that mattered was escaping this wretched place tomorrow.
Her thoughts drifted to her family. Dad, Mom, Jonathan… you must be worried sick.
Rather than return to the rundown shack, she sat by the lake, keeping her distance from
the man in silence.
“What’s your name?” she asked suddenly, curiosity stirring within her as she glanced at the man sitting nearby.
He smirked faintly, his expression tinged with bitterness and self–mockery.
“You want my name so you can report it to the police later?”
“Then why are you letting me go?” Daphne persisted.
The man hesitated, his lips twitching as if debating whether to answer.
Forsaking the Years of Longing
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Chapter 30
Finally, he uttered a response that felt warmer than anything else he’d said thus far:
“Because no one has ever cared whether I was hurt before. You’re the first.”
Daphne was stunned by his words. She couldn’t help but feel a small crack in her fear toward this not–so–professional kidnapper.
“Hi, I’m Daphne,” she said, instinctively extending her hand.
“Calvin,” he replied. Instead of shaking her hand directly, he lightly brushed it with his gloved sleeve, as if hesitant to touch her.
The rest of the night passed without conversation. Exhausted from days of fear and sleepless nights, Daphne finally let her guard down. The simple handshake seemed to disarm her, and sleep overcame her as she lay on the ground.
Calvin glanced at her and shook his head helplessly.
“Unbelievable… falling asleep in front of your kidnapper,” he muttered under his breath.
At the first light of dawn, Daphne was startled awake by Calvin’s abrupt voice.
“Get up. I’m taking you out.”
As she sat up, she realized that someone had draped a worn–out coat over her during the night. A wave of warmth swept through her.
A kidnapper who covers someone with a coat? she thought to herself. Calvin didn’t seem entirely like a bad person, despite his actions.
Calvin stood by the lake, readying a small boat. Once everything was set, he turned to her and said in a low voice, “Get in.”
Daphne quickly complied, her heart filled with mixed emotions–joy at the thought of returning home and sadness over the ordeal she’d endured.
The boat glided across the still waters, the morning mist shrouding the lake in an ethereal haze. As they drifted farther, the golden glow of sunrise began to peek through the horizon.
Daphne was struck by the breathtaking view, momentarily forgetting her kidnapping.
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Chapter 30.
“Do you see scenery like this every day?
she asked, her eyes fixed on the shimmering lake.
“I don’t kidnap people every day,” Calvin replied flatly, rowing the boat with ease.
“Pfft… Hahaha!” Daphne burst out laughing, unable to contain herself.
For a brief moment, she realized that this seemingly cold and ruthless man had a hidden side, one that wasn’t entirely heartless.
Calvin turned to look at her.
The golden sunlight illuminated her face, her dark hair flowing loosely in the breeze, and her smile radiated warmth, as bright as the morning sun itself.
He found himself staring, his heart skipping a beat.
