Hazel Sparks' POV:

"He deserves to know," Kyle repeated, his voice low and firm.

"I don't care if it complicates things for me. I'll deal with Donovan. I should have told him years ago."

My voice was a ragged whisper, raw with pain. "No, Kyle. It's over. It's all in the past now."

I clutched the muddy charm tighter.

The past was a wound I couldn't bear to reopen-a truth too heavy for him to handle.

The next day, the memory of Donovan's furious face and Kyle's worried eyes still haunted me.

My shift ended, and I was looking forward to a quiet evening alone.

But then my manager called. "Hazel, there's an impromptu staff dinner tonight at the Royal Club. Everyone is expected to attend."

He sent me the address-an exclusive, members-only establishment known for its exorbitant prices and elite clientele.

A strange premonition, a cold dread, settled in my stomach.

But I had no choice. I'd already pushed my luck with Donovan; I couldn't afford to refuse a work event.

I arrived at the glittering entrance of the Royal Club, the opulent decor a stark contrast to my worn, sensible shoes.

A uniformed attendant led me through a maze of dimly lit corridors, finally stopping in front of a heavy mahogany door.

He pushed it open, and I stepped into a lavish private dining room.

The air was knocked out of my lungs.

The room was filled with familiar faces-but none of them were my hotel colleagues.

These were Donovan's friends-the same people who had condemned me three years ago.

And at the head of the long table, regal and cold, sat Donovan Gordon.

His eyes, completely devoid of warmth, swept over me briefly before returning to the conversation-as if I were nothing more than an annoying fly.

A man I recognized-a prominent hotelier and one of Donovan's closest friends-rose from his seat.

"Ah, Hazel. You're here. My manager informed me about the... unfortunate incident with Ms. Cabrera's earrings. You're here to apologize on behalf of the hotel, I presume?"

His smile was thin, edged with malice.

I was trapped-a puppet on strings, forced to dance to their cruel tune.

Humiliation burned in my cheeks, but I couldn't just walk out.

My job, my fragile existence, hung in the balance.

They gestured for me to sit.

The only empty chair was right beside Donovan.

My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic rhythm of terror.

I stiffened, but forced myself to move, sliding into the seat.

I grabbed a glass of champagne, my hand shaking slightly.

"On behalf of The Sterling, I apologize for any inconvenience, Mr. Gordon, Ms. Cabrera," I said, my voice wooden and lifeless.

I lifted the glass. "I'll drink to that."

I swallowed the bitter, bubbly liquid in one gulp, the alcohol burning my throat.

Donovan's friend-the same man who had thrown me out of the hospital room years ago-stood up, a sneer on his face.

"One glass? My sister-in-law's earrings were worth three million dollars. One glass doesn't cut it, Hazel. We're talking thirty glasses for that price-ten thousand dollars a pop."

Donovan watched me, his expression unreadable, a slight twitch at the corner of his lips.

A dark, sinister amusement seemed to flicker in his eyes.

Then he raised a hand, stopping his friend.

"Actually," Donovan said, his voice low and deceptively casual, "let's make it thirty glasses of something stronger. Thirty thousand dollars a glass. I want you to really feel it, Hazel."

He held my gaze, a chilling triumph in his eyes.

That night was a blur of bitter liquor and burning humiliation.

I drank glass after glass, the fiery liquid searing a hole in my chest-mirroring the agony in my soul.

My head spun, the room tilting precariously around me.

I felt myself slipping into a hazy abyss of pain and numbness.

"Is she done yet?" I heard a voice, thick and muffled through the fog of alcohol.

It was Donovan's friend. "Or do you want to play with her some more, Donovan? Send her up to one of the rooms? She's clearly loose enough for it."

Donovan's laugh was cold and dismissive.

"I don't want another man's leftovers," he drawled, his voice slurred with disdain. "Especially not Becker's."

He paused. "Just send her upstairs. The room key is on the table."

"Fine. If you want to take your anger out on her, go ahead."

