جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 130

I stood with my arms crossed in the kitchen doorway, unsure whether we'd just had a successful first day or not. At least, as far as I could see, there hadn't been any fistfights in this house.Well, last night, Marco had literally blocked Jonah's body in the second-floor hallway, adamantly refusing to let him take me to sleep in the master bedroom with him. That heated argument ended in a ridiculous twist, with the three of us forced to sleep in three separate rooms like feuding boarders.This morning, the scene before me sent shivers down my spine. Two men, both tall and with shoulders as wide as a double-door refrigerator, were fighting over the kitchen countertop. The atmosphere was tense.I could only lean my shoulder against the doorframe, silently praying that no meat cleaver would fly or—CRASH!Before the rest of my prayer could even finish echoing in my head, a stainless steel spatula slid down and hit the tile, followed seconds later by the deafening sound of shattering gla

Hendrik scratched his temples with the tip of his gold-studded pen in a constant, annoying rhythm.Around the giant conference table, five high-ranking corporate lawyers exchanged arguments, dissected files, and occasionally attacked each other with bulging neck veins. But to Hendrik Sinclaire, their voices were like the buzzing of carrion flies.He swiveled his large leather chair side to side for no apparent reason, his eyes staring blankly at the view of skyscrapers through the glass window.'Damn. Just because one person died.'Just because of one useless, diseased woman, the domino effect nearly destroyed the entire foundation of the business empire his family had built over decades.Hendrik's thoughts turned to his father, now officially dressed in prison uniform. The old man had been sentenced to prison for child abuse years ago, an old scandal suddenly rediscovered by the public and blamed as the primary cause of Hazel's death.The fact that Hazel was indeed diseased and could

Hazel stood rigid.She could see Marco's pupils trembling. Every muscle in his face, from his jaw to his temples, tensed, as if every cell in his body was prostrating itself, begging Hazel to say one word.Hazel grinned dryly. "If I say, yes, I'll do that damn medical treatment... will you really get out of my life?"Marco didn't take his eyes off her for a second. The desperate tremor in his pupils slowly subsided, replaced by a dark glint of determination. "Hm. I'll do it."Hazel swallowed. The movement felt excruciatingly painful, as if a wad of rough cotton had gotten stuck and was scraping against her throat."Sure," Hazel forced a smile. "I'll do it then. If I'd known getting rid of you would be this easy, I should have do that from the start.""Haze, you—""You promised, Marco," Hazel interrupted quickly, her finger pointing at the man's broad chest. "You promised to get out of my face if I received treatment. You have to keep that promise.""I will," Marco breathed heavily, "w

"Miss Hazel?"The stiff voice pulled me back to earth with a sharp jolt. I blinked, focusing my gaze on a nurse in a light blue uniform who was standing in the waiting room doorway holding a clipboard."Here." I raised my right hand slightly, then stood up.I trailed behind the nurse."Are you alone, Miss?" the nurse asked without looking back."Oh, no. I'm with my hus—" I almost said 'husband,' but my brain quickly pulled the emergency brake. "My friend. He went to the bathroom for a moment."The nurse simply nodded briefly, then opened the white door and ushered me into the consultation room. I sat in the cold patient's chair facing a middle-aged doctor with thick glasses.The doctor simply greeted me formally, then focused on his computer screen, his frown deepening as the seconds ticked by.My head felt full.How did I end up in this miserable place? This morning, I should have been enjoying the sunshine, paddling a yellow paddleboat in the middle of the lake, or at least walking

I must be crazy. On the verge of this humiliating death, of all the things my failing brain could conjure, why was his face the one that appeared behind my closed eyelids?A blunt blow, whether from a fist or a knee, I couldn't tell anymore, landed hard on my left shoulder."Whose fault is it that I got dragged to that damn police station?! Fuck!"Hendrik's spit sprayed, hitting my cheek, which was already numb with pain. With each blow that shattered my muscles, the man in the rumpled suit let go of every last shred of sanity he possessed."If you want to die, die alone!"A sharp kick landed on my shin. "You ingrate!""Did you think that bastard Bennet and Marten would come riding in like knights on white horses to save you? Ha! Never! You're stuck here, rotting to death with me, Hazel!"Yes, that was the most pathetic part. Dying with Hendrik as the last person I would ever see.Before I could take another breath, Hendrik's icy hand gripped my right wrist. He yanked my arm straight