Chapter 2

HAZEL (AUTHOR POV)

NIGHT TIME

The Kingston mansion was like a palace, but to Hazel, it was a beautiful cage. The room she was given was huge, with a king-sized bed covered in silk sheets. But it felt empty.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing a simple nightgown. She had been waiting for hours. Her heart was beating fast. She didn’t know what to expect. Would he come? Would they…?

Suddenly, the door opened with a loud bang.

Xander walked in. He had changed into comfortable clothes, but his face was still dark and stormy. He smelled of alcohol and expensive cigarettes.

He looked at her sitting on the bed, and his expression turned even more disgusted.

“Get off,” he ordered.

Hazel stood up immediately, confused. “W-where should I go?”

“Sleep on the sofa. Or better yet, sleep on the floor,” Xander said dismissively as he walked towards the bathroom. “Don’t even think about touching my bed. I don’t share my space with gold diggers like you.”

Hazel’s face turned pale. Gold digger. That word hurt more than any physical blow. She wasn’t here for the money. She was here because she had no choice. Her father was dying, and her family was being chased by loan sharks. Xander was their only hope.

“I’m not…” she tried to defend herself, her voice trembling.

Xander stopped and looked at her over his shoulder. “Save your excuses, Hazel. I know exactly why you married me. Everyone wants my money. You are no different from the others.”

He went inside the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Hazel stood alone in the middle of the huge room. Tears finally fell from her eyes. She bit her lip to stop herself from sobbing loudly. She walked towards the small sofa in the corner of the room. It was hard and cold.

She curled herself into a ball. It was her wedding night, and she was sleeping on the floor like a dog.

Be strong, Hazel, she told herself. For Papa. For Mama. Just endure this.

THE NEXT MORNING

Hazel woke up with a sore body. She didn’t sleep much. The sofa was uncomfortable, and the air was too cold.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Xander already dressed in a sharp business suit. He looked perfect, like a model walking out of a magazine.

He was tying his tie, not even looking at her.

“Get up,” he said coldly. “My parents and my sister will be here for breakfast. Don’t embarrass me.”Hazel quickly stood up.

“Yes, I’ll get ready.”

She rushed to the bathroom to wash her face. She looked terrible. Her eyes were swollen from crying, and she had no makeup. She tried to fix her hair as best as she could, wearing the simplest dress she had.

When they went down to the dining hall, the atmosphere was heavy.

Sitting at the long table were Mr. and Mrs. Kingston, and Xander’s younger sister, Tiffany.

As soon as they saw Hazel, Mrs. Kingston sniffed in disdain.

“So this is the girl?” she said loudly, looking Hazel up and down with judging eyes.

“She looks so plain. So… cheap. Xander, are you sure you married the right person? She looks like a maid.” Tiffany laughed sarcastically.

“Maybe she is a maid, Mom. Look at her hands! They are rough! She probably does manual labor. Eww.”

Hazel clenched her fists under the table. Her hands were rough because she used to work part-time jobs to help her family. She was proud of her hands, but here, they were being insulted, Xander didn’t defend her. He just sat down and started eating.

“Just eat. Don’t mind them.” But how could she not mind? The words were like knives stabbing her heart.

“Stand straight!” Mrs. Kingston snapped. “You are a Kingston now. Act like one. But honestly, I don’t know what Xander sees in you. Oh wait, I know. You probably trapped him with some tricks, right? You poor people are all the same.”

“Mom, stop,” Xander said, but not because he was defending her. He said it because he was annoyed by the noise. “She’s just here for the show. Don’t expect anything from her.”

Hazel felt like she was going to throw up. The food on the plate looked delicious, but she couldn’t eat a single bite. The humiliation was too much.

She stood up. “Excuse me… I’m not hungry. I’ll… I’ll clean the kitchen.”

“Of course,” Tiffany sneered. “That’s what you’re good for anyway. Go clean.”

Hazel walked away as fast as she could. As soon as she reached the kitchen, she leaned against the wall and cried silently.

She was the wife of the master of the house, yet she was treated worse than the actual servants. The servants were even paid and respected. She was working for free, paying with her freedom and her dignity.

DAYS PASSED

For hazel Life inside the Kingston mansion became a routine of suffering—Every day was the same. Hazel would wake up early, before the sun rise. She would prepare breakfast, even though there were five maids in the house. Mrs. Kingston would say,

“Let her do it. She’s used to hard work.”

