Third Person's POV

At the wedding of Hazel Rhodes and Dominic Blake, chaos erupted when a woman claiming to be Dominic’s lover from a past life stormed in with a group of people.

They wrecked the entire ceremony, and that woman slapped Hazel nine hundred and ninety-nine times across the face.

Then, teary-eyed and feverish with emotion, she turned to Dominic and shouted, “Dominic! You and I are soulmates. I’ll haunt you for life until you come back to me!”

Fury flashed in Dominic’s eyes. In front of everyone, he broke her limbs with his own hands and threw her into the slums, leaving her to be tormented by others.

But the woman didn’t give up. She kept finding ways to interfere in Hazel and Dominic’s marriage.

The first time she tried, Dominic ordered his bodyguards to smash a thousand bottles over her head, causing her to end up in the ICU for six months.

The second time, he made her infamous by spreading her photos all over the internet, then dumped her into the sea and left her to die.

By the tenth time, Dominic finally lost it. He hit the gas and rammed straight into her, only to plunge off a cliff himself with her.

It took seven days and seven nights for Hazel to find him at the bottom of the mountain. Her hands were torn and bloody from scraping against tree bark, but she never cried out in pain.

Fortunately, Dominic survived, but his brain injury was severe.

When he woke up, his memory was scrambled, and he no longer loved Hazel.

Instead, he loved Caroline Summers, the woman who claimed to be his lover from a past life.

From then on, Dominic treated Caroline like a precious jewel. She only needed to say, “Whatever I’ve been through, Hazel has to go through too.”

And Dominic obeyed.

He had Hazel’s tendons cut from her hands and feet, then threw her into a crowd of beggars. He also made her kneel in the freezing snow and smashed a thousand bottles against her.

Despite everything, Hazel never gave up. She tried again and again to bring his memories back, even though each attempt only earned her more pain.

Finally, she discovered a method that might help him remember.

Overwhelmed with hope, she rushed to find him, only to freeze at the door when she overheard Dominic’s conversation with his friends.

“Bro, when are you gonna tell your wife you never actually lost your memory? You’ve been pretending this whole time.”

“Is Caroline really worth it? You’ve been torturing your wife for her. Aren’t you afraid she’ll give up on you completely?”

Through the crack in the door, Hazel saw Dominic exhale a smoke ring, his tone lazy and cold. “She won’t. Hazel loves me so much. She’d never leave.”

“Dude, we all saw how much you used to love her. What made you fall for that lunatic Caroline?”

“Because she’s crazy enough to love me back. Even after everything I did to her, when I was falling off that cliff, she still held onto me just to kiss me. She’s not afraid of dying… only of me not loving her,” he explained.

His words came out calm, almost gentle, but every syllable felt like a knife slicing through Hazel’s heart.

“Hazel could never do that. No matter how much she loves me, she still puts her family first. But Caroline is different, one look from me and she’s completely lost,” he added.

“You’re really risking it, dude. You hurt your wife this much for a woman who came out of nowhere. Careful, you don’t burn yourself alive.”

“I hurt Caroline too many times for Hazel’s sake. This is what Hazel owes her,” he coldly replied.

Outside the door, Hazel trembled uncontrollably, her breath caught in her throat.

She couldn’t believe it. The man who once swore he loved her more than life itself had been lying to her all along just to avenge another woman.

They’d been childhood sweethearts and grew up together.

When Dominic was five, he lost his parents in a car crash right before his eyes. The trauma left him with severe psychological scars that he would often hurt himself and refuse to let anyone near.

The only one who could calm him down was Hazel.

She didn’t care about the danger. She stayed by his side, took care of him, brought him to therapy, and tried every possible way to make him smile again.

Countless nights, when his illness acted up, he’d clutch her tightly and whisper in a broken voice, “Hazel, you’re all I have left. Don’t leave me. I swear to God, I’ll only ever love you in this life. If I break that promise, may lightning strike me dead.”

But that childhood promise turned into the sharpest blade.

Tears blurred Hazel’s vision as she stumbled out of the building. Her hands shook as she pulled up the county clerk's office website and filed for divorce.

[Your divorce application has been submitted successfully. The cooling-off period is one month. If either party withdraws during this period, the application will be void.]

She then bought a one-way ticket abroad, set for one month later.

She was leaving Dominic, leaving him forever.

