로그인Hazel's POVThe name hung in the air between us. I had never heard someone call me that my entire life.“My name is Hazel,” I said. “Hazel… Hazel Pierce.”Oswald didn't react to the correction. If anything, he looked like he had expected it. He took a slow breath and stepped back slightly, giving me space I hadn't realized I needed, “Of course,” he said quietly. “I'm sorry. That was… I shouldn't have…” He stopped and pressed his fingers briefly to his mouth. “Forgive me.”“It's okay… I am sorry too.”Jaxon brought out his hand to hold mine that was resting on my thoughts, making a circling motion and occasional squeeze, I had not realized how much I needed the warmth. He hadn't said a word since I started speaking.Oswald moved back to his chair and sat down slowly. He looked at the documents on the desk again and then at me.“Your birthday,” he said. “March fourth. How old did you say you were?”“Twenty-one.”He nodded, the motion barely perceptible. “And your childhood — where did
Hazel's POVThe lobby had already been intimidating enough, but stepping into Oswald's office felt like entering an entirely different world. My eyes swept across the office, one entire wall was made of glass. From where I stood, the city stretched endlessly below us, buildings rising in every direction while tiny cars crawled along the streets like moving boxes. The rest of the office was just as intimidating, dark wooden shelves lined the walls, filled with trophies, awards, and framed photographs that captured snapshots from a lifetime of success. Everything about the room felt expensive, carefully chosen, and impossible to ignore.My gaze drifted across them absentmindedly and stopped at a photograph sitting on one of the shelves, and suddenly the office, the view, and everything else faded into the background. A younger Oswald stood beside a dark-haired woman and between them was a little girl.My breath caught. That was exactly the same picture that I saw on the internet. For a
Hazel's POVI woke up to the ray of morning sunlight reflecting into my eyes, I shifted beneath the covers and immediately regretted it.A dull ache pulled through my body, making heat rush to my cheeks as memories from last night came flooding back all at once.God.I buried my face in the pillow, fighting a smile that was creeping up my cheeks.Every girl always talked about her first time like it was either a complete disaster or some perfect fairy tale. Mine had been neither. It had been awkward in places, emotional in ways I hadn't expected, and overwhelming enough that I still wasn't sure how to put it into words.But if I was being honest with myself, I wouldn't change a single second of it.I rolled onto my side carefully and stared at the sunlight filtering through the curtains.This morning was an absolute peace compared to the past few days. There was no feeling that the entire world was about to collapse before breakfast.A small smile tugged at my lips before I could stop
Hazel's POVI didn't say anything for the first few minutes. Jaxon also didn't push me to say anything. He was focused on the road, and that silence as awkward as it felt was soothing. I watched the neighborhood slide past the window. The familiar streets gave way to the broader road. But it wasn't long before the questions started flooding into my head.What if Mr. Oswald doesn't recognize me? What if he's not my father?What if he doesn't believe in my story?“Stay with me, Haz,” Jaxon voice came through breaking into my thoughts“I don't know who I am,” I said. “Rebecca Sterling. I keep saying it in my head and I don't know if it belongs to me or if it doesn't.”Jaxon was quiet but his eyes were fixed to me right now.“Not everything is supposed to make sense right now, which is why we would get answers ,” “I know but my mind is finding it hard to stop.”At this point he didn't say much, he just gave my hand his usual reassuring squeeze.“I am having cold feet now.”“You've been
Hazel's POVI woke up before my alarm and lay still for a while, listening to the sounds of the house settling around me.There was a time when those sounds were familiar in a comforting way, the particular creak of the third stair, the distant sound of the neighborhood waking up outside the window. I had grown up in this house, or at least I had grown up in a version of it. I wasn't entirely sure anymore what that meant.I got dressed without turning on the overhead light.Downstairs, my father was already at the kitchen table with his coffee and his newspaper, which was how he spent every morning, unhurried, projecting the particular calm of a man with nothing to hide. I had found that calming once. Now it just looked like practice.“Morning,” I said, going to the counter to pour myself coffee.“You slept well?,” he said, without looking up from the paper. “A little.”“Good. You needed it.” He turned a page. “Sit down. I made eggs.”I ate my breakfast without tasting them while
Trey’s POVThe storage room at the end of the athletics corridor was the least monitored space in the building, which was why I used it.Tiffany was already inside when I arrived, arms crossed, her blazer from the hearing still on. The composed version of her from the review room was completely gone. I closed the door behind me.“Well,” I said. “That wasn't so badly.”“Don't.” Her voice was flat. “Do not even for a second down play this. They have footage, Trey. The Actual footage. Someone submitted it to the board before we even walked in there today.”“I know, Tiff.”“Then you know we have a problem.” She stepped closer. “They asked about the script, the rehearsals. They knew the wording didn't come from Hazel naturally. How long before they start asking who wrote it?”I kept my expression even. "That's why we stay calm and say nothing."“Stay calm? That's your advice, Seriously” Her pitch getting high.“It's better than panicking in a corridor.”“I'm not panicking. I'm telling you
Jaxon's POV My hands were still shaking not from the fight—God knows I’ve been in enough of those to build tolerance—but from the sight of Hazel standing there while Trey said all the inappropriate stuff.I wanted to chase him down the hall and finish what I’d started. I wanted to make damn sure h
Hazel's POV Jaxon stumbled really hard but didn't fall, and the crowd went wild. Our opponents booed him but our team kept cheering him on.Suddenly, I felt sick as I watched, every instinct in me screamed to run down to the bench, to yell, to stop the game, to drag Jaxon off the ice before it get
Hazel's POVNothing travels as fast as rumour, ever since the investigation into the jacket theft had been made public. Everyone suddenly remembered I existed again, all thanks to Tiffany and her squad.Some believed me, while others didn't but what exhausted me the most was that I couldn’t even br
Trey's POV I stormed into the Ice Hounds’ apartment building, my teeth clenched so tight my jaw ached. Every step rattled through my chest making my heart beat accelerate. My blood boiled hotter than it had in weeks, maybe months. O’Malley’s voice replayed in my head "She is not in the spare roo