Hazel’s POV
“I asked for help to get back to my son,” I hissed. “Not to destroy his father. I wanted my rights, not a war.”He chuckled low, dismissive. “Unfortunately, in this world, nothing is gained without giving something up. If you want Charlie, then Nicholas has to lose something too. Balance, Hazel. It’s the most basic principle of power.”“You know nothing about being a parent,” I said coldly. “Charlie is not a trophy. He’s not leverage.”Andrian’s face tensed for a moment, but he quickly masked it. “So what now? Are you going to crawl back into Nicholas’ arms after everything? You think he’ll take you back as if you never walked out on that child? Or... maybe you’re just afraid of being alone again?”I wanted to get angry. To flip the table and scream in his face. But my body didn’t move. My tongue was frozen. All I could do was look at him—the man I thought had saved me—when in reality, he had slowly dragged me into
