The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife

Hazel's POV

The days crawled by like wounded animals. I threw myself into work with desperate intensity, spending every spare moment with my son and friends. Sleep had become my enemy, leaving me hollow-eyed and haunted. The mirror reflected a stranger with dark circles carved beneath her eyes like bruises.

Walking into my office that morning, I froze. A stunning arrangement of tulips sat on my small table, their vibrant petals catching the morning light. A card lay beside them, Liam's familiar handwriting flowing across the paper:

"I would die for you and I'm losing my mind without you. I would do anything to spare you this pain."

My breath caught in my throat. Then my gaze shifted to the other small table, and ice flooded my veins.

Another arrangement waited there, but this one made my stomach turn. The flowers were grotesque, twisted into something that belonged in a cemetery rather than an office. They reeked of death and malice, completely unlike anything Liam would send. My hands trembled as I reached for the accompanying card.

The message inside was typed, cold and impersonal:

"You should crawl back to the gutter where you belong. Liam and Clairemont are marrying in thirty days and will live happily with the child she's carrying. He only used you for entertainment."

The words hit me like physical blows. A sob tore from my throat before I could stop it, and I collapsed into the nearest armchair. The tears came in waves, each one carrying pieces of my shattered heart. My entire body felt like it was breaking apart from the inside out.

Stella burst through my office door, her face tight with concern.

"Hazel, sweetheart, breathe! What happened?" Her voice was gentle but urgent.

I couldn't speak. Instead, I thrust the vile card toward her and pointed at those horrible flowers with a shaking hand.

"Who was the sick bastard?" Stella's voice exploded with fury as she shot to her feet, grabbing the offensive arrangement.

"What's all the commotion?" Damian's voice cut through the tension as he entered with Owen and Liam trailing behind him. "Stella, why are you screaming?"

"Why am I screaming? Look at this garbage! I want to know which piece of trash left this in Hazel's office, because I know exactly which piece of trash is behind it." Her words dripped with pure venom.

Liam's face darkened as he examined the flowers, his jaw clenching as he read the card. Without hesitation, he crossed to me and dropped to his knees, capturing my hands in his warm grasp.

"My angel, look at me. Please?" His voice was barely above a whisper. "You know I love you. I never used you, not for a single moment. I'm so sorry you're enduring this torture."

I forced myself to meet his gaze and saw the raw pain there, matching my own. He was drowning too. I drew a shuddering breath and asked the question that was killing me.

"Are you marrying her?"

"Love, I'm being forced into this!" The words seemed to tear from his throat.

I couldn't bear it anymore. I pushed past him and fled the room, aware of Stella's footsteps behind me and Liam's desperate voice calling out:

"My angel, wait! Let me explain everything!"

I didn't want explanations. I wanted the agony to stop consuming me from the inside. Yes, I had told him to provide stability for his child, but knowing he would actually marry her, that I had lost him forever, was more than I could survive.

I stumbled into the bathroom with Stella right behind me. She locked the door and pulled me into her arms as I shattered completely. Time became meaningless as I wept and she held me together. When the storm finally passed, my legs felt like they might give out.

"Honey, you need to hear what he has to say. He despises that woman. There has to be a compelling reason he's agreeing to this marriage now, especially after he had already decided against it." Stella's voice was gentle but insistent.

"I told him to marry her and give his child a proper home. He's following my advice." I wiped my nose with the back of my hand.

"I'm not convinced that's the whole story." Stella frowned. "But come on, splash some cold water on your face and we'll go get some tea."

"Plain chamomile isn't strong enough for today, I'm brewing you something special, girl!" Fiona announced the moment we entered the break room, her eyes filled with worry as she studied my face.

After drinking Fiona's mysterious tea blend, I dragged myself back to my office and attempted to focus on work. An overwhelming drowsiness began creeping through my system, and my thoughts started becoming fuzzy around the edges.