Darkness consumed me then.

I didn't know how long I slept, or where.

I drifted in and out of consciousness, floating back to a time when his touch was gentle, his voice a lullaby.

I was back in our small apartment, his arms wrapped tightly around me.

I remembered feeling a dull ache in my side-a lingering discomfort from... from what?

He noticed the faint frown on my face. "Still hurting?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

He insisted on taking me to see a traditional Chinese doctor, fussing over me like a mother hen.

The herbal medicine was bitter-a vile concoction that made my taste buds burn.

But every time I winced, he would be there, pressing a sweet candied plum into my mouth, his fingers brushing gently against my lips.

"It's still so bitter," I complained, my tongue still burning from the medicine.

He just smiled-a soft, tender smile that melted my heart.

He leaned in, his lips finding mine in a slow, gentle kiss.

The sweetness of the candied plum, softened by his kiss, bloomed on my tongue, mingling with the last lingering bitterness of the medicine.

It was intoxicating.

He pulled back slightly, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Still bitter?" he murmured, his voice a low, seductive whisper that sent shivers down my spine.

My cheeks flushed with heat. "Is this how you sweeten up all your girlfriends?" I teased, my voice barely a whisper.

He chuckled-a deep, resonant sound that vibrated in his chest. "Only you, Hazel. Only you."

Suddenly, the bed beneath me dipped.

The dream shattered, replaced by brutal reality.

The kisses were no longer tender-they were fierce, desperate, bruising.

His lips devoured mine in a hungry, savage assault that threatened to consume me whole.

I gasped for air, my mind struggling to piece together what was happening.

It was him. Donovan.

But this wasn't the sweet, loving man from my dream.

This was a storm-wild, untamed, and dangerous.

I pushed against his chest instinctively, a small whimper escaping my lips.

"Donovan," I breathed, his name a subconscious plea-a desperate anchor in the swirling chaos.

My eyes fluttered open.

We stared at each other, our faces inches apart, our breaths mingling.

The air crackled with raw, desperate intensity.

My mind was still foggy from the alcohol, but one undeniable truth pushed through the haze.

"I didn't betray you," I whispered, the words escaping before I could stop them.

His throat worked, a guttural sound escaping him.

His voice was hoarse, raw with emotion. "Then why, Hazel? Why were you with him? Why Kyle?"

He demanded, his eyes burning into mine, desperate for an answer.

My lips parted, a confession hovering on the tip of my tongue.

I almost told him. I almost broke years of silence right then and there.

But then a sharp, insistent ring pierced the silence.

My phone-on the bedside table.

We both looked at it.

The caller ID glowed in the darkness-a stark blue light.

Kyle Becker.

Cold reality hit me like a bucket of ice water.

The alcohol-induced haze cleared instantly.

Kyle. Here. Now.

All my carefully constructed lies, all my sacrifices, were about to unravel.

I scrambled to push myself up, to escape the suffocating closeness of Donovan, the dangerous precipice we were teetering on.

But Donovan grabbed my arms, shoving me back down onto the mattress.

His grip was ironclad. "No!" he snarled, his voice ragged with fury. "You're going to tell me. Now. All of it."

His dark, dangerous eyes bored into mine, demanding the truth.

I turned my head away, unable to meet his gaze.

The words were there, ready to spill out, but the fear-the years of guarding this secret-choked them back.

"There's nothing to say," I whispered, the lie leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

He laughed then-a broken, desolate sound, tears glinting in his eyes.

"Nothing? That's it? Are you that desperate for him? That desperate to run back to Kyle?"

His voice was laced with chilling disbelief, a fresh wave of pain washing over his face.

"What does he have, Hazel? What does that bastard have that I don't? What did he do to make you abandon me?"

The question was a raw plea-a desperate cry for understanding.

"I must be insane," he choked out, "to think there was ever anything but hatred in your eyes."

HAZEL SPARKS POV:

"Get out!" Donovan's voice, a raw, tormented roar, followed me as he roughly shoved me out of the room.

