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.

Third Person's POV

During that time, the private investigator Hazel had hired brought her good news. He sent over a massive 128-terabyte folder filled with evidence of all the shady things Caroline had done behind Dominic’s back. Every single piece of it was enough to destroy their so-called love.

She couldn’t wait to see the look on Dominic’s face when he finally saw it, the regret, the realization that he’d hurt her for a woman like Caroline.

Before she knew it, the cooling-off period for their divorce was over. The county clerk's office called to let her know she could pick up her divorce papers that afternoon. Hazel readily agreed.

As she packed her things, preparing to leave the city that same night, Caroline suddenly showed up at her door.

It had only been a few days, yet Caroline already looked radiant, her skin glowing, her entire body wrapped in luxury. She was dressed head to toe in designer brands, clearly spoiled under Dominic’s care.

Hazel frowned, her tone sharp. “What are you doing here?”

Caroline folded her arms, a mocking smile playing on her lips. “What do you think? I came to laugh at you. You and Dominic might have grown up together, but so what? In the end, he still chose me. He even pretended to lose his memory just to trick you.”

She paused, then rested a hand lightly on her belly. “Dominic’s been keeping me in bed every night these days,” she said, her tone deliberately smug. “And now, I’m carrying his baby. Once our child is born, he’ll divorce you for real, and then I’ll be his wife.”

Hazel’s fingernails dug deep into her palms as she let out a cold laugh. “You don’t need to wait for the baby to be born. Dominic and I are already divorced. Congratulations, you’re Mrs. Blake now.”

With that, she grabbed her suitcase and turned to leave.

But Caroline blocked her path, a wicked glint in her eyes. “Oh, so that’s your new trick, huh? Trying to make Dominic feel sorry for you again? Not this time. I’ll make sure he despises you completely, so he’ll love me even more.”

Before Hazel could react, Caroline snatched a vase off the table and smashed it over Hazel’s head.

Blood poured down her forehead, blurring her vision.

Just then, the door burst open, and Dominic rushed in, drawn by the commotion.

Caroline immediately ran into his arms, tears brimming in her eyes. “Dominic, please help me. Hazel hit herself with the vase to frame me! You know I wouldn’t hurt a fly. How could I possibly do something so cruel? I didn’t do anything; you have to believe me.”

Dominic’s expression softened with pity. He pulled her into his arms protectively and murmured, “Silly girl. If I don’t believe you, who would I believe?”

Then his gaze hardened as he turned toward Hazel. “Caroline came here to check on you out of kindness, and this is how you repay her? I’m beyond disappointed. Apologize to her right now.”

Hazel stared at him in disbelief. “After everything we’ve been through, you’d rather believe her than me?”

Dominic frowned impatiently, unwilling to hear another word. “If you won’t apologize, then I’ll make sure Caroline gets justice myself.”

Right after he spoke, the sound of Cooper’s anguished cries came from outside.

Hazel froze. She ran out, heart pounding, and what she saw made her world collapse.

Cooper lay on the ground, hit by a car. His body was twisted, his insides crushed and spilling out onto the pavement.

She stood there, trembling uncontrollably. Dominic had killed the last living piece of her mother.

Something in her broke completely.

She stormed back inside, grabbed a baseball bat, and swung it toward Dominic. Before she could strike, his men grabbed her and knocked her unconscious.

When she came to, it was already afternoon.

The house was a wreck, Cooper’s lifeless body still lying outside. Tears streamed down her face, unstoppable, until her whole body shook with the weight of regret, regret for ever meeting Dominic, regret for ever loving him.

She didn’t know how long she had cried before a call from the county clerk's office broke through her daze.

Wiping her tears, she buried Cooper, cleaned herself up, and went to collect her divorce certificate.

The bold red word “Divorced” stamped on the document made her exhale a long, shaky breath.

Finally, it was over.

That night, she boarded a plane out of the city.

Before she left, she hired a hacker to spread evidence of Dominic’s infidelity all over the internet. Then she uploaded the entire 128-terabyte folder of Caroline’s crimes straight into Dominic’s computer.

When everything was done, she pulled out her SIM card, tossed it in a trash bin, and walked away, leaving her past, and everyone in it, behind for good.