로그인~~ Damon's POV ~~I watched Hazel walk away from us, and something inside me broke.She didn't even look at us, didn't even acknowledge that we existed. She just... walked past like we were invisible. Around us, people were still congratulating her, still celebrating. Still treating her like a queen. But she had walked past all of us without even looking back.Three years. I had been married to this woman for three years. And in that moment, standing in the middle of her restaurant opening, surrounded by powerful people and investors and everyone who mattered, she chose to pretend I didn't exist."Hazel, wait," Clara called after her, but Hazel didn't slow down.She went straight to her grandmother, took her hand, and left.Just like that.Gone.I felt something twist in my chest.Carlos stood beside me, staring at the empty space where his daughter had been."Did that just happen?" he asked, his voice hollow."She's the CEO of a global company," Clara said, her voice shaking. "How is
~~ Hazel's POV ~~I walked back into the restaurant.The energy had shifted completely. The shock was wearing off, replaced by excitement and opportunism. People who had dismissed me minutes ago were now approaching me with smiles and extended hands, suddenly seeing me as someone worth knowing.It was nauseating."Congratulations, Miss Saint Claire," an older investor said, shaking my hand firmly. His grip was too firm, trying too hard. "This is incredible news. E&H Investments opening a branch here is going to change the market entirely. I'd love to discuss potential partnerships with my firm.""Thank you," I said, managing a smile that felt plastic on my face. "I'll have my assistant contact you about scheduling a meeting.""Please do," he said eagerly. "I have some projects that would be perfect for E&H's portfolio."He walked away satisfied, already mentally counting his potential profits.Another woman appeared at my side almost immediately."Miss Saint Claire, I'm Catherine Mora
~~ Hazel's POV ~~"Hazel, wait," Carlos said, his voice breaking. "Please. I'm so sorry. I didn't know about any of this. I'm so sorry for being such a jerk to you. I didn't treat you right. I'm sorry. I want to be your father. I want to fix this. Please, can you forgive me?"“My father?” I shrugged. “Having a father like you is the worst shame of my life.”Clara stepped forward, her face streaked with tears."I treated you terribly," she said. "I said horrible things about your mother. I blamed you for things that weren't your fault. I'm so sorry, Hazel. I'm so, so sorry."Even Melissa looked like she was struggling with something."So what about the restaurant?" Melissa asked, her voice sharp. "This restaurant opening–-what was it for? Who's going to run it now?"I looked toward where Sophia was standing with Kai.I noticed his expression, the shock, the realization starting to dawn. But I couldn't deal with that right now."Sophia," I called out.She came over immediately, already
~~ Hazel's POV ~~I stood at the stage and looked out at the sea of confused faces."My name is Hazel Saint Claire," I said, my voice steady and clear. "For the past three years, you have known me as Hazel Rossi. But that is not my real identity."The room erupted in whispers."My mother was Elena Sinclair," I continued. "She was the daughter of Margaret Sinclair, the chairwoman of E&H Investments. My mother was supposed to take over as CEO of this company, but before she could do that, she passed away."I paused, letting that sink in."When my mother died, my grandmother asked me to take over her position. To step into the role that was always meant to be mine, but I didn't want that life. I wanted freedom. I wanted to build something of my own. I wanted to live a simple life with the people I loved."I looked toward my grandmother, who was watching me with tears in her eyes."So I said no," I said. "I refused. I wanted to be free. I wanted to open a restaurant. I wanted to be just H
~~ Kai's POV ~~The moment Margaret Sinclair stepped into the restaurant, the entire room went silent.It was the kind of silence that happens when power walks in the door. The chairwoman of E&H Investments. The actual chairwoman. Here. In person. This was insane. This didn't make any sense at all.Everyone's eyes were on her as she moved toward the stage, parting the crowd like water. I was scanning the crowd for Hazel. She should be here. She should be watching this moment. She should be seeing the chairwoman of E&H Investments because after all this is her restaurant opening.But I didn't see her anywhere.My chest tightened slightly.I caught Sophia's eye across the room and moved toward her, weaving through the crowd. "Where's Hazel?" I asked quietly, keeping my voice low so no one around us would hear.Sophia turned to me with a small smile that made my stomach tighten even more."She hasn't been back since Adrian came to get her," she said, her tone suggesting she knew exactly
~~ Hazel's POV ~~I was standing with Kai, Sophia, and Carrie in the private lounge area of the restaurant, away from the main crowd.Carrie was adjusting the hem of my dress, making small tweaks to the already perfect silver fabric."Stop moving," she said, tugging gently at the material. "You're going to mess up the drape.""I'm not moving," I said, but my leg was bouncing slightly.Carrie looked up at me with a knowing expression."Yes, you are," she said. "You're vibrating like a hummingbird. What is going on with you?""Nothing," I said too quickly. "I'm just nervous about the restaurant opening. It's a big night."Sophia was sipping champagne, watching me with an amused expression."It's just a restaurant opening," Kai said from where he was standing. "You've already done the hard part. The place looks incredible.""I know," I said, smoothing down my dress even though it didn't need smoothing. "But there are so many people here. Investors. Business partners. What if something go
The emergency room was chaos.Doctors and nurses rushed past us in a blur of white coats and urgent voices. Melissa was already being taken deeper into the hospital, away from us, and Damon was following her, his hand on her shoulder, his expression a mixture of rage and desperation.I came through
I stood at the top of the stairs, completely frozen, unable to move, unable to process what had just happened."No," I whispered. "No, no, no. Melissa!"I hadn't pushed her.I hadn't meant for this to happen.It was an accident.But she was lying at the bottom of the stairs, not moving, and Miss Mia
Damon left early in the morning.He didn't tell me where he was going or when he would be back. He just kissed Melissa goodbye at the kitchen table while I was making breakfast, and then he was gone. Gone to handle the Moretti family business. Gone to do whatever it was that men like him did when th
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







