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HAZEL STYLES POV

I've been in a relationship with my boyfriend Liam for a while now. Today, he invited me to dinner out of the blue. When I shared this with my friend Lena, she said that Liam must be trying to ask me to marry him, because it was so out of character.

I couldn't help but believe her suspicions, so I went to the appointment with great anticipation.

But now...

"This is not working." 

I glanced up from my food, my eyes widening a bit as my gaze met those of Liam. 

"What are you talking about? Don't you like the food pairing?" I asked, my hands trembling a bit as I pointed to the food on the table. I knew he hated whatever I liked, but I was starving and also a bit anxious, so I'd ordered most of my comfort food. 

"What do you think? Did you have to get all these dishes? You're always ordering like you're trying to add more fat to those you already have." 

My brows furrowed. "I just saw my therapist yesterday and he told me I was underweight... That's why I ordered..." 

"How could I forget," he said, cutting me off with a roll of his eyes, "the baggage you have is endless. Aside from being an artist who doesn't have a career, you also have unresolved childhood trauma. Oh, your brother is also out to get you." He let out an exasperated sigh. "Do you know how exhausting you are?" 

His words hurt, but I was already used to them; besides, he didn't really mean them. Whenever he was stressed out, he tended to say hurtful things. It was just the way he was wired. 

I forced a smile to my lips as I dropped the fork. "I'm sorry. Next time, I won't..." 

He let out an exhausted sigh, then held my gaze. "There won't be a next time, Hazel." 

His words hit me like a freight train, and I froze. "What... What are you talking about?" 

He sighed, then dragged his hand through his hair. There was a block of ice lodged in my throat, and it intensified the longer I waited for him to say something. 

Liam let out a rough exhale, then leaned forward. "Are you really that dumb... I mean, everyone says it, but I thought they were just exaggerating." 

My hands trembled, and I squeezed them into fists. "What? Why are you..." I stuttered, and he scoffed as he cut me off. 

"God, I don't even know how I put up with you. Three years of my life freaking wasted. Do you know that every little thing you do annoys me to death? Are you really that oblivious?" 

My stomach churned, making it difficult to breathe. I felt both hot and cold. "Is this some sort of a prank... If you're trying to scare me before you propose..." 

"Propose," he got out, his tone incredulous. "You thought I was going to propose to you?" He said, then scoffed. "Do you think you're worth it? I am Liam Hex, heir to the Hex family fortune. Did you seriously think that I was going to settle for a nobody like you?" 

My eyes felt hot. I glanced around, noticing the gaze of the other diner that was now on us. 

"Liam," I got out as the heat in my heart bubbled over. It burned so hotly that it was difficult to breathe. I clenched my fist harder and then took a deep breath to calm myself. The tears that had filled up my vision threatened to fall. "Can we talk outside, at least?" 

He smirked, then leaned toward me. "We have nothing to talk about. This relationship is over," he got out curtly, his eyes emotionless. "I brought you here to break up with you. Aren't I just the gentleman, huh?" 

"What?" My vision swirled as the heat in my chest churned. It was so painful, I could barely speak. "What do you mean we're breaking up? You said you loved me. You promised that you were going to stay by my side and that nothing would ever come between us." 

He stared straight into my eyes, the cocky look on his face as he laughed intensifying the pain in my chest. 

"All empty promises that anyone with sense would have seen through. I thought I could get something out of you since Julian Styles is your brother, but turns out he doesn't even give a shit about you. I should have known all these years that you were useless, but I guess I was hoping for a change... I've accepted it now, though. I don't think Julian will be giving a shit about you anytime soon." 

Yes, Julian, the Mafia boss, was my stepbrother, but he and I didn't get along. I couldn't stand his overbearing control over me and always longed to run away from him.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, my vision blurry. "Julian? You approached me because of Julian?" 

"Yes." He answered and then laughed. "What? Did you think you were so beautiful that you'd attract someone like me," he scoffed, then leaned in, his eyes glinting darkly. "I know your family is part of the Mafia, Hazel. Julian was my chance to get the connection I needed. Too bad you had to be such a drama queen, right? If only you listened to him, things would have been so different." 

"Bastard," I gasped out, a single tear trailing down my cheek. I wanted to freaking scream, but all I did was bite my trembling lips as he sneered at me. 

Everything was a lie. He knew how badly Julian treated me, so how could he do this? He'd promised to protect me from Julian. He'd promised to take me away once we got married, but it was all a fucking lie. He only held onto me till he was sure he would not get anything from Julian, even if we got married. 

"I hate you and hope you burn in hell," I gritted out. 

He snickered, then pulled back. "Whatever you say, love. Oh, and you should take your leave now, my real date is here," he said, and my gaze jerked up to his as he stood up. Sweet-scenting perfume wafted up to my nose as someone came to stand beside me. 

"Liam," she chirped, then threw her arms around him before they proceeded to kiss. 

I watched, frozen and shell-shocked. I was having a fucking nightmare. It had to be. There was no way this was real. 

"You said it was only going to take ten minutes. Why is she still here?" the girl whined, and Liam's gaze moved to mine. 

"What are you still doing here, Hazel? I told you to leave. We are done. I want nothing to do with your sorry ass anymore." 

I slowly got to my feet, my heart pounding in my ears. My fingers closed around the glass on my table. I yanked it up and threw the content in his face. 

There were no words left to say. There was only rage burning and chopping away at my heart. It was vicious. Liam had ripped out my heart in the most brutal way, and I just couldn't let it go. 

Liam gasped, his expression aghast as he took in the red wine dripping down his crisp white shirt. 

My hands moved, and I hit him over and over again. My scream of rage filled the restaurant as Liam tried to restrain me while I struggled against him. 

"Enough of this madness!" He roared and pushed me hard. I fell on my ass, my tailbone tingling in pain. I gazed at him dazedly as he towered over me. 

Where the hell had I gone wrong? How the hell did I go so low only to end up being treated like shit. All the shit I took from him and this was how I got paid back. Why. 

"You fucking crazy psycho. Do you want to get arrested? I thought the Styles had more dignity. If you don't want this published in the news, I suggest you fucking behave!" he threatened because he knew how Julian would react if I got into a scandal. 

I couldn't breathe. "You have no right to treat me this way. All I ever did was love you... How dare you do this to me?" 

"You're worthless, Hazel. This is exactly what you deserve, so deal with it," he said, turned to the girl, and took her hand. "Let's get out of here before this lunatic does something crazier." 

They both turned to leave, the sound of their footstep trampling what was left of the pieces of my heart. 

I got to my feet. "A lunatic, huh?" I muttered as my hands grabbed the vase on the table next to me. "I'll show you how crazy I can get," I said, turned, and sent the vase hurtling. 

My eyes widened, a gasp escaping my lips as I reached out to stop what I knew could not be undone. 

The vase crashed against someone's face. But it wasn't Liam's. 

It was the one man everyone feared. The man Julian warned me to stay away fr

om. The man I loathed with a passion ever since the night of my tenth birthday. 

Riven Blackwood.