LOGINHAZEL (AUTHOR POV) The night seemed endless. Hazel sat on the cold balcony, her body trembling violently. The wind was sharp, biting through her thin clothes, making her bones ache. She could hear the faint sound of laughter and television coming from inside the room, a stark reminder of how happy they were without her.She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to generate heat, but it was useless. She was freezing. Her fever was coming back, making her head spin and her throat burn.Hours passed. She didn't sleep. She couldn't. Every time she closed her eyes, the cold would jolt her awake again. She was slowly losing hope, her spirit breaking piece by piece.When morning finally came, the sun rose but brought no warmth. Hazel stood up, her legs stiff and numb. She looked like a ghost—pale, shivering, and defeated.She quietly opened the sliding door and went inside. Xander and Selene were already awake. They were sitting by the bed, looking at their phones, completely ignoring he
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 brea
HAZEL (AUTHOR POV)Darkness engulfed her senses. The pain was no longer a sharp sting, but a dull, heavy ache that had settled deep into her bones. She was burning up, her skin hot to the touch, yet she felt as if ice water was running through her veins.Her breathing was shallow and ragged. Every inhale felt like glass scraping against her throat.‘If she dies, then good riddance.’Xander’s words echoed in her mind, cold and merciless. He wished her dead. He looked at her lying there, suffering and alone, and he wished for her end.Tears streamed down her temples, wetting the hard pillow beneath her head.Why? What did I do to deserve this? I only wanted to save my father. I only wanted to be a good wife.But to them, she was nothing. She was just a transaction. A tool to pay off a debt. She was the unwanted wife, the shadow in the magnificent mansion, the maid who wore a wedding ring.Hours passed like centuries. She was thirsty, so thirsty that her tongue felt stuck to the roof of
HAZEL (AUTHOR POV) The night was long and freezing. Hazel sat huddled in the dark storage room, her body trembling violently. The rain was pouring heavily outside, and the cold wind seeped through the cracks of the walls, biting her skin like needles.She had no blanket. She had no food. Her stomach was empty, growling in pain, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything for almost two days.But she didn’t make a sound. She bit her lip until it bleed, holding back her sobs. She knew if she made any noise, Xander would only get angrier. He might even throw her out into the real rain.Be strong, Hazel, she whispered to herself in the dark. For Papa. Just endure. Just a little more.Morning came, but the pain didn’t go away.Hazel heard the maids starting to move around the house. She knew she had to go out. If she didn’t show up, they would punish her again.Slowly, she stood up. Her head spun, and she almost fell. Her legs were like jelly, weak and numb. She fixed her messy hair and
HAZEL (AUTHOR POV) The days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months. For Hazel, time didn’t fly, it dragged slowly, like a heavy chain pulling her down.Life inside the Kingston mansion remained a living hell. Every day was a repetition of pain, hunger, and humiliation.Hazel had gotten used to sleeping on the cold, hard sofa. Her body had memorized every lump and every sharp edge of the furniture. Xander never allowed her to touch his bed. To him, she was dirty, unworthy, and just a piece of property he bought.Every morning, she would wake up before the rooster crowed. Her injured arm had healed, but it still ached whenever the weather changed—a constant reminder of that day Xander pushed her and called her useless.She would go straight to the kitchen. Even though there were many maids, Mrs. Kingston and Tiffany would always say, “Let Hazel do it. She has nothing else to do anyway. She’s just eating and breathing our air.”So Hazel did everything. She cooked, she clean
HAZEL (AUTHOR POV) NIGHT TIMEThe 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 digg