The door slammed shut behind me with a sickening thud, severing us once more.

My legs felt like lead, each step a monumental effort as I stumbled down the long, deserted hotel corridor.

My head swam, a dull ache throbbing behind my eyes, a souvenir of the liters of alcohol I had consumed.

Just as I reached the elevator bank, a familiar figure emerged from a nearby suite.

Jessica.

She was dressed in a flimsy silk negligee, her phone pressed to her ear, her movements fluid and sensuous.

She didn't even glance at me, her gaze fixed on some invisible point beyond my shoulder.

But as she passed, she deliberately bumped into me, a sharp jab that sent a fresh jolt of pain through my already bruised body.

I gasped, a small, choked sound, but she merely continued on her way, oblivious, or perhaps, uncaring.

As she entered the elevator, I heard her voice, sweet and cloying, carried on the hushed air.

"Donovan, darling," she cooed into the phone, "I really want to give you an heir. When are we going to get married, love?"

My blood ran cold.

The words pierced through my drunken haze, clear and sharp as a shard of ice.

Married?

The world spun around me, a dizzying carousel of pain and betrayal.

My mind flashed back, years ago, to a different hotel room, a different night, a different kind of promise.

It was our first time.

I remembered my hands, trembling, gripping his neck, my body a bundle of nerves.

He had been so gentle, so patient, whispering soft words of reassurance, kissing away my fears.

The initial pain had faded under his tender ministrations, replaced by a burgeoning warmth, a dizzying joy.

Afterward, as we lay intertwined, bathed in the soft glow of the bedside lamp, he had gazed at the faint crimson stain on the white sheets, a look of profound tenderness in his eyes.

I had snuggled closer, my head on his chest.

"What are you thinking?" I'd asked, my voice soft, sleepy.

He had leaned down, pressing a lingering kiss to my forehead, his eyes dark with a depth of emotion I couldn't quite fathom.

"Are you scared, Hazel?" he'd whispered, his voice husky.

"Scared that I might hurt you one day?"

I had tightened my embrace, my chin set with an unyielding determination.

"No," I'd stated, my voice firm.

"I'm not scared. I don't believe you would ever hurt me, Donovan."

He had chuckled softly, his breath warm against my hair, his nose brushing against mine.

"You really think that?" he'd murmured, a playful glint in his eyes.

"I just might. You know," he'd said, his voice dropping to a low rumble, "I can't wait to marry you. Tomorrow, if I could."

Those words.

They had been a sacred vow, whispered in the quiet intimacy of our love.

Now, they were scattered, lost to the relentless march of time, mere echoes in an empty chamber.

He had forgotten them. He must have.

Forgotten the promises, forgotten me.

I stood rooted to the spot, the cold reality of Jessica's words chilling me to the bone.

Donovan was moving on.

He was building a new life, a new family.

He was going to marry her.

And I was just a ghost, haunting the periphery of his chosen future.

When I finally stumbled out of the hotel lobby, Kyle's car was waiting.

He jumped out, his face etched with worry, and practically scooped me into the passenger seat.

"Hazel, what happened? Are you okay? You look awful. Did they make you drink all that liquor?"

His voice was frantic, full of genuine concern.

I couldn't speak, could only shake my head weakly.

He didn't press, just started the car, driving slowly through the inky blackness of the city.

The streetlights blurred into streaks of color, mirroring the chaotic mess of my thoughts.

I stared out the window, watching the familiar landmarks rush by, feeling utterly adrift.

Then, a sudden decision solidified in my mind, sharp and clear.

"Kyle," I said, my voice hoarse, but firm.

"I'm going back."

He glanced at me, his brow furrowed.

"Back? Back where?"

"Back to Europe," I clarified, the words tasting like freedom and defeat all at once.

"I'm leaving. In a couple of days."

Kyle liked me, had confessed once, but I didn't reciprocate.

We had always been friends.

I heard Kyle say, "Okay, I'll book the tickets right away."