She would do the laundry, clean the floors, and serve everyone. Xander would come home late, sometimes smelling of perfume that wasn’t hers.

One night, he came home drunk again. He stumbled into the room, and Hazel rushed to help him.

“Xander, let me help you—”

“Get away from me!” he pushed her hard.

Hazel lost her balance and fell on the floor, hitting her elbow hard. Ouch! It hurt so bad.

Xander looked at her, his eyes blurry with anger and alcohol.

“Did you think that by being obedient and acting like a saint, I will fall in love with you?” he sneered, walking towards her. He crouched down so he was face to face with her on the floor.

“Let me tell you something, Hazel. You are just a placeholder. I have someone else I love. Someone who is worthy. Someone beautiful and rich.”

He pulled out his phone from his pocket and showed her the wallpaper. It was a photo of a stunning woman with perfect makeup and expensive clothes.

“This is Selene. She is the only woman I love. You are just… trash that I picked up because I had to.”

Hazel looked at the photo, then at Xander’s cruel face. Her heart shattered into a million pieces. Even though she knew this was just a contract, even though she knew he hated her… hearing him say it so clearly, seeing him compare her to trash… it was unbearable.

“I know,” Hazel said, her voice hoarse and broken. “I know my place, Mr. Kingston. I won’t ask for anything. I just… I just want to do my part.”

“Good,” Xander stood up and kicked the rug near her feet. “Then stay in your place. Don’t ever dream that you are equal to me. You are my wife on paper only. In my heart? You don’t exist.”

He walked to the bed and fell asleep, leaving Hazel on the cold floor, crying until dawn.

 

THE INCIDENT

Weeks passed. Hazel was getting thinner and paler. She was working too hard, eating too little, and crying too much.

One afternoon, she was carrying a heavy basket of clothes to bring to the laundry area. The stairs were slippery because it was raining outside.

She was walking carefully, but her legs were weak from hunger. She hadn’t eaten lunch because Tiffany spilled the food on the floor and told her to clean it instead.

Step… step…

Her foot slipped.

“Ahhh!”

She lost her balance. The basket flew in the air, and she tumbled down the stairs.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Pain exploded all over her body. She landed hard on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. Her head spun, and she saw stars. Her arm was twisted in an awkward position, and she couldn’t move it.

“Ouch… my arm…” she groaned in pain. Tears blurred her vision.

She heard footsteps running towards her.

“Oh my god! What happened?” It was one of the maids.

“Help… me…” Hazel whispered.

Just then, Xander walked in from the front door. He had just arrived from work. He saw the mess, the clothes scattered everywhere, and Hazel lying on the floor, pale and crying.

Hazel looked at him, hoping for even a tiny bit of concern. “Xander… it hurts…”

But instead of helping her, Xander’s face turned red with anger.

He walked over and stood towering above her. He didn’t offer a hand.

“What is wrong with you?” he shouted, his voice echoing in the hall. “Can’t you even do one simple thing right? You are so clumsy! Look at this mess!”

“I… I slipped…” Hazel tried to explain, tears streaming down her face. “My arm… I think it’s broken…”

“Serves you right!” Xander yelled, kicking a piece of clothing that was near his feet. “You are useless! You can’t even carry a basket without causing trouble! You are just a burden to this house!”

His words were sharper than the pain in her arm.

He really hated her that much. He didn’t care if she was hurt. He only cared about the mess.

“Pick this up,” Xander ordered coldly. “Clean this mess before I come back. And don’t expect me to call a doctor for you. You’re not hurt that bad. You’re just acting like a victim to get sympathy.”

He turned around and walked away, going up the stairs as if nothing happened. As if the woman lying in pain wasn’t his wife.

Hazel lay there on the cold floor, surrounded by scattered clothes. The maid wanted to help but was afraid of Xander.

The pain in her body was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.

She looked at the ceiling, her vision getting dark.

How long can I endure this? she thought weakly.

I am the Billionaire’s Unwanted Wife. I have everything money can buy, yet I have nothing at all. No love. No respect. No care.

But even then, she was still holding on. She was still hoping… maybe… just maybe… one day, he would look at her and see her worth.

But as she laid there, alone and in pain, she realized…

Hope was a dangerous thing. It only hurt more when it was broken.

To be continued.