Third Person's POV

Just then, Hazel’s phone buzzed. It was a message from Caroline, probably another one of her arrogant little videos showing off the latest gift Dominic had bought her.

But Hazel didn’t want to see it. She was about to close the message when another text popped up, one that made her scalp prickle and her stomach drop.

[Bitch. Since you refused to bark like a dog for me, I’ll let your mother do it instead.]

Hazel froze. Her hand trembled as she tapped the video open.

One glance and her world collapsed.

Caroline had tied her sick mother to the back of a car and was dragging her through the streets of the city.

Her mother’s cries echoed through the wind, but the car sped faster and faster.

Moments later, all that was left of her mother was a mangled, bloody mess on the road.

Watching that, Hazel broke down. She called the police and rushed to the scene as fast as she could.

But by the time she arrived, Caroline was gone. Only her mother lay there on the cold asphalt, barely breathing.

Hazel didn’t stop to think. She carried her mother to the nearest hospital, but when she handed over her mother’s ID, the doctor shook his head.

“Sorry. We can’t admit her. Miss Summers has given strict orders.”

Because of that, she tried another hospital, a total of five, but every single one turned her away.

Hopelessness clawed at her chest. With nowhere else to go, she went to the only person who could help, Dominic.

But at that very moment, Dominic was hosting Caroline’s lavish birthday party.

He’d ordered a custom cake worth over a hundred grand and filled the entire villa with gifts for her. Influential guests, celebrities, and business elites were all there to wish Caroline a happy birthday.

Hazel stumbled through the doors, her clothes torn and covered in dust. She made it to Dominic’s side, but her legs gave out, and she collapsed right at his feet.

“Dominic, please, save my mom! Caroline told the hospitals not to treat her. She’s dying!”

Dominic frowned slightly, caught off guard by her desperation. Just as he was about to speak, Caroline clung to his neck, tears brimming in her eyes.

“Darling, did you forget what she and her mother did to us?” she whimpered. “You might not remember it now, but they’re the reason we were torn apart. If it weren’t for my love for you, for fighting my way back through all that pain, I’d never be standing here today.”

As she spoke, she deliberately lifted her sleeve, revealing the scar on her arm, the one left from when Dominic had once broken it himself.

“Look at this, it still hurts to this day,” she said softly, voice trembling for sympathy.

In that instant, whatever trace of compassion Dominic had in his eyes turned cold, then he gave a chilling order to his men, “Get her out of here. Don’t let her ruin Caroline’s birthday.”

The guards quickly moved toward Hazel, but she broke free and threw herself in front of him, tears streaming down her face. “Dominic, please! I’m begging you, for my mother’s sake. She raised you when you had no one. Please save her! If she dies, I won’t live either.”

Something flickered briefly in Dominic’s eyes, but his tone remained emotionless. He tilted his chin toward the swimming pool nearby. “See that pool?”

Hazel blinked, confused.

“Jump in,” he said flatly. “Hold your breath for ten minutes, and I’ll save your mother.”

Her face went pale. For a second, she couldn’t even breathe.

He knew she was terrified of water.

When she was eight, she’d been kidnapped by one of her father’s business rivals and thrown into a well. She’d nearly drowned that night. If her father hadn’t found her in time, she wouldn’t have survived.

Since then, she could barely handle being near water. Baths were the only exception. Even so, the memory of seaweed wrapping around her ankles, dragging her down while she struggled for air, still haunted her to this day.

She swallowed hard, voice trembling. “You know I’m terrified of water, Dominic. If I stay under, I’ll die.”

But he only sneered. “Then you’d better start preparing for your mother’s funeral.”

She stared at him, searching for a hint of mercy, but found nothing. The last of her love for him disintegrated right then and there.

Slowly, she stood up. Her expression was numb, her voice quiet. “Fine. I’ll do it. But you have to keep your promise. If I last ten minutes, you’ll save her.”

Without waiting for an answer, Hazel took a deep breath and dove headfirst into the pool.

Third Person's POV

The moment the icy pool water wrapped around Hazel’s body, the memory of drowning hit her like a vise tightening around her throat. Her chest burned as she fought the urge to breathe, but panic clawed at her mind until she couldn’t hold it anymore.

The second she gasped, water rushed into her mouth, flooding her lungs. She coughed, choked, and instinctively kicked upward, but she didn’t break the surface. Instead, she forced herself deeper, determined not to give up.

