Page 15

D aisy

Tessa rubbed her stomach as they made their way up to Marigold Shadowbrook’s front door.

For the fourth time since leaving Fields’ Herbals , Tessa complained about how hungry she was.

Even from beside her, Daisy could hear the grumbles and mumbles of her stomach, calling out for some food.

Daisy raised her watch. It was close to lunch time, and nearing ever so slightly closer to her evening date with Ethan.

But, as Tessa told her beforehand, there were important things needing to be done.

Daisy stopped a few feet away from the front porch. Lights were on through the windows, Marigold’s car parked in the driveway. She was obviously home, and that realization frightened Daisy more than she wanted it to.

Tessa paused at the few steps that led onto the porch. “Are you coming?”

“M-Maybe we should get some lunch first,” Daisy blurted. “That spell drained us.”

“We need to get you ready for your date after lunch.”

Daisy hesitated, fidgeting between her feet. “Tess, I’ve heard some things about Marigold. Like that she’s gone, well…” She paused, raising a finger to her head.

“Crazy?”

“Well, that’s such a blunt way to put it.”

Tessa laughed. “But that’s what you meant, right?”

Daisy pressed her lips together, embarrassed by her own feelings.

Leaving the porch steps, Tessa came in front of her and snatched onto her hands. “You aren’t alone, Daisy,” she reassured, the natural energy of her growing empath abilities seeping into her skin. “And let’s be honest about something. You can’t be liked by everyone.”

“I know that,” Daisy mumbled.

“Then stick to it. Marigold made her own decisions that led to her life being this way,” she continued. “Don’t let someone else’s life choices bog down your own, alright? Now,” Tessa squeezed her hands, “the sooner we get this done, the quicker I can get some food in my belly.”

Daisy lightly laughed, though her voice trembled and quivered still.

With their hands intertwined, the pair walked the rest of the way to the door.

Daisy rapped her knuckles against the wood.

The sound of scurrying and fumbling could be heard from the opposite side.

Footsteps clashed against the floor as someone unsteadily approached the front door.

Daisy squeezed Tessa’s hand, bracing herself for the uncomfortable conversation that was bound to follow.

The door was ripped open.

“ You! ”

Marigold Shadowbrook had always been stunning to look at.

She wore her black, pin-straight hair down her back simply, sometimes a bandana or headband pushing it out of her face.

Her skin was sun-kissed, only tanned and amber in a way.

There wasn’t a blemish in sight, despite being the same age as Daisy, who wore her wrinkles fashionably and confidently.

Marigold stood a head taller than Daisy, almost the same height as Tessa.

But these were all things Daisy could recite from memory. What they saw when the door opened was far from what they were actually expecting.

Marigold was dressed in a wide wedding dress.

The lower half was made out of pluming skirts, the white fabric stretched out so far that it poked outside the front door.

Marigold’s feet were hidden by the dress, though they could hear the sound of her sharp heels clicking against the tiled floor.

Around her bosom, the wedding dress was tight and form fitting.

The veil was thrown around haphazardly behind her head.

Streaks of makeup stained her cheeks and chin.

Dried tears along with fresh ones fell down her face like a waterfall.

And, the most surprising feature out of it all, was the amber-filled liquor bottle in her right hand. The liquid sloshed with every move she made, already half empty. It was obviously whiskey, a realization Daisy made from the scent alone.

“A-After all this time,” Marigold slurred, her almond shaped eyes narrowing as she focused on Daisy. “The husband s-stealer shows up at m-my door!”

“Marigold,” Daisy said, keeping her voice as even as possible. “Can we -”

She stepped forward, looming over Daisy. “H-How does it feel,” Marigold paused, taking in an exaggerated deep breath, “to be the villain in someone’s story?”

Daisy blinked.

“P-Picture perfect,” Marigold continued, the bottle high above her head, “Daffodil, not actually liked b-by all of Swallowbrook!”

Tessa pressed her hand over her mouth, stifling the laughter that so badly wanted to be released. She glanced in Daisy’s direction, her brows trembling.

Daisy shook her head, her own laughter daring to be released. She watched Marigold instead, trying her best to keep the hesitant smile on her mouth. “How does some water sound, Marigold? You seem a little parched.”

“Bah!” Marigold spat, raising the bottle to her lips to take another long swig.

The amber liquid dribbled down her chin and onto her once-beautiful dress.

