CHAPTER 116 THERESA'S POV; I noticed how happy she was to be here. I shared her joy. She didn't care about the stares she was getting. All she did was chatter and I listened to her. "Do you know it's been months since I came outside? I feel like a bird that has been let out of its cage," "If I am going to be honest with you, Onyx really locked you up in there. He really did. You've seen enough. Maybe now is your time to bloom." "Bloom? That's a fancy word for someone who has experienced what I have experienced, you know?" I nodded at her and slipped my arms into her. We walked through the market street. "Everyone is staring," "I realized," Hazel whispered. "I am trying not to let it get to me. I don't want to care if they're staring at me, you know?" I nodded at her. "Of course, I do." We stopped in front of a stall and I bought apples. "Sometimes, I forget that you have your own home and aren't living in the servant's quarters," I smiled
CHAPTER 117 HAZEL'S POV; Once I was down taking my bath, I changed into the dress Theresa brought for me and stepped out of the bathroom. As I walked back into her living room, my nose caught the aroma of coffee and something else. Smiling and anticipating, I quickened my footsteps. "Over here," Theresa called out when I got to the living room. I turned and found her turning a cup of coffee on the counter. She lifted her hands and handed the cup over to me before pushing a plate of toast to me. I smiled and looked at her. "Really?" "You need to eat something. I am sure you didn't eat enough with Onyx at the dining table with you," I nodded. "I couldn't. He was just so annoying and I couldn't stand him," "He can be like that at times," Theresa said but she looked distracted. "Do you know why they're fighting? Earl and Onyx. He shouldn't be so mad that he visited while still in the dungeon. I was hungry and without food. If you two hadn't come to
CHAPTER 118 HAZEL'S POV; I have never been so happy to be back home without the fear of being looked for by anyone. Zion is here and I can feel the warmth of family. As for Theresa, I see how she's looking at Zion's new friend. With admiration. He's a fine fellow. Tall, fair hair, green eyes when he draws near. I don't think any woman can resist him. I need to do something. "You're all smiles. You look happier for someone who just got released from that godforsaken dungeon," Zion says as we walk to the porch. I am smiling because of Theresa. She needs to talk to Trenton and I think she'd need my help. "Hey," I whispered into Zion's ear as soon as we got into the house. Theresa is behind us with Trenton trailing far behind. "I need to talk to you about something in private," "What could that be?" I pull him by the hand, leading him towards the kitchen. "Your new friend, he looks older than you," "Obviously it is," Zion shrugs. "He's one of
CHAPTER 119 THERESA'S POV; Since Earl, I don't think I have talked to another man or showed interest. I couldn't lie to myself that I was immediately attracted as soon as I saw his six foot three frame standing in front of the wooden gates. I couldn't ignore his good looks. I mean, good looks aren't everything. I didn't want to dwell on his handsomeness and the fact that he was the god's gift to women and that was what made me turn away from him. With his looks, he could pull any woman and most men reveled in it by having multiple women and mistresses and she didn't want to be among the bevy of ladies going after him. She might be man starved but she still had some pride stashed somewhere at the back of her mind and she wasn't going to even show any interest in him. But this hadn't gone past Hazel's eyes. She had seen it all and she had told it to Zion and they had both planned. She didn't want to do this but when Trenton turned to search for her before
CHAPTER 120 THERESA'S POV; Indeed, he lived quite close. His wasn't a cottage but a bungalow with long steps towards the porch. His was fully gates with wrought iron and I heard a bark before he opened the gates. "You have a dog?" He nodded and looked at me. He was all sweaty from carrying the dead animal and I kept my eyes away from his sweated shirt that had somehow gotten plastered to his body. "Yes, I do. He goes hunting with me but today, I let him stay because he got injured," It was a German Shepard with a white and black coat. It was quite large and once it saw its owner, it fell on its forelegs and whined, its tail wagging. But as soon as he saw me, his fierceness returned and he began to bark again. "Jake!" Trenton snapped and he kept quiet immediately, going back to whining. He hurried to his master and once Trenton dropped the game on a large table in front of his house, he patted the dog and rubbed on its fur. I noticed it kept looking a
CHAPTER 121 HAZEL'S POV; I was surprised to see him standing there with the flowers in his hands. "For me?" I asked and turned to Theresa. She shrugged at me. "I should leave you two alone," Theresa said and turned to me with a giddy smile. "I had fun today. We are going out again so I get to see Trenton again, okay?" I nodded and smiled at her. "Of course." I didn't miss the look on Earl's face. As soon as he heard Trenton's name, his expression darkened and he stared at Theresa for a long time but she didn't seem to be interested in whatever he had to say. As soon as she left, I took the flowers from Earl's hand and brought it to my nose. It was a bouquet of white carnations. One of my favorites. I looked up at him and caught him frowning and lost in thought. "You good, Earl?" He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at me, a smile filling his face. He nodded. "Of course. I am fine. I just got into my head," "I love the flowers, Earl. I must
CHAPTER 122 ONYX'S POV; Earl had to be doing this on purpose. Or maybe he wasn't. He had gotten her flowers. He had also come to see her this afternoon and after I had told him she wasn't around, he decided to wait. It had taken a lot for me to rein in my anger as I didn't want to appear too hung up on her. I wanted Hazel. I had battled with guilt for several weeks and even during the time she remained in the dungeon, it had been sleepless nights for me and yet, I couldn't bring myself to release her. I still remembered what had triggered me to release her. Earl. He had told me how he was going to take care of her and my baby. Yes, my baby. I knew the baby belonged to me. The truth wasn't out yet but I could feel it in my veins that she was carrying my baby. She was carrying my child, my blood. And Earl had come to my office to tell me point blank to release her so he could take care of her and the baby. That had sparked my up release clause a
CHAPTER 123 ONYX'S POV; There was a thick tenseness her presence brought into the room. Cherry noticed it too but she welcomed her with warmth. I saw the look of surprise on Hazel's face. She wasn't expecting Cherry to speak to her or even spare her a smile. Food hadn't arrived yet and I wondered what kept the maids waiting. We sat in silence but it was obvious that someone wanted to say something. It was me. "Hazel," "Yes," She replied to me swiftly. I cleared my throat. "Uhm, how are you doing?" "I am doing fine. Are you?" I looked at Cherry and she nodded at me. Turning back to Hazel, I scoffed and shook my head. "Not quite," "Well, I am sorry about that," Cherry gave me a stern look. She wanted me to say more and I was going to do that. "It's just been a rough few months for me," "Aren't we all experiencing the same thing? Rough months indeed," I knew where she was driving. She was mocking me. I could read it in her