Chapter 12%
He sat alone on the balcony, the cigarette flickering between his fingers, casting weak light in the dim night.”
A layer of ash had gathered on the ground, but the girl who used to smile, steal his cigarette, and offer him candy had never returned.
To this day, Ambrose still couldn’t accept the reality that Hazel had run from the wedding.”
The torn wedding dress lay discarded at the door, as if the years of their relationship had been reduced to nothing but trash, just like the dress.
His mother’s call came again.”
Irritated, he almost hung up. But for some reason, his hand shook violently, betraying him.”
Unintentionally, he pressed the answer button.”
“Where did Hazel go? Do you know? She’s completely ruined the Wright family’s reputation!“}]
“I’ve always said we shouldn’t marry a woman like that. Her own mother doesn’t want her. What could she possibly be worth? She’s been twisted at the core since she was a child, a monster!“}
“She’s not!”
Ambrose snapped, unable to bear another word.”
For the first time, as the eldest son, he defied an elder.
And not just that, he had brought disgrace upon the entire family.
Wright Group heir cheats on his wife’s sister before the wedding,”
“Mrs. Wright boldly runs away from the wedding,” headlines like these flooded the trending topics.
The stock price of Wright Group plunged in a single day, years of work crumbling away.}
Everyone urged him to find Hazel, to make her take all the blame.>>
But Ambrose couldn’t do it.
He had known Hazel since he was seven, and no one understood her quite like he did.
‘Ambrose, what on earth are you thinking? Your father and I are frantic; paparazzi and reporters are everywhere.“}}
“Do you really want to sacrifice the whole family for a woman like that?“}
*For people like us, affairs are nothing out of the ordinary. She knew what the Wright family’s wealth and power meant, so she should’ve been patient. How could she let her emotions destroy everything like this?”
These words had been drilled into him, over and over, a thousand times that day.”
Rubbing his temples, Ambrose sighed, his voice weary. “Mom, don’t worry. Just give me a little more time; I’ll handle it.“}
How to handle it? Ambrose didn’t have the slightest clue.
This situation had spiraled out of control, and everyone in the family despised Hazel with all their might.”
But no matter how they slandered her, he just couldn’t bring himself to listen.
He knew why Hazel had stayed with him, and he understood why she had walked away.
She loved him.
Loved him more than he could comprehend, and yet hated him with a passion he couldn’t escape.}
Finishing the last of his cigarette, Ambrose slowly rose to his feet.}
He moved toward the living room, his mind swirling, and reached for a glass of water.}]
But his foot caught on the edge of the sofa, sending him stumbling into the cabinet.}
A sharp pain shot through him.
Clutching his forehead with one hand, Ambrose fumbled to switch on the light.
The room, just like earlier, was in disarray.!!
Broken items lay scattered across the floor, and his ankle stung from several fresh cuts.
Frustration clawed at him as he searched for the medicine cabinet, his hands shaking with agitation.
He dug through the drawers for what felt like an eternity but couldn’t find it.”
Before all of this, Hazel had always been the one to take care of everything.”
No matter how late the hour, she’d leave a soft light on just for him.
With a smile, she’d pull out his favorite food as if by magic.
The house was always spotless, perfectly arranged the way he liked.
And when he got hurt, because it always seemed to happen, she’d tenderly treat his wounds, her hands gentle and steady.#
In a daze, Ambrose’s mind echoed with Hazel’s soothing voice, “Just blow on it, and it won’t hurt!”
2:17 PM
Chapter 13%
He felt as though Hazel was still right there beside him, her gentle, crescent–shaped eyes watching him with a tenderness that seemed to echo in the stillness.
But then, the harsh ring of his phone shattered the moment like glass.
His eyes darkened as he saw the caller ID: Scarlett.
He hesitated for only a moment before answering.
“Ambrose, sis, sis won’t be in trouble, will she? It’s all my fault…”
If this had been before, Scarlett’s tears would have made Ambrose’s heartache. He would have rushed to comfort her without a second thought.
But now, all he felt was a rush of irritation, the sound of her crying like nails on a chalkboard.}
An idea began to form in his mind, sharp and sudden.}
He had to find Hazel.
No matter the cost, he couldn’t let her slip away.
Ambrose ended the call with Scarlett and set off, desperately combing through the house, searching for any sign of Hazel.
But she had vanished, leaving nothing behind but empty space.}
The teddy bear she once hugged to sleep, the diamond bracelet she cherished like a secret, the couple rings they had worn with pride, everything that had once held meaning, all of it lay discarded.
Even the letters, childish but filled with the warmth of their youth, had been tossed aside.
It wasn’t just the things that were gone; it was the memories, too, swept away by Hazel.
If anyone else had done this, it would have been a spiteful act, a way to get attention.§ But Hazel wasn’t like that.
As childhood sweethearts, Ambrose knew her too well to mistake this for anything but her silent rebellion.§
This was her heart turning to ashes, the only way she could say goodbye without a single word.
With numb hands, he began cleaning the room, not knowing why.
He foolishly believed that if he restored everything and made it right again, maybe, just maybe, the owner of this room would return.§
It wasn’t until the wedding ring rolled under the bed that Ambrose’s world finally shattered.
At that moment, he understood with painful clarity.
Hazel was gone.
The girl who had once been his everything, the one who had only eyes for him, was lost to him forever.”
B
Meanwhile, Hazel, who had battled sleepless nights for what felt like an eternity, finally drifted into a peaceful sleep on the plane. But even in her dreams, Ambrose haunted her.
When they were seven, they used to play house, laughing as they crafted their little world.§
Ambrose had told her he would be the groom and she, the most beautiful bride.
When they were eighteen, they had finally made it official, sealing their bond with the promise of forever.
A
Ambrose held Hazel’s hand with a promise that echoed through the years, his voice firm with sincerity.N
“Hazel, I swear, I will give you the grandest wedding, the most beautiful day of your life. I’ll make you the happiest woman alive!”
It was this very promise that kept Hazel clinging to hope, her heart full of anticipation for a future that once seemed so certain.
She couldn’t bear to entrust the wedding to anyone else, determined to make it perfect, just as they had dreamed when they were eighteen.
But time had a cruel way of fading youthful promises, and the love they shared had slowly turned to regret.
She and Ambrose, despite it all, had never reached the perfect ending they had once envisioned.
When Hazel finally woke, the sharp pain in her head had dulled, but her mind was heavy with unanswered questions.
She stared out the window at the endless stretch of clouds, and a thought pierced through the fog in her mind.
When had it all changed between her and Ambrose?%
Had it been before Scarlett had appeared or after?
The answer escaped her, and she didn’t dare to dwell on it.
Ambrose had once filled her entire world, her past, her every waking thought. How could it have all slipped away so quietly?!
No matter how much Hazel tried to convince herself, giving up on someone like him felt like her very soul was being torn apart, each thread of it ripped from her with brutal force.
Even after stepping off the plane, the weight of her decision crushed her, and she couldn’t bring herself to open her phone.
She stood there, lost in the unfamiliar streets, her heart heavy with doubt, when suddenly, through the bustling crowd, a voice called out. “Hazel
