A Life Unraveled: Chasing Fate

The city of fatancy, was a dazzling place, shimmering skyscrapers, bustling streets, and a life of wealth and privilege. It was the world I had always known. As the daughter of Tom Avarid, one of the wealthiest men in the city, my future had been carefully planned: graduate, marry into another powerful family, and continue the legacy my father had built.

But then Daniel Leo happened.

Daniel wasn't supposed to be in my world. He wasn't wealthy or powerful. He wasn't the son of a businessman or a politician. He was just a regular guy, studying business administration, ambitious but with nothing to his name. And yet, from the moment he laid eyes on me, he acted like none of that mattered.

I ignored him at first. No, I tried to ignore him. But Daniel was persistent. Every time I turned around, he was there, offering a smile, asking how my day was, treating me like I was someone worth knowing beyond my last name.

Then, one day, everything changed.

The Day That Started It All

It was an ordinary morning. I rushed out of my mansion, climbed into my chauffeur-driven car, and made my way to college. My best friend, Liya, waited for me by the entrance, already chatting about the latest gossip.

"You won't believe what I heard," she started, but I barely had time to listen before something or other, someone blocked our way.

A group of guys, smug and overconfident, stood in our path. I recognized them instantly. Rich brats who thought they owned the world.

"We just want to talk, beautiful," one of them sneered, stepping closer.

Liya and I ignored them and walked past, but a rough hand grabbed my wrist.

"Not so fast, sweetheart."

I froze. My heart pounded.

Before I could react, Daniel appeared out of nowhere.

His fist collided with the guy's face, sending him stumbling backward.

"Apologize," Daniel ordered, his voice sharp, commanding.

The group hesitated, but after a long silence, they muttered forced apologies and backed away.

I exhaled, realizing my hands were trembling.

Daniel turned to me, and for the first time, I really looked at him. The determination in his brown eyes, the protective stance, the way he had stepped in without hesitation.

"Thank you," I said, smiling at him for the first time.

And just like that, everything started to shift.

A Love That Shouldn't Have Been

That night, as I lay in bed, my phone buzzed. A message from Daniel.

"I love you, Kisha. I wish you would give me a chance to show you what love really feels like."

I stared at the words, my heart hammering.

Then, suddenly tap. tap. tap.

I turned to my window and peered out. Daniel stood outside, grinning up at me.

"Are you ignoring me?" he called.

I couldn't help but smile. "Goodnight, Daniel."

And I closed the window.

But that was far from the end.

Every day, he sent me messages. Every day, he waited for me after class. And every day, I found myself reading his texts, never replying, but never deleting them either.

Then came the night he invited me to his father's birthday party.

I knew I shouldn't have gone. My father would never approve. But there was something about Daniel, something that made me want to break the rules.

So, I went.

His mother, Racheal Leo, welcomed me warmly. "You're such a beautiful lady," she said, studying me with kind eyes. "I hope you'll give my son a chance."

His father, an older man with a quiet strength, grinned when I handed him a small gift. "Thank you, my daughter. It means a lot."

And for the first time in my life, I felt at home somewhere that wasn't my mansion.

But I had made a mistake.

I had ignored my father's calls.

And when I finally returned home... he was waiting.

"Where were you?" His voice was calm, but his eyes burned with fury.

I swallowed hard. "A friend's house. For his father's birthday."

His expression hardened. "You mean that poor boy? The one who has been following you around?"

I said nothing.

"You are not stepping out of this house for the next five days," he declared. "I will call your school and tell them you're unwell."

Just like that, he caged me.

I rushed to my room, my heart pounding. I had to warn Daniel.

"I'm home safe, but my father found out. I won't be able to see you for a while."

I sent the message. No reply.

For the first time since meeting Daniel, I felt afraid.

The next morning, I woke up to a message.

"Do you want to go out and enjoy the city?"

I hesitated. If my father found out...

But then I typed, "Yes."

We met the next day, our first real date in secret.

We rode in a cab through the city, laughing, eating ice cream, sneaking glances like two people who knew they were doing something dangerous.

As the night deepened, I told Daniel I had to leave before my father returned.

He walked me home, stopping a few houses away. "I have something to tell you," he said, voice low.

Then, over the quiet hum of the city, he whispered:

"I love you, Kisha."

I froze. My heart pounded.

I wanted to run. I wanted to deny it.

But instead, I whispered back: "I love you too, Daniel."

He gasped. "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

A slow smile spread across his face, lighting up his entire world.

And mine.

I knew then, in that moment, that loving him would destroy me.

And I also knew I didn't care.

That night, I heard tapping on my window again.

I smiled, thinking it was Daniel.

But when I stepped outside, I wasn't met with love.

I was met with my father's fury.

His men grabbed Daniel before I could react.

My father's voice was like ice. "Do you think I'll let you marry someone from a poor, jobless family?"

Terror flooded my veins. "Dad, please."

But my father didn't listen.

He beat Daniel. Right there. In front of me. Until he collapsed, motionless.

I screamed.

"STOP!"

But my father's men dragged me inside, locked me in a room, and left me with only one thought ,

What if Daniel never woke up?

For two weeks, I was trapped. No phone. No contact. No way to know if he was alive.

Then, finally, I was released.

The first thing I did was grab my phone, my hands shaking as I dialed his number.

Ring.

No answer.

I dialed again.

No answer.

I called twenty-five times.

Nothing.

Tears streamed down my face.

Was this the end?

Or was my father right?

Has Daniel truly been erased from my life forever?