Wow.

There were a lot of people out here.

Daphne Garza found it odd because she had never seen them all from up above the floor back in the hotel they were staying in.

“Where are we?” she blurted out, her tone a composite of curiosity and excitement.

She had mixed feelings about this.

Staring as hard as she could at Bryon’s back, she immediately realized that he was not going to answer that question.

Daphne cleared her throat in hopes that she would catch his attention, yet he did not make any reaction with regards to that at all.

Bryon was ignoring the girl on purpose.

She shrugged her shoulders, and decided to just follow him quietly. Something had certainly changed, and it took him only a few minutes to go from somewhat being civil to being a complete snob.

He gave her no other choice, then.

“Are you pouting?”

Her cheeks flushed crimson red. “I-I am not.”

He did not say anything after that.

Earlier, when he mentioned that they were going out, she was filled with elation—an emotion that she had not felt for quite a long time. Also, she tried to question him about where they were headed, but he dodged her inquiry every single time.

Bryon had thrown a paper bag toward her direction before slamming the door behind him.

What got him so grumpy?

Daphne’s eyebrows furrowed as she wondered. She hesitated at first before finally pushing herself forward to grab the paper bag.

Inside was a pair of cuffed beige cargo pants.

And when she tried it on, she was amazed that it was of her size.

An idea abruptly popped into her mind, and before she knew it, she quickly took off the garment.

Bryon had not particularly ordered her to change into those clothes. He did not make anything clear to her, so she should not assume any initiative. Besides, it was weird enough that he told her that she would be breathing fresh air in no time. She could not exactly wrap her head around the idea that Bryon would bother to deliver her such an attire.

She felt her lips curl into a small frown.

She knew that she should not be, but Daphne was disheartened.

When she looked at what was inside again, she saw a plain white t-shirt as well. She really wanted to try them out. This hospital room might have a wardrobe, but it was full of hospital gowns—and of different sizes.

She would not even want to start to imagine what they were for.

Perhaps, it was still early to say this, but her outlook refused to be swayed. She knew, deep down, that she had already trusted Bryon with her life. Although he did not look like he was into it, Daphne was able to appreciate his subtle behavior toward her.

She might have been also able to realize that, clearly, he was not the mastermind. He never acted like it anyway.

However, she would valiantly take the blame if her impression of him turned out to be wrong.

Daphne slapped away the thought forming inside of her head, and urged herself to think hard.

“You are still not decent?”

She let out a small gasp, and looked back at the owner of the familiar, baritone voice.

Bryon gave her a once over, and Daphne could not help, but blush under the intensity of his burning and calculative, blue eyes. “I will not ask you as to why you are on the floor, and on your knees, Ms. Daphne. I highly suggest that you change now. We could not be wasting time here.”

The girl looked down, and toyed with her fingers. “I-If I may ask… where are we going?”

Now, he looked irritated. “You do not have to know.”

Her lips quivered ever so slightly. “Why? I shall have the right to know at least, right? It may seem that this is too much to ask of you, but I believe that I deserve to know the truth, B-bryon.”

He was shocked by her unforeseen outburst, his mouth agape in pure fascination.

Daphne took several seconds to have understood what she had said and done. She was quick to utter her apologies thereafter, and she could not even bring herself to look him in the eye anymore.

She heard him sigh within the eerie silence that surrounded them until he finally decided to break that atmosphere with an imposing order.

“Please change within three minutes. After that, we are going. Decent or not, it will no longer matter.”

Bryon walked out afterward.

He did not even bother closing the door.

It was the first time that he left it unlocked. Daphne was afraid that as much as she wanted to take the chance and flee, it might be a matter of fact that he had done it intentionally. This was one of the instances wherein feeling down was all she could do.

She was never the rebel type to begin with, and rounding up the will and courage to do it by herself—it felt like crossing some border that was not meant for her.

“Simply wanting for it to happen is not enough, Daphne. If you want it to happen, make it happen.”

Dahlia was really amazing.

“Shit.”

It was then that she was able to notice that the place where she was put away was a hotel—not a hospital. It just happened that the room was housing a lot of hospital gowns, and she was wearing one.

All she could do was observe—thoroughly observe.

There was a resort beach nearby, and she and Bryon were taking a stroll along the shore. Daphne was thrown off-guard when he, without warning, came to a stop, her forehead bumping against his broad and undeniably strong back.

“Uhmp…”

“Shit. Shit. Shit.”

Bryon repeatedly cursed.

Being unbelievably close to him, it was just now that she had been able to make out their height difference. She was taken back. The mere fact that she could not see what was ahead of him made her look puny.

Stepping aside, Daphne came align with Bryon’s position. She tilted her head, and watched his expression.

He was clenching his jaw, and that was definitely a rare sight.

“Why are you bowing down?” she asked, bewildered.

Bryon did not budge.

He did not blink nor waver in his stance.

As for Daphne… she felt it before she saw it.