Twisting around, Marigold stumbled back into her house, almost tripping over the threshold but quickly regaining her balance.

She mumbled as she walked, but didn’t shut the door behind her.

Daisy glanced at Tessa.

Tessa shrugged and nodded her chin towards the door.

With a deep sigh, Daisy slipped inside, following close behind Marigold. Despite how drunk she was, Marigold didn’t slip or fall. She made her way into a large living room, pacing around the coffee table without daring to let go of her bottle.

“Marigold,” Daisy called out to her. “We wanted to talk to you about -”

“First,” she blurted, waving a hand towards them, “y-you take Bary -” Marigold froze and waved a hand across her face.

“ Gary from me! A-And then, you take Barrett. H-Heartbroken and lonely Daffodil,” she slurred her words so much they could hardly understand, “s-stealing husbands and engagements to make herself feel better!”

Daisy pressed her lips together. It didn’t feel right to interject or stop her from going too far in this state.

Marigold could barely even get her name right.

What was the harm in letting her rant about the things she, obviously, wished to say?

Even though she was entirely wrong. Even though the truth was that Marigold had wanted Gary, and Gary had never wanted Marigold.

Gary had always been completely in love with Daisy, which was a hard pill for Marigold to swallow.

The woman had been so unhinged that she’d shown up on Daisy’s wedding day to try to get Gary to run off with her…

and had gone even crazier when he hadn’t given her the time of day.

As for Barrett… Daisy had no idea what was going on there. Except that rumor had it that he’d left Marigold on their wedding day, after she’d continued to talk about Gary. Her obsession still was not gone, even after all these years.

Daisy stepped towards the couch and took a seat. Perhaps she was the villain in another's story, even if it wasn’t well-deserved. Daisy couldn’t help but feel bad either way. She sighed, looking up at the drunken woman as she continued her rants.

“I’m guessing you’re the good cop?” Tessa whispered as she sat beside her.

Daisy shook her head. “Neither right now,” she replied. “Don’t you feel bad?”

Tessa scoffed. “As bad as I can for the woman who crashed your wedding.”

Unbothered by their whispering, Marigold continued her rants. “W-What is it about me that took them both away?”

“Marigold,” Daisy cooed, eyeing the bottle in her hands, “fate works out in many different ways. It doesn’t mean you did anything inherently wrong.”

“Don’t lie,” Marigold snapped. “I begged and begged for Gary. What difference did it make?” She thrusted the bottle towards Daisy, a few drops splashing onto the pristine floor beneath their feet.

“N-Now the whole town calls me c-crazy. Crazy Mary,” she muttered.

“Crazy Marigold. Lovesick Marigold. Deranged Marigold. Humiliating Marigold.” Ignoring the width of her skirts, Marigold collapsed into one of the loveseats, the bottle hanging loosely from her grasp.

“If Gary rejected you,” Tessa suddenly said, her voice seeping with ease, “why do you say it’s Daisy’s fault?”

Marigold was silent for a moment before lurching out of the chair, pacing around the living room once more. “What i-infects a man’s mind more than a w-woman’s voice?”

“Gary had his own mind,” Tessa called out. “I know that for sure. He wouldn’t let me watch what I wanted on his big screen television. Does that make it Daisy’s fault?”

Marigold continued to stumble around, her brow furrowed so tight together, wrinkles began to crease over her forehead. She muttered something too quiet for them to hear, her anger and stress almost palpable.

Approaching the mantelpiece, Marigold snatched up a framed photograph.

“My Barrett,” she whispered, the tears beginning to swell once more.

Spinning around, Marigold shoved the photograph in Daisy’s face.

“D-Did you even think of me when you took him away? When you t-told him to leave me at the altar?” She gulped down more of the whiskey.

“D-Did you enjoy your revenge, Daffodil?”

It was hard to take Marigold seriously when she continuously failed to get Daisy’s name right.

Daisy sighed, eyeing the picture before glancing back up at the drunk woman.

She had heard through the grapevine that Marigold was getting married again, but never actually met the man herself.

From what she heard, Barrett came from a neighboring town.

Daisy couldn’t imagine the discomfort he must’ve felt if Marigold continuously mentioned Gary and how he was taken from her.

How could they have been wed if Marigold still clung to the past?

Tessa, at the same time, seemed to have similar thoughts. “Look,” she snapped, standing up from the couch, “if there’s anyone here who enjoys revenge, it’s you, Marigold.”