Chapter 155 Her World Collapses
Daphne was still unaware of the incident.
After Mark had left them, Charles and Daphne were the only ones in the living room. Daphne looked at the silent figure who had not spoken since they arrived. She had no intention of starting a conversation either; her visit today was simply to facilitate Lydia's arrival later.
Initially, she had planned to have the items delivered, but upon trying, she found she couldn't open the door and it wasn't an appropriate time to deliver items either.
"Have you made a decision?" Charles suddenly asked.
Daphne was confused, "About what?"
"Remarrying."
Daphne truly didn't want to engage in much conversation with him.
Charles stood and approached her, his tall figure nearly enveloping her. He leaned slightly toward here, "You can tell me if you have any concerns. If you agree to remarry me, I can transfer all my assets into your name."
"There's no need," Daphne declined.
Trust, once crumbled, is incredibly difficult to rebuild. Her trust in Charles had vanished.
Charles wanted to say something else, but the coldness and distance emanating from Daphne discouraged him.
He had a nagging feeling that she somehow seemed different from before. As he mulled this over, there was a knock at the door.
Daphne, checking the time, knew Lydia had arrived. She didn’t seem overly eager.
Given Charles's personality, if she got up to open the door at this moment, he would surely assume someone like Jesse Evan had come, and he might not even open the door.
Indeed, Charles thought this might be the case.
But seeing Daphne show no interest in answering the door, he figured it was Mark, returning for something he had forgotten.
As the door opened, Lydia's figure appeared before his eyes.
"Lydia?" Charles murmured.
"I’m here to take my sister home," Lydia declared, having returned to her usual demeanor. She turned and gestured to the person hiding behind the door, "And also to return an item you left at our house."
As she spoke, the bodyguard and driver appeared, laden with various bags and packages.
Before Charles could close the door, Daphne was already at his side, taking the belongings from the bodyguard and driver and bringing them inside the living room.
After wrapping everything up, Daphne returned to the entrance and said to Charles at a polite distance, "I hope Mr. Lancelot won't send things so casually next time; we aren't that close yet."
Without waiting to see Charles' reaction, she turned and left with Lydia.
Charles' eyes deepened, and he pulled out his cell phone to call Mark, "Check what's been happening with Daphne these last few days."
"Miss Murphy has been at work all this time," Mark knew Daphne's whereabouts, "She only took a lunch today to have some soup with the Murphys."
"Who did she have it with?"
"Seems like it was Mr. Murphy's partner?"
Mark wasn't sure how to describe Sophia.
Charles acknowledged the information and hung up the phone, unable to stop wondering if Daphne's bad mood was because of that. He closed the door and returned to his study with mixed emotions.
Regarding Daphne, once she got into the car, she leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes to rest.
She hadn't done much today, just had some soup and went shopping with Lydia, but her heart felt incredibly weary, to the point of not wanting to deal with anything.
Lydia observed her sister with concern, "Sis,"
"Mm?"
"Are you unhappy?" Lydia asked.
"What makes you say that?"
"Since we left the restaurant, you've seemed down. You may act the same, but I can tell," Lydia took her hand, hoping to share some warmth.
Daphne offered a slight smile and patted her hand, "I'm just missing Mom a little."
Growing up, her parents' marriage was always strong; in her memory, they had never fought, not even raised their voices in arguments.
But now, she was starting to doubt, ‘Did Dad truly love Mom?’
An hour later, they arrived home.
When they got there, Mr. Murphy was sitting in the living room. Seeing them, he stood up and called out to Daphne, "Daffy."
Daphne stopped in her tracks. Her detachment seemed to revert to how it was initially, both her mood and her words were of ultimate indifference, "What is it?"
"Can we talk?" he asked.
"Sis..." Lydia was worried.
"You go ahead." There were things Daphne didn't want Lydia to hear, thereby tacitly agreeing to talk with Mr. Murphy.
Lydia shouldn't carry the burden; she deserved to live carefree and happy.
With hesitation, but sensing her sister's resolve, Lydia went upstairs. She didn't want to cause any trouble for Daphne.
With her departure, only Daphne and Mr. Murphy remained in the living room.
Outside, the sky was turning dark, but even the bright lights in the living room couldn't illuminate the shadows lurking in Daphne's heart.
Mr. Murphy struggled to speak, opening and closing his mouth several times, unable to voice his thoughts.
"There's something I want to ask you," Daphne broke the silence.
Filled with remorse and compassion, Mr. Murphy nodded, "Shoot."
"Did you and mom truly love each other?" Daphne's eyes met his as she asked, seeking honesty from her father.
The question paralyzed Mr. Murphy, leaving his mind momentarily blank. All he could think about was, ‘Daphne knew?’
Judging by his expression, Daphne guessed the answer, "Is it that hard to answer?"
"Daffy…" Mr. Murphy's voice was hoarse.
"Just tell me, yes or no," Daphne urged, trying to maintain her composure.
"Your mother and I had an arranged marriage. How many truly love each other in such unions?" Mr. Murphy couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze, his mood growing heavy, "Although we were not in love, we both truly loved you and your siblings."
Upon hearing this, something inside Daphne crumbled. Her hands, hanging at her sides, became stiff, and the light within her heart began to dim.
"Daffy," Mr. Murphy called out to her.
She didn't respond, but her eyes reddened at that moment.
Panic struck Mr. Murphy, and he stood up, moving closer to her, "Daffy, don't scare me."
Daphne bit her lip fiercely, her heart aching sharply. For her, a happy family was her bedrock. When her endurance faltered during training, she drew strength from the home she had to protect. When she lacked the drive, the joy of her family fueled her efforts.
So, a few days after her mother's passing, when she saw her father in bed with Sophia, the fabric of her world tore apart. But when her dad told her he'd been framed, she believed him.
Despite that belief, when he kept Sophia by his side under pressure, a gap formed between them.
Now, someone had pulled the rug out from under her, telling her that the love that had once supported all her beliefs had been an illusion, her parents had never been in love.
Her world collapsed, nothing was left.
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