LOGINAnd the walls come crashing down. Active emotional damage alert! My heart is completely aching after writing that fight. We all knew the secrets would catch up to them, but seeing the sheer betrayal in Kai's eyes when he realized Hazel has been keeping him in the dark... it absolutely cuts like a knife. Can their relationship survive this kind of fracture, or did the secrets just break them for good? Whose side are you on right now? Team Kai or Team Hazel? Let’s fight it out in the comments! Don't leave me hanging after a chapter this heavy—please slam that review button and drop your stars! Your feedback helps me push through the angst and write the healing chapters faster!
Clara’s POV I sat back on the plush Italian leather sofa, swirling the pale amber liquid in my crystal glass. Opposite me, Joseph leaned back in his high-backed armchair, one leg crossed over the other, puffing lazily on a Cohiba. Beside me, Melissa paced the polished hardwood floor, her heels clicking a sharp, frantic rhythm against the timber. "Will you sit down, Melissa?" I snapped, setting my glass down on the marble coffee table with a heavy clink. "Your pacing isn't going to speed anything up." "How can you be so calm, Mom?" Melissa shot back, stopping in her tracks to glare at me, her hands trembling slightly as she smoothed the fabric of her designer skirt. "We’re playing with fire here. If anything goes wrong—" "Nothing will go wrong," Joseph interrupted smooth as silk, blowing a thin ring of smoke toward the recessed ceiling lights. "My contacts on ENH's board of directors have already primed the executive committee. The moment we release the forged wire authorizat
Hazel’s POVThe VIP suite on the top floor of the clinic was vast and quiet, illuminated only by the soft, rhythmic green glow of the heart monitor.The low beep... beep... beep filled the room—a steady, comforting rhythm that was the only proof Kai was still with me.I pulled a high-backed armchair right up to the side of the hospital bed, refusing to sit anywhere else. Kai lay still beneath the white linens, his tall, imposing frame looking unnaturally quiet against the pillows. An IV line was taped to the back of his hand, there was oxygen covering his nose to help him breathe properly, a thick bandage was wrapped snugly around his waist beneath his gown. His face was still pale, but the deadly gray tint from earlier was finally fading, replaced by a touch of warm color.I reached out and wrapped both of my hands around his cold fingers, bringing his knuckles up to press them against my cheek."You idiot," I whispered softly into the quiet room, a small, tearf
Reed’s POVTen minutes later, the central courtyard of the Valentino estate looked like a war staging ground.Six black armored SUVs lined the cobblestone drive, their engines rumbling in unison. Fifty fully geared soldiers—wearing black tactical vests with the Valentino crest embroidered on the shoulders—stood in formation, checking their automatic rifles and heavy sidearms.Victor stood near the lead vehicle, slapping a fresh magazine into his rifle as Marcelo sprinted down the steps to join us."Is it true?" Marcelo asked, his face pale with shock and fury as he reached me. "Is Kai really in surgery?""He's under Lorenzo's knife right now," I told him tightly. "And Signor Valentino is leading the hit team himself."Marcelo looked toward the grand steps just as Signor Valentino walked out, flanked by his personal bodyguards. The chatter among the fifty soldiers instantly died out into absolute silence. Every man snapped to attention.Signor Valentino st
**Reed’s POV** I turned away from the red light glowing above the surgical doors and looked down at Hazel. She was trembling on the bench, her hands caked in Kai's blood. "Hazel, stay here," I said, my voice leaving no room for argument. "Keep your eyes on those doors and don't step foot outside this clinic. I'm going straight to the estate to inform Kai's father." "Kai's father?" Hazel whispered, her eyes wide with shock. "Reed, if Mister Valentino finds out—" "He needs to know," I cut her off sharply. "His son was just shot in broad daylight. The head of the family is on an operating table. Signor Valentino will mobilize the entire front-line force himself, and then we are marching directly onto the Sullivan compound." "Reed, please be careful," she choked out. "Don't worry about me. Worry about Dr. Lorenzo doing his job," I barked, turning on my heel. I stormed down the corridor, pulling my phone from my b
Hazel’s POVThe SUV screeched to a halt in the subterranean bay of the Valentino private hospital, the heavy tires smoking against the polished concrete floor. Before the engine even cut out, double steel doors flung open and a team of surgeons and armed guards spilled out into the bay, pushing a stainless-steel gurney ahead of them."We’ve got a double gunshot wound to the lower left quadrant!" Marcus roared, leaping out of the driver’s seat and slamming the rear door open. "Massive blood loss! He passed out three minutes ago!""Kai!" I choked out, my arms aching from holding pressure against his chest for the last agonizing ten minutes. My blue blazer were soaked in his blood, my hands slick and stained crimson. "Kai, we're here! Please open your eyes!"A sharp, gray-haired man with intense eyes—grabbed Kai’s pulse at the neck while two nurses locked their hands over his abdomen, taking over the blood-soaked wool coat I was holding."BP is falling fast, 70 over
Hazel’s POVI looked through the windows at what was happening even though Kai told me to stay down, l was restless and l couldn’t just keep my head down when my man was out there risking his life to distract those guys. Kai took another step forward—completely focused on the fallen rider.Suddenly, the crumpled door of the black sedan was kicked open.A blood covered driver stumbled out from the wreck, raising a heavy-caliber pistol toward Kai’s exposed side."KAI, LOOK OUT!" I screamed from inside the car, slamming my hands against the glass.BANG! BANG!The sharp, brutal crack of the gun echoed like thunder.Kai jerked violently.A sickening gasp tore from his lips as the bullet hit him squarely in the lower chest. He stumbled backward, his gun slipping from his grip and clattering against the asphalt. He reached down, his fingers clutching at the dark red stain instantly spreading across his shirt, before his knees buckled and he collapsed on
I had the divorce papers ready by evening.I called my lawyer, Mr Hartley, someone who didn't ask too many questions. I told him exactly what I wanted-a clean break. No alimony. No fighting over assets. I just wanted my freedom and my dignity, what little I had left of both.He prepared the papers q
I couldn't sleep.I lay in the guest bedroom for hours, staring at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of the house. At some point around 2am, I gave up pretending and went downstairs to the living room. I curled up on one of the couches with a blanket, my mind racing with everything I had heard at
I didn't sleep that night. I lay in the guest bedroom, which had become my usual bedroom even though I was supposed to be married, and I listened to the sounds of the mansion settling around me. I listened to Damon's footsteps as he moved through the house. I listened to him talking on the phone to
***** ~~ Hazel's POV ~~ ***** I had been planning this day for weeks. Three years. Today marked exactly three years since I became Mrs. Damon Moretti. Three years of a marriage that was supposed to change everything and instead had slowly, quietly, broken me in ways I didn't know a person could







