The Price of a Diamond – Part 3

Daniel had always been alone.

Even when he had people around him, there was always a distance, a silent reminder that he didn't truly belong.

He lost his parents at the age of eight. A car accident took them both, leaving him in the care of his grandparents—people who never truly wanted him. His father had married his mother against their wishes, and his grandfather never forgave him for it.

Daniel grew up craving their approval, wanting even the smallest sign of affection. But it never came. Instead, he was met with cold indifference, strict rules, and a house that never felt like home.

But he never complained.

Because Daniel was kind.

Even when they scolded him, ignored him, or compared him to others, he remained patient. He studied hard, did his chores, and hoped that one day they would see him—not as a mistake, but as family.

That day never came.

Not until they were on their deathbeds.

At sixteen, he was forced to become their caretaker. His grandfather fell ill first. The man who had once looked at him with disappointment now depended on him for everything. And on New Year's Eve, in the quiet of the night, he passed away.

His grandmother lasted seven months longer. She was stricter, colder—her eyes always filled with silent disapproval. But as the days passed and her strength faded, something in her softened.

One night, as she lay in his arms, her frail fingers weakly grasping his hand, she finally spoke the words he had wanted to hear his whole life.

"I'm sorry, Daniel."

Tears welled in her tired eyes. She looked at him, not as a burden, but as the boy she had never truly embraced.

"I should have loved you better."

Daniel, despite everything, forgave her.

He stayed by her side until the very end, holding her as she took her last breath.

Before she died, she whispered one final wish.

"Stay kind, my boy. Find a good woman. A woman like your mother."

Her words stayed with him, but they became nothing more than an echo.

Because years later, the woman he trusted betrayed him.

Ava.

She had once been his world, the one person he had given his heart to without hesitation. And she had shattered it.

Even after she returned, trying to fix the past, he could no longer feel anything. He had given so much of himself—to his grandparents, to Ava—and in the end, he was left empty.

So, he left.

Not out of hatred, not even out of anger. But because he had nothing left to give.

For the first time in his life, Daniel wanted to forget.

He wanted to forget the past, the pain, the longing. He wanted to stop waiting for love that would never last.

So he disappeared, searching for a new life.

A place where he could finally be free.