Married to The Ice King: Pampered Princess' Survival Guide-Chapter 190: The Cost Of Everything

Daisy and Theo pushed through the crowded mansion, the echo of officers’ radios and hurried footsteps bouncing off the marble floors. Investigators moved between rooms, shouting orders, while yellow evidence markers dotted the hallways like grim punctuation.

"I have to see her!" Daisy cried, trying to force her way past the uniformed officers.

"Ma’am! Please step back!" one shouted, but she wrenched free, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"That’s my mom! Mom!" she screamed, her voice cracking with desperation. "Tell me this is a lie! Mom! Please, tell me this is a lie!"

Theo grabbed her arm gently, trying to calm her, but she shook him off. Her panic-filled cries reverberated through the mansion, drawing the attention of everyone inside.

Minutes stretched like hours. The sound of hurried footsteps approached from the study, and a covered body was wheeled out by the police. Daisy’s scream tore through the air once more, raw and unrestrained, her world collapsing around her.

"Theo... no! Theo, tell me that is not her! No!" Her voice cracked, echoing off the walls of the grand mansion. She lunged forward, but officers gently held her back, their grips firm against her frantic struggles.

Theo’s own chest heaved, his hands trembling as he tried to steady her. "Daisy... it’s—"

"No! Stop! Don’t tell me... don’t tell me that’s Mom!" she shouted, tears streaming freely, her entire body shaking with fear and disbelief.

The mansion seemed to shrink around them, every echo of her cries magnifying the horror, the reality clawing closer with every second.

Daisy’s knees weakened, and the world around her seemed to blur and tilt. Her hands pressed against her mouth as if trying to hold back the screaming sobs inside her, but nothing came out.

She went blank, her eyes staring vacantly at the covered stretcher being wheeled away.

"What did I do? Why did I send her here?" she whispered, her voice trembling, barely audible over the chaos of officers and investigators. The words hung in the air, a confession of her guilt that seemed to swallow her whole.

Theo tightened his hold on her shoulder, his own eyes glistening. "Daisy... it wasn’t your fault," he murmured, but she barely registered him, lost in the spiraling torment of "what ifs" and unbearable regret.

"No... how can you say it is not my fault? Obviously it is!"

Theo’s hands gripped her shoulders firmly, forcing Daisy’s eyes to meet his. "Daisy...she’s gone, she chose this way..." he said quietly, the words landing like a blow.

Daisy’s hands flew to her face, trembling violently. "No... no, she can’t be gone! I sent her there... I—" Her voice broke, choking on the words.

"I know," Theo said softly, his own chest tightening. "I know how much you loved her. I know what you feel. But grieving won’t change anything. You need to see her, Daisy... to say goodbye, to let it sink in, to honor her."

She shook her head violently, tears streaming, her whole body quivering. "I can’t... I can’t..."

"You can," Theo said firmly, pressing his hands gently on her shoulders to steady her. "I’ll be right here. Every step. We’ll face it together."

Her eyes locked on his, filled with unbearable grief. The world around them seemed to narrow. Finally, with a shuddering breath, she nodded.

But in that chaos, officers lead the cuffing Owen down the stairs. His face was pale, his eyes wide and haunted, hands secured in front of him.

Daisy, who landed her eyes on him, lunged forward, screaming, her voice was full of fury. "Evil! You’re evil, Owen Kennedy! You killed her! You destroyed my mom!"

Theo gripped her arm tightly, trying to hold her back, but she wrenched free, trembling with rage. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"You call yourself a father? A man? You’re nothing but a monster! A coward! You—"

She walked closer to him as he was pushed past, her tears streaming, voice cracking. "Look at what you’ve done! Look at what your obsession, your greed, and your cruelty cost us!"

Owen’s lips twitched, but he said nothing. His eyes flicked nervously to the officers, avoiding Daisy’s burning gaze, the weight of his actions finally pressing down on him.

"You hear me? This is on you!" Daisy shrieked, fists trembling at her sides. "Every tear, every bit of pain, every life you ruined... I will make sure you pay for them!"

Theo pressed a hand to her back, voice low and urgent. "Daisy... breathe. Stay with me."

She hardly heard him. Her whole world had narrowed to Owen’s retreating figure and the ruined stillness of the study. "You don’t deserve forgiveness. You don’t deserve mercy. You’re inhuman! You are the one who is supposed to die!" she spat, every word a jagged thing.

Two officers stepped between her and the path where Owen was being led out, their uniforms a moving wall. One of them reached to guide Daisy away for her own safety, but she tore free, stumbling forward and then her legs gave out. Daisy sank to the floor of the study, tears streaming unchecked. Her hands trembled as she pressed them against her face, trying to stifle the sobs that shook her entire body.

The anger had drained from her, leaving only a hollow, gnawing regret. "Why... Why did I do that? Mom... what did I do?" she cried, her voice raw and fractured. "I should have protected you... I should have—"

Theo knelt beside her immediately, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Daisy... it’s not your fault," he murmured, though he knew the words were fragile against the storm inside her.

Her body shook violently as more tears spilled over, each one a bitter confession. "I brought you back to him... I should have never let you go... I should have just forgiven you... I am too overwhelmed with my emotions... my ego conquered me and in the end I failed to protect you..." Her voice broke completely, and for a moment, the world seemed to collapse into that single, unbearable regret.