INICIAR SESIÓNDamon’s POVThe silence in my home office was heavy, broken only by the repeated, sharp clicks of my pen against the mahogany desk. Spread across the dark wood were supply sheets, delivery logs, and timeline charts.No matter how many times I recalculated, the result was the same. We were stuck."How is this possible?" I muttered to myself, shoving a hand through my hair.It wasn't like we didn't have any suppliers. I had spent the last two weeks signing contracts with smaller sub-suppliers and local vendors. But their delivery volumes were a joke. They brought in a fraction of the steel and concrete we needed. To meet the deadline for Grand Crest Towers, we needed the industry giants—the high-volume suppliers who could deliver tons of materials on a daily basis.And every single one of those major suppliers had suddenly backed out and put our orders on hold.I pulled up my contact list and dialed the head of Lombardi Machinery directly. I pressed the phone to my ear, listening to the
Sophia’s POVGazing over at the bed, I watched Hazel leaning close to Kai, her hand resting comfortably in his. They were speaking in quiet, low murmurs meant only for each other.Seeing them like this—finally peaceful, finally together without the weight of the past few days hanging over their heads—brought a warm, aching relief to my chest. But as my eyes flicked to the digital clock on the wall showing 11:25 PM, a heavy wave of exhaustion hit me.I stretched my arms over my head, letting out a soft yawn as I grabbed my purse from the armchair."Alright, lovers," I said, keeping my voice down as I stepped toward the bed. "As much as I love watching you two act like a couple in a cheesy romance novel, this big girl needs her sleep. I'm heading home."Hazel looked up, her brow instantly furrowing with concern. "Sophia, it’s past eleven. You’re going to drive all the way across the city by yourself this late? You look exhausted."I rolled my eyes playfully, waving a hand in the air. "P
Hazel’s POVI didn't care about the suite, the floating balloons, or the fact that there were half a dozen men standing in a semicircle around us. All I saw was Kai, sitting upright on the edge of the mattress, his dark eyes clear, focused, and fixed entirely on me.I rushed across the confetti-covered floor and threw my arms around his neck, burying my face into the crook of his shoulder."Careful, careful—his stitches!" Reed warned from behind us, but Kai didn't seem to give a single damn about his medical condition. His strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist, pulling me into him until there was zero space left between us, his face pressing deep into my hair.The moment I felt the solid, warm weight of him against me—the steady beat of his heart a
Hazel’s POV"What is it?" Sophia asked, her hand pausing on the car door handle as she noticed me completely frozen in place. "Hazel, you look like you just saw a ghost."My hands were trembling so badly I almost dropped the phone onto the leather seat. I stared down at the glowing text message, reading the six words over and over again to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me.Hello Hazel, Kai is awake. Come to the clinic as soon as possible."It's... it's Reed," I choked out, looking up at her with a blur of emotions hitting me all at once. "He called five times... and then he just texted. He says Kai is awake."Sophia’s mouth fell open. "What?! Really?!""I... I don't know, Soph. I don't believe it," I muttered, shaking my head as a strange wave of frustration washed over me. I locked the phone screen and shoved it back into my bag. "I'm not going back there."Sophia stared at me like I’d lost my mind. "Hazel, are you crazy? Reed wouldn't lie about something like that! Why
Kai’s POVEverything was heavy.My eyelids felt like lead, and my throat was so dry it felt like sandpaper. The low, rhythmic beep... beep... beep... of a heart monitor slowly dragged me out of the dark, suffocating fog I’d been trapped in for God knows how long.I blinked, my vision blurry as white walls and harsh hospital lights slowly came into focus. My side burned with a deep, throbbing ache every time I took a breath.I swallowed hard, forcing my raspy, broken voice to work."Hazel...""Boss?"Footsteps rushed over to the side of the bed. Reed’s face appeared in my line of sight, his usual stone-cold expression completely shattering into pure relief."Jesus Christ, you're finally awake," Reed breathed out, leaning over the bed. "Don't try to move too fast."I ignored him, gritting my teeth against the sharp pain in my side as I pushed myself up against the pillows. Reed immediately reached out, placing a firm hand on my shoulder to steady me
Hazel’s POVAfter taking a long, hot shower, I blew-dry my hair, did a light layer of makeup to hide the dark circles under my eyes, and slipped into a white silk jumpsuit with a cream tank top.The moment I opened the bedroom door, an unbelievable aroma pulled me down the hallway—the rich scent of freshly brewed vanilla espresso, buttery pastries, sizzling bacon, and sweet cinnamon.I walked down the grand floating staircase and turned into the dining area. My jaw dropped.The long mahogany dining table—which was usually empty unless Kai and I were having a couple dinner—was completely covered in a massive breakfast spread. There were stacks of fluffy buttermilk pancakes drizzled with syrup, fresh fruit platters, French pastries, egg frittatas, smoked salmon spreads, bacon, vegetables and two jugs of fresh orange juice."Happy 27th Birthday, Hazel!" Sophia beamed, popping out of the kitchen holding a small dish of chocolate-covered strawberries. She set it right
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







