Third Person's POV

The liquor burned down Hazel’s throat like fire, searing her stomach until it felt as if her insides were being torn apart. The liquid even spilled out through her nose as she choked and gasped for air.

She grabbed Dominic’s wrist, her voice raw and hoarse, like sand scraping against stone. “It hurts… please—let go of me… I can’t drink anymore…”

Even under the dim lights, her face was turning a deep, alarming red. She looked seconds away from collapsing.

For a moment, something flickered in Dominic’s eyes—hesitation, maybe even pity. His grip also loosened slightly.

But Caroline quickly stepped in, her tone soft and falsely concerned.

“Forget it, Dominic,” she said sweetly. “As a woman, I can’t bear to see another woman suffer. Just let her go. I’ve already endured so much in my life; a little more doesn’t matter. I only feel guilty that I didn’t take better care of the dress you gave me.”

Her pitiful tone hit him like a dart straight to the chest, making Dominic’s expression harden again. Without another word, he grabbed another bottle and poured it down Hazel’s throat.

The second wave hit harder. Her vision blurred, her stomach churned violently, and then she couldn’t hold it back anymore. She vomited all over the floor.

The room filled with murmurs of disgust as the men around them covered their noses and stepped back.

Dominic instinctively took a step forward, wanting to help her, but the moment he caught Caroline’s cold, wounded gaze, he froze. His hand fell back to his side and frigidly said, “Caroline is the most important person in my life. Anyone who upsets her also upsets me. If you ever make her unhappy again, Hazel, I’ll make sure you suffer worse than this.”

Hazel wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then looked up at him with glassy, tear-filled eyes.

“Dominic,” she asked softly, her voice trembling, “you mean that, right? Caroline’s the one you love most?”

“Yes.” He didn’t hesitate for even a second.

Hazel let out a faint laugh—broken, bitter, and hollow. She looked at him for a long moment before staggering to her feet. Then, without a word, she pushed him aside and walked toward the door.

The moment it closed behind her, voices sounded from inside the room.

“Dude, it’s late. Are you really letting her walk home alone? Isn’t that a bit dangerous?” one of his friends asked.

Dominic gave a low, dismissive chuckle and pulled Caroline into his arms. “What’s that got to do with me? I have Caroline now. Why should I care if someone else lives or dies?”

Outside, Hazel laughed through her tears.

He used to promise her that as long as she stayed by his side, she’d never be hurt again. Now he said her life and death had nothing to do with him.

But that was fine. Soon, she’d leave him forever, and he’d never find her again.

It was past midnight. There were no taxis in sight, so Hazel could only walk home. Her stomach churned painfully, and before long, she threw up again. Only this time, it was blood.

She sank weakly against a cold wall, clutching her stomach as if knives were slicing her from the inside out.

Then, a group of men appeared at the mouth of the alley. One of them pointed at her.

“There she is!”

A chill ran through Hazel’s body. Panic surged through her veins. She pushed herself up and tried to run. But before she could take two steps, one of them grabbed her by the hair and yanked her backward.

“Where do you think you’re going, you little bitch?”

Third Person's POV

“Who are you? What do you want?!” Hazel warned, backing away and reaching for her phone to call the police.

But a sharp-eyed thug saw the move and slapped her hard across the face.

“You bitch, trying to call the cops?” he spat.

Fear flashed through Hazel’s eyes.

“I haven’t done anything to you. Why are you picking on me?” she demanded.

The gang members laughed, ugly grins spreading across their faces.

“You pissed off the wrong person,” one of them said. “And that person told us to teach you a lesson.”

Before she could react, a steel pipe came down and smashed into her knee. Hazel fell to the ground with a thud; the pain ripped through her so fiercely she couldn’t hold back the tears.

Without giving her a moment, pipe after pipe rained down on her like hail. Her screams of pain echoed through the alley as bones cracked beneath the blows. Yet, no one came to help.

As darkness closed in, she saw her dead mother, smiling and waving at her, as if to say it was all right.

When she came to again, she was in a hospital bed. Dominic sat nearby, with dark circles under his eyes that showed he’d been there a long time. For a rare instant, pity softened his expression. His voice was unusually gentle as he asked, “You’re awake. Do you feel okay anywhere?”

Hazel didn’t answer. She asked instead, “How long was I out?”

“Five days,” he said.

Her hand clenched into a fist at that. Five days, proof of how vicious they’d been. She reached for the phone on the table to call the police.

But Dominic grabbed her wrist. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“Calling the police, of course.”

He frowned. “No need. Those thugs were arrested.”

Hazel snorted. “They were arrested, yes. But whoever hired them hasn’t been.”

Dominic raised an eyebrow. “The thugs said they were just in a bad mood and happened to run into you. They said no one ordered them to do it.”