Her mother was still waiting. She had to last ten minutes.

Outside the pool, guests gathered at the edge, watching her desperate struggle beneath the water. Some turned away, pity and discomfort written all over their faces.

Caroline, on the other hand, stood off to the side with a faint, satisfied smile curving her lips.

Meanwhile, Dominic’s expression grew darker by the minute. His grip on the armrest tightened until his knuckles went white.

Finally, ten minutes passed.

“Get her out,” he ordered sharply.

They pulled Hazel from the water. Her body was pale and trembling, her lips nearly blue. She’d swallowed so much water that she could barely breathe, but even then, she forced herself to speak, her voice shaking. “I did it… Now please… save my mom.”

Dominic frowned, pulling out his phone to make the call. But before he could finish dialing, Caroline let out a small, startled cry.

He turned immediately, only to see a thin line of blood running down her finger.

Without a second thought, he hung up the phone and rushed to her side.

“Dominic!” Hazel gasped, clutching at his pant leg. “Help my mother first—”

But he yanked his leg free, his voice cutting cold as ice. “Do you have any idea how severe Caroline’s blood phobia is? If anything happens to her, can you take responsibility?”

And with that, he left without looking back.

“But my mom—” Hazel’s voice broke as she tried to follow, but her body gave out. The room spun, her vision blurred, and then everything went dark.

Before she lost consciousness, she vaguely heard Dominic’s distant voice giving orders. “Send her to the hospital. And make sure the best doctors treat her mother. Don’t let anyone die.”

When Hazel woke up, she was lying in a hospital bed.

She ripped out the IV line, trying to get up, but just then, her phone rang.

The voice on the other end was calm, almost apologetic. “Are you Mrs. Rhodes’s family member? I’m sorry… but she didn’t make it. She passed away due to delayed treatment.”

For a moment, Hazel couldn’t breathe.

“No… no, that’s not possible. Dominic said he sent the best doctors! My mom—she can’t be dead!”

The doctor hesitated before sighing quietly. “There was a chance to save her. But just as we were about to begin surgery, Mr. Blake called all the specialists away since Miss Summers had an allergic reaction to her medication. He ordered every available doctor to treat her instead, and your mother received no care… so…”

His words were like a thunderclap. Hazel froze, her blood running cold. The phone slipped from her hand and hit the floor with a dull thud.

She didn’t remember how she got to her mother’s room. When she pushed open the door, a doctor was just pulling the white sheet over her mother’s face.

“Mom!”

She stumbled forward, tears streaming down her face, and fell to her knees beside the bed.

“Mom, please wake up! Don’t leave me, please!”

But her mother, who always wiped her tears, lay still, forever silent.

Hazel broke down, sobbing until her body shook.

Around her, the doctors exchanged silent, pitying glances.

Outside the room, two nurses walked by, whispering to each other.

“Miss Summers just had a small cut on her finger,” one said. “It would’ve healed on its own in a few hours. But Mr. Blake pulled every senior doctor over for her treatment. Guess his love for her is the real deal.”

“You’re telling me. I even heard he made his wife hold her breath underwater just to make Caroline happy. She nearly died, and he hasn’t even visited her once. That man’s heart… it’s made of stone.”

Their voices faded down the hall, but every word sliced deeper into Hazel’s chest.

Her sobs turned into trembling rage. The veins on her hands bulged as she gripped the bed rail.

She hated them. She hated Caroline. And she hated Dominic even more.

Because of them, her mother was gone. Because of them, her life had fallen apart.

They didn’t deserve forgiveness. They deserved to pay!

The next day, Hazel handled her mother’s funeral alone. She stood silently as the coffin was sealed and the cremation began.

The woman who once shielded her from every storm was now reduced to ashes, a small urn she held carefully in her trembling arms.

Tears streamed down her face again, uncontrollable, endless.

That night, she returned home, clutching the urn close to her chest.

But when she pushed open the door, she froze.

Dominic was sitting on the couch, rubbing his temples as if waiting for her.

When he looked up, his expression was cold, his tone even colder. “You’re back?”

Before she could answer, he tossed a document onto the table in front of her. “Caroline only went after your mother because you refused to apologize and bark like a dog. She might’ve gone too far, but did you really have to call the cops?”

His eyes narrowed and continued, “She’s still being questioned at the station because of you. Sign the statement of forgiveness, and I’ll pretend none of this ever happened.”