CHAPTER 5

HAZEL (AUTHOR POV)

Days turned into weeks, and Hazel’s life remained the same—a never-ending cycle of labor, hunger, and insults. The mansion was beautiful, filled with luxury and expensive things, but for her, it was nothing but a prison. She lived in the corners, invisible unless they needed someone to blame or someone to command.

Selene had gone back to school, but her presence was still felt everywhere. Xander kept photos of them together in the living room, and he would often bring Selene home on weekends, making Hazel serve them as if she were their personal maid.

Hazel had grown thinner. Her clothes hung loosely on her frail frame. Her skin was pale, and dark circles were permanently etched under her eyes. She worked from dawn until midnight, cleaning, cooking, washing, and ironing. She did the work of three people, yet she was fed like a dog—if she was fed at all.

Often, she would only eat the leftover rice washed down with water, or sometimes, she would sneak a piece of bread from the kitchen when no one was looking, her hands trembling not just from hunger, but from fear of being caught.

One evening, a grand party was held at the Kingston Mansion. It was a business gathering, filled with important people, socialites, and businessmen. The house was decorated with flowers and lights. Music played loudly, and laughter filled the air.

Hazel was not allowed to join the guests. She was behind the scenes, wearing her usual simple clothes, carrying trays of drinks and food, serving everyone with a bowed head.

“More champagne here!”

“Where are the appetizers?”

She moved quickly, trying to be invisible. But fate seemed to enjoy making her suffer.

As she was walking past a group of people, someone suddenly stepped back and bumped into her hard.

“AH!”

The tray slipped from her hands.

CLASH!

Glasses shattered on the expensive floor. Wine spilled everywhere, staining the carpet and even splashing onto the expensive suits of the people standing nearby.

The music stopped. The conversation died down. All eyes turned to her.

Hazel stood frozen, trembling in fear.

“You clumsy fool!” A rich woman shouted, looking at the stain on her dress. “Look what you did! Do you know how much this costs?”

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” Hazel whispered, bending down to pick up the broken pieces. “I’ll clean it up… please forgive me…”

But as she was picking up the glass, a hand grabbed her hair roughly and pulled her up.

“Ouch!”

It was Mrs. Kingston. Her face was red with fury and embarrassment.

“You useless trash!” she screamed, loud enough for everyone to hear. “I knew it! I knew you would bring shame to this house! You are nothing but a disaster! A plague!”

She slapped Hazel across the face, again and again.

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

Hazel’s face stung, her ears ringing. She could taste blood in her mouth.

“Mother, please…” she cried.

“Don’t call me mother!” Mrs. Kingston pushed her hard. Hazel fell back onto the broken glasses, cutting her hand. “Get out! Get out of my sight before I kill you!”

Hazel crawled away, bleeding, crying, and humiliated in front of so many people. She ran towards the kitchen, hiding in the dark storage room where no one could see her tears.

She sat on the floor, holding her bleeding hand. The pain was physical, but the shame was worse. They treated her like an animal in front of everyone.

Later that night, when the party was over, Xander came to her.

He was drunk. His eyes were red and filled with anger. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the small room.

“Look at what you did!” he roared, shaking her violently. “You embarrassed me in front of my business partners! You ruined my night! You are good for nothing, Hazel! Why are you even here?!”

“I didn’t mean to…” Hazel sobbed. “Someone bumped me…”

“Lies!” Xander threw her onto the cold floor. “You are just looking for attention! You are so desperate that you have to make a scene! I regret ever agreeing to this marriage! I regret taking you in!”

He kicked the wall beside her head, making her flinch in terror.

“If you do something stupid like that again, I will send you back to your father penniless! Do you understand me?! I will let him die!”

Those words broke her heart completely.

“Yes…” she whispered, her voice hoarse. “I understand…”

Xander spat on the floor in disgust and walked away, leaving her alone in the dark hallway.

Hazel lay there, hugging her knees. She felt so small, so worthless.

Why does he hate me this much? What did I ever do to him?

But she knew there was no answer. Love was never part of this deal. Only pain and obligation.

The next morning, Hazel woke up with a high fever again. Her body was weak, her throat was dry, and her head was spinning. But she had no choice but to get up. The house was messy after the party, and she had to clean everything.

She was mopping the floor in the living room when she saw Xander and Selene sitting on the sofa, looking happy. Selene was showing Xander her new phone.

“Xander, look! The photos we took last night are so beautiful!” Selene giggled. “Too bad there was a disturbance earlier. But it’s okay now.”

“Yes,” Xander said coldly, glancing at Hazel who was mopping near their feet. “Some people just don’t know their place. They should just stay where they belong—in the dirt.”

Hazel bit her lip, ignoring the sting of his words. She continued cleaning, her hands moving mechanically.

Suddenly, Selene stretched her legs out and purposely stepped on Hazel’s hand that was holding the mop.

“Oops!” Selene smiled sweetly. “Sorry, I didn’t see your hand there. You should be more careful, Hazel. You might get hurt.”

Hazel pulled her hand back. It was red and bruised.

“It’s okay,” she said quietly.

“Of course it’s okay,” Selene laughed. “As long as you are useful. Now, make us some coffee. And make it sweet. I know you like putting extra sugar, right? Or maybe you put something else in it? Like poison?”

“Selene, stop teasing her,” Xander said, but he wasn’t stopping her. He was actually watching with amusement in his eyes. “She’s too stupid to even know how to make poison.”

Hazel stood up and walked to the kitchen, tears finally falling from her eyes. She couldn't stop them anymore.

Every day was a battle. Every day was a test of how much pain she could take.

She walked to the window and looked outside. The sky was gray. She felt so alone. So hopeless.

But deep inside her heart, a small flame still burned.

I will endure. For Papa. No matter how hard it is, I will survive this. I will not break.

She wiped her tears and took a deep breath. She picked up the coffee pot and walked back to the living room, ready to face another day of hell as the unwanted wife.

TO BE CONTINUED