His "True Love" Was Fake... So Was My Corpse, Sucker! - Chapter 133: Chapter 133

Two mornings later, Daniel opened his eyes right on time.
Same routine as always—
But the bags under his eyes told another story.
He hadn't slept again.
Third night in a row since Charlotte and Liam left.
After walking out of Bella's show, he hadn't been able to rest properly since.
Bella had stopped by a couple of times.
Hinted over and over—
Was he bored of her dancing?
Was she not good enough anymore?
Daniel didn't have the guts to tell her the truth.
She was still just as talented.
He just… didn't feel the same.
Bella sulked for two days.
When he refused to apologize, she finally snapped.
"Unless you come find me yourself and say you're sorry, don't ever bother showing up again."
Thinking about it made his head throb.
He grabbed his bag—already packed the night before—and stepped out of the base.
Even as he boarded the train, he wasn't sure what he was doing.
Was he really going back?
Back to the place he'd spent years trying to escape?
Yes.
Because Daniel had run away.
The Fosters were never locals—
They'd moved to Dawson Hollow during a recession twenty years ago.
Being outsiders, and with Daniel as an only child, his parents were controlling to the extreme.
They pinned all their hopes on him—
Get into a top school, make something of himself, carry on the family name.
Everything he did had to be approved.
It was suffocating.
He dreamed of getting out.
But in those days, you couldn't just leave without family approval.
No signature, no freedom.
Then, when he turned eighteen, a notice came: the Army was recruiting.
Daniel knew it was his one shot.
His parents refused.
They were afraid no one would take care of them if he left.
So Daniel offered a deal—
He'd get married first.
That was always the plan.
Find a sweet, obedient girl in town.
Someone to look after his parents, carry on the family name.
And then he'd disappear into the military and start his real life.
Daniel still couldn't admit it.
All that disdain he showed Charlotte and Liam—
It wasn't just resentment.
It was guilt.
That fake anger, the cold shoulder—it was just fear in disguise.
He knew she'd stayed behind and cared for his parents for eight long years.
Knew she waited for him.
Knew she was kind, loyal, selfless.
And he couldn't face it.
Every time he saw her or Liam, he was reminded of what he'd done.
That to win his freedom, he'd trapped an innocent girl for nearly a decade.