She laughed in disbelief at how confidently he defended that lie. It was impossible that no one had hired them. She had seen the woman clearly before she blacked out. Even if the face were burned to ash, she would recognize it. It was Caroline. She’d watched that woman hand money to the thugs, kick her in the face, and say, “Good job. If the police ask, tell them it was just venting. I’ll pay you a fortune when you get out, enough to set you for life.”

Hazel yanked her arm free from Dominic and said coldly, “It was Caroline. I saw her with my own eyes. She will pay for what she did.”

Ignoring Dominic’s protests, she dialed the police.

It didn’t take long, and the police found surveillance footage showing Caroline handing money to the thugs, confirming Hazel’s claim. Hazel refused any private settlement and demanded that the law put the woman behind bars.

Caroline wept, makeup streaked, eyes full of venom as she glared at Hazel. But Hazel ignored her and left the station.

The next second, a van pulled up in front of her, and strong hands forced her inside. She tried to scream, but when she looked up, she saw a familiar face.

“Dominic? What are you doing? Why are you taking me?!” she cried.

He lounged in the passenger seat, a half-smile playing on his lips. “Hazel, you’re really insubordinate. It irritates me.”

With a single look from him, someone dragged out a large yellow dog. The animal was emaciated, its body marked with whip scars and dried blood; it looked close to death. But the moment it saw Hazel, it thumped its tail weakly.

Hazel went pale and rushed forward, scooping the dog into her arms and choking on its name.

“Cooper! Cooper!” she sobbed.

“You could have aimed that anger at me, Dominic. Why hurt a dog?” she cried.

Third Person's POV

Cooper had been with Hazel since she was a child. She and her mother had raised him together, so he wasn’t just a pet; he was family. Since her mother was gone now, Cooper was all she had left. So why did Dominic have to destroy the last bit of comfort she had in this world?

Seemingly not to care, he tossed a statement of forgiveness onto the table in front of her and coldly said, “Caroline is someone very precious to me. That day, when you dirtied her dress, she acted impulsively. It wasn’t her intention to have you beaten. You don’t need to send her to prison. Sign this agreement, and I’ll let your dog go.”

Hazel’s anger flared. “Not her intention? Her people nearly beat me to death! Do you think they would’ve done that if she hadn’t ordered them to?”

Dominic frowned, his voice turning sharp. “You provoked her first. If you hadn’t, none of this would’ve happened. I’ll talk to her later, but for now, sign it.”

Hazel let out a bitter laugh. “And what if I don’t? What are you going to do? Beat me the way you beat Cooper? Go on then, just kill me now!”

For a moment, Dominic froze, irritation flickering in his eyes. “If you don’t sign, then that dog doesn’t need to live.”

Right after his words, one of his men grabbed Cooper and shoved the trembling dog toward the open side door of the moving van. The car was speeding down the highway, and behind them, a string of vehicles followed closely. If Cooper fell out now, he’d die instantly.

Hazel broke down. She had no choice, so with her hands shaking, she picked up the pen and signed the paper. Her signature wobbled across the page, every stroke trembling with pain and humiliation.

She never imagined that Dominic would force her to sign two statements of forgiveness, both times for Caroline. Once upon a time, when she’d only scraped her knee, he’d been the one whose eyes turned red with worry.

She threw the paper in his face and spat, “Get out of my sight! Don’t you ever show up in front of me again.”

Then she pulled Cooper into her arms, shouted for the driver to stop, and stormed out of the car without looking back.

Her figure disappearing into the distance stabbed something deep in Dominic’s chest. He tightened his grip on the agreement, unsure for the first time if he’d gone too far.

He used to treat Hazel like she was his entire world. But now, after hurting her again and again for Caroline’s sake, would she finally give up on him?

No. He shook the thought away almost immediately. Hazel loved him so much. She’d stayed by his side even when he pretended to have lost his memory. She wouldn’t leave him.

Still, he couldn’t keep lying to her forever. Once this was over, he’d cut ties with Caroline for good. He was tired of the amnesia act. It was time to go back to the woman he truly loved.

When that time came, he’d comfort Hazel and make things right again, and she’d forgive him, like she always did.

The unease in his chest faded at the thought. He looked up and ordered his driver, “Take me to the station.”

Days passed. Neither Dominic nor Caroline showed up again, but Hazel often saw their names on the news.

[Breaking! CEO Dominic Blake was spotted watching the sunset by the sea with his sweetheart, looking every bit the loving couple.]

[CEO Dominic Blake buys out luxury brand KJ after his lover mentions she likes variety in her jewelry. Sources say he’s having a private collection designed just for her.]

When Hazel had been with him, he’d never gone public about their relationship. His possessiveness had made him hide her from the world. He’d only ever said he was married, that he loved his wife deeply.

So, the public assumed Caroline, the woman always seen at his side, was his wife.

Hazel didn’t react much to the news. She stayed home, quietly caring for Cooper. And as the day of her departure drew near, she surprisingly found herself beginning to look forward to it.