Hudson Davis. Hudson Davis. Hudson Davis

"Hazel? Are you all right?" Brooks inquires, his hand resting on my shoulder. I was unable to respond to him. I'm too stunned to speak or even move.

I return my gaze to the man who broke my heart five years ago. I adored him without reservation—the man who betrayed me. I still have feelings for him.

He's dressed formally in a white button-up shirt and black dress pants. He's wearing a tie and looks much better than I remember him. He's laughing and waving to the cheering crowd.

"Hazel?" Brooks calls again, this time shaking me.

"I need to leave," I say something, but it just comes out as a whisper.

"But it's only just started." He states.

I start running out of the crowded ball. As I run into them, some people curse at me. I'm not even sorry. All I want to do is get out of here. I hear Brooks calling my name, but I ignore him and exit.

I take a deep breath as I lean against the brick wall in the parking lot. Unwanted tears begin to flow from my eyes and down my cheek. I cup my hands about my face and start to son. Why am I crying at all? Why am I squandering my tears on him?

I can't believe I just witnessed him. After all these years, I see him while attempting to move on from him and his memories. What if he noticed me? Oh no! That is not possible. He shouldn't be able to see me. He shouldn't do that.

"Hazel!" Someone shakes me and pulls me out of my thoughts. I raise my head to see Brooks. Why can't he leave me alone!?

"Are you all right? What happened?" He inquires, his hand still resting on my shoulder. Angrily, I pushed it away.

"None of your business," I yelled at him and walked towards my car.

"Hazel?" I hear it again, and my heart sinks into my stomach as I turn around to holler at him. It's not Brooks, but it's the only man I've been afraid to meet.

Hudson.

---

Hudson's Point of View

I put on my white shirt and black dress pants that I had packed for this charity ball to which I had been invited. I tied a tie around my neck and buttoned my shirt, leaving the top button open. I love my hair in a quiff as I leave my room in New York City's most costly hotel.

Roman Enterprises, owned by one of my pals, is hosting the charity gala. After much deliberation about whether or not to go, I chose to go. After all, I paid a lot of money for it.

The black R8 is waiting for me at the hotel's entrance, and I walk out the hotel's doors. My driver, Carson, opened the door for me, and I slid in. As Carson began to drive, I took out my phone. I noticed a text message from my mother.

Mother: Please call me back, honey. Please.

I disregard the text message and check my email. A new email from my assistant states she has scheduled a meeting with Jace, my friend, for this Friday afternoon. Jace is both a friend and the COO of my company. He handles business with Asian countries. I respond to her, then turn off my phone and gaze out the window at the lights of New York City.

"Sir, we are here." After a few minutes of the car ride, Carson says, and I nod. He exited the car, walked around, and unlocked my door. Cameras flash as I get out of the car, blinding me for a split second.

"Mr.Horan!" I can hear folks yelling my name. I come to a halt and wave at them before going inside.

Mr. Carter greets me and gives me a half-hug. His wife also hugged me, and I nodded.

"Welcome, Mr. Horan." They both say the same thing.

"Am I running late?" I inquire, even though I don't mind being late.

"No, no. It's only just begun." Mr. Carter claims. I give a quiet nod.

"Let's go?" He directs the procession to the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you all. Mr. Hudson Davis, our special guest tonight," a man exclaimed. People cheer for me, and I wave back.

I look around at the various types of people in the crowd. A few couples are kissing and dancing while others are conducting business. My gaze is drawn to a man with curly hair jogging behind a woman in a short black dress. I hear him calling her by name, but I'm unsure what it is. As a good human, I exit the stage, apologize, and walk behind the curly man. Going behind them is just an excuse to get out of here as soon as possible.

"Are you all right? What happened?" I hear something on the other side of the wall and go that way.

"None of your business." The young lady snaps at him. Feisty. The voice looks familiar, and my heart skips when I see who it is.

"Hazel?" Unsure, I say.

She looks around, her expression filled with rage. But her beautiful brown eyes widen when they meet my blue orbs. Her lips open as though to utter something, but nothing comes out.

I discovered her, the love of my life. I found the person whose heart I had broken. I finally found her.

Hazel's Point of View

I'm unsure what made me do it, but I rushed away. I raced away from him, away from the circumstances I dreaded. I fled.

I'm unsure how long I ran, but I'm seated on a park bench. Why did he have to return? Why did he have to re-enter my life? Why? I burst into tears. You're a weeping wreck! My subconscious lashes out at me. My phone rings, and when I glance at the caller ID, I see it's Axel. I ignore it and stare into space, but my phone rings. After a few moments, it stops, and I receive a message.

Where are you, Hazel? Please get in touch with me.

I started walking back to my car, ignoring the text once more. I have to go to my parents' house to pick up Aria and Jayden.

Oh my God!

What if Hudson discovers them? Will he deprive me of them? Fear grips my throat as the thought alone sends shivers up my spine. He wouldn't do something like that, would he? Will he take my children away if he discovers he is the father?

No!

I hurriedly return to my car, and relief sweeps over me when I notice Hudson and Brooks aren't there. I hurriedly got in my car and drove to my folks' place.

I park the car in front of the home and hurry inside. When I get to the door, I knock until my mother opens it.

"Hello, honey. How-" she begins, but I cut her off and walk past her into the home in pursuit of my children.

Jayden and Aria are seated close to my father on the couch, watching a cartoon. When I walk in, they notice me and rush over to me. I kneel to their level and firmly put my arms around them as if they were going to be taken away from me. No!

"Mommy? Are you all right?" Jayden asks as he moves away from me. I suddenly notice tears streaming down my cheeks, and he wipes them out.

"I'm okay. Shall we go back home?" I inquired, and they nodded.

"Honey? Is everything okay?" Dad inquires.

"I'll tell you later, father. All I want to do is go home and rest." I sigh. He nods, clearly interested in what's going on with me. Mum doesn't say anything either, which makes me quite happy.

When I returned to my house, I put both kids to bed. I keep staring at them even after they've fallen asleep. I'm frightened they won't be there when I wake up if I close my eyes and go to sleep. Is it going to happen, or am I overreacting? I sigh.

"I love both of you. I can't imagine living without it. You're my only chance at happiness." I murmur to them, knowing they're not listening. I leave the room after kissing their foreheads.

Back in my room, I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, remembering him. Why did I notice him? Why did I attend the ball? Why did I allow Axel to drive me there? What caused all of this to occur?

I tossed and turned all night. Even though I was restless, I couldn't sleep. I just stared at the wall or the ceiling, imagining all the different scenarios that might bring us together. I finally fall asleep after a lot of tossing and turning.

Morning comes quickly, and I awake with a headache. It's Saturday, and you have the day off. Thank you, God. I turn to look at the alarm clock on the nightstand, and my eyes widen as they settle on the clock. Nobody awakened me at noon—neither my children nor my maid. I rush out of bed, complete my morning routine, and proceed downstairs.

Aria and Jayden sit on the couch, watching TV and eating cookies my maid cooked.

I say, "Hey, guys." They both put down their forks and glance up at me. They're both quiet and for a short moment, I'm concerned.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I inquire as I make myself at ease close to them.

"Look at who's up." I turn around when I hear a voice and see Axel. What on earth is he doing here?

"I came here to see if you were still alive!" He yells at me. Did I say that out loud?

"Yes. You did it." He states. Uh-oh.

"I'm sorry, Axel. I couldn't stand him." I sigh.

"You could have answered the phone or responded to the text." He sighs again and sits on the couch's armrest. "I was so worried." He says this while wrapping his arms around my shoulders.

"I'm okay." I smiled at him.

"Did you try to talk to him?" He inquired.

"No."

Silence enveloped the room.

"Okay. I have to go now. I'm relieved now that I know you're okay. However, I have plans with Violet. So I'm going to leave." He does a lot of rambling.

"Okay, okay. Now go. Have fun while staying safe." I say the last bit quietly because my children are around. He chuckles carelessly and gets off the couch. He kisses the children's heads, then mine.

"Bye. Be cautious." He says this as he walks out of the house.

The afternoon is spent watching television with the kids and working on my computer. Oh, and I work as an interior designer. I only assist my boss with his business and design a few residences. It's entertaining, plus it helps me pay my bills.

I bake cookies with the kids in the evening. I chuckle as they both have flour on their faces.

"Mommy! You're making fun of your prince." Jayden says to me, furrowing his brows to appear angry, but he's so cute!

"Jayden, you are not a prince. Ryder is a king." Aria says in a 'duh' tone, and I laugh.

"Am I not a prince, mommy?" Jayden sighs.

"Of course, you are a prince, my baby," I say, and he smiles from ear to ear before sticking his tongue out at his sister. I make fun of both of them. They both come with me.

The doorbell interrupts our laughter, and I wash my hands before going to the door. The doorbell continues to ring. Who in the world is that?

"I'm coming!" I yell and accelerate my pace. I see the last person I expected to know when the door opens. I don't want to see this individual. My heartbeat quickens, and the morning's tension returns.

"Didn't expect to see me here, did you?" He grins.

"Missed me?" He inquires and moves closer to me. I take a breather.

"What exactly are you doing here?" I inquire of him. He locks his gaze on mine. I'm perplexed since his eyes convey so many different emotions. He appears melancholy, as if he is regretting something, and as if he is weak.

"Hazel, I-" He begins but is cut off by a small voice.

"Mommy?" Aria enters the living room, where Hudson and I are standing. When I notice them both looking at each other, my eyes widen. "Hi, my name is Aria. It's a pleasure to meet you." She smiles shyly at him and approaches me, gripping my leg.

"Did I say it correctly, Mommy?" she inquires.

"Yes, baby," I say as I take her into my arms.

"Didn't she just call you Mommy?" Hudson's eyes are wide with sadness.

"Yes. She did it. Have a problem?" I yelled at him.

"How could you possibly do this to me, Hazel? Don't you feel bad about it?" He asks clearly.

"Can you and your brother go to your room, baby? I'll be there in a few moments." I tell Aria. I don't want my children to witness a fight. She nods, and I place her on the ground. Jayden emerges from the kitchen a few minutes later, and they both walk upstairs to their room. I turn to Hudson once I'm sure they're inside. His brows are wrinkled, and he appears to be irritated.

"What do you want, Hudson?" I inquire.

"First, respond to my inquiry. Why did you do whatever you did? Was I not enough? Didn't I make you happy?" He inquires loudly.

"Keep your voice down!" I become agitated. "Five years later, you still believe that. I didn't do anything and didn't need to prove it to you because, honestly, who are you?" He sighs as I make my poker face.

"I know you didn't do anything." I furrow my brows as he speaks gently. "The pictures that I saw were....fake."

Pictures? What images?

"The pictures that made me think you had cheated on me." He says that as if he could read my thinking. It bothers me that he can read me like an open book. That is highly infuriating.

"I don't care, Hudson," I say, turning away from him. His fingers wrap around my wrist as he pulls me closer, causing me to clash with his chest. My heart is pounding, and I know Hudson can feel it against his. I struggle out of his grasp, but it only makes him tighten his grip on me. His arm snakes around my waist, drawing me closer, if possible.

"Let it go, Hudson," I say firmly.

"Not ever again." He states. His breath fanned my cheeks, and his perfume enveloped me.

"Leave me alone!" I say. He lets go this time. I was angry with myself for being disappointed when he let me go.

"Have you moved on? How come you didn't wait for me?" He inquires.

"I didn't move on!" I notice that I am crying.

"You have two kids!" says the mother. He yells. I remain silent, and he appears to realize something. Oh no!

"T-they are....are t-they...mine?" I turn away from him while he stutters, validating his point. He grabs my arm firmly, and I wince. When he turns around, the sadness in his eyes is replaced by anger.

"You didn't even bother telling me?!? I am their biological father!" He yells. Because of his rage, tears well up in my eyes. It brings back memories of that day.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He inquires once more. I release my grip on his hand. I look at him in the eyes and begin to speak.

"Did you allow me?" Did you let me tell you the most exciting news we've both been waiting for?" I inquire, and he remains silent.

"No. You didn't do it. I felt accused of cheating when it was you who was doing it. I had no idea where I had gone wrong." I sob, and he remained mute.

"Over the years, I've tried to put myself in your shoes and consider what I did. I assumed it was my error that had jeopardized our relationship. I laid the blame on myself. I'm still unsure what I did to make you think I was cheating." I can't stop crying. He strides forward, but I step back and raise my hand to make room.

"No. Keep your distance." I indicated to him with my finger.

"They are my children." And if you try to enter my life and take my children away from me, I will not even-"

"Why should I take them from you? I want you all in my life!" I start laughing as he says this.

"It's already five years too late, Hudson," I say.

"I know. I know I messed up horribly! But please allow me to make amends!" He says as he takes a step toward me. I raise my hand and request that he stop.

"No," I say. He began to talk, but I cut him off.

"Leave me alone. Please simply leave." I cry.

"We'll talk about it again." He states. He approaches and kisses my brow. I move my gaze away from him. "All that matters to me is you." Those final words before walking out the door and all the tears in my body flow.