MEI’S POV: I don’t care if Reve will despise me for doing this, but this is the only way I can think of how to get rid of him and stop him from blocking the progression of my relationship with Marius. I call Reve, and immediately, he picks up my call. -[“Have you seen my email?”]- he asks, quite anxiously. I don’t want him to poison my mind, so nope… I won’t be reading any of his texts, emails nor I will be answering any of his calls from now on. This one is the last time I’ll be communicating with him. “Come over here. Let’s talk,” I say, before disconnecting the call. As expected, Reve doesn’t disappoint me. But the moment he steps into my penthouse, the waiting police lunge at him and handcuff him. He tries to fight back as he growls at me, “What’s the meaning of this?!” The police officer responds on my behalf, “You’re under arrest for r.aping Ms. Mei Zhou.” “R.ape?” he echoes. “She liked it!” But none of the police listen to him. As he’s being carried out of my penthou
LESLIE’S POV: I’ve been loving Hazel secretly since the day I met her. But I had to step back when she suddenly got engaged to Carter Whitlock. Who am I to compete with that guy? When I discovered that Hazel didn’t die from the car accident, and was still desperate to divorce Carter, I knew that was my chance to be her hero. Yet, I failed again. Marius Thorne, another man I can never compete with, replaced Carter in her heart. So again, I sank back into the shadows and just watched Hazel from afar. After that second heartbreak, I promise myself that I’ll be extremely rich and influential too. So I took on two jobs at the same time. Sure, I’m earning more than the average employees, but I’m still so far away from either Carter and Marius’ level. When Mei Zhou presented a tempting opportunity, I pondered through it day and night. And tonight, I’ve made my decision. I meet Mei Zhou in a high-end restaurant just at the border of the city. Before we can even begin talking, she h
HAZEL’S POV: Leslie seems so anxious about something, but when I ask what it may be, he just forces a smile and reassures us that he’s alright. Almost every afternoon, Leslie would come and visit me, bringing flowers and treats with him. “These are for you. I thought these will make you feel better,” he’d say sheepishly. I appreciate the gesture, but I hate being pitied. And since he regularly comes back here, me and the staff have to always be alert and hide the children in their rooms. I know Leslie is trustworthy, but we can’t take the risk, not until Marius already gathers evidence to jail Mei Zhou too. Due to this, I feel so much more restricted than I already am. So I’m forced to be more expressive to Leslie. “Thank you for your concern, but please don’t visit me here every day,” I say, looking for a suitable lie. “Uhm… my psychiatric treatment… Part of it requires me to rest, and I can’t do that if you keep on coming over here.” Guilt gnaws at my insides when Leslie’s
Panic swamps me as the flashback of Marius and Mei Zhou’s kiss start haunting me again. Marius and I are doing better now compared to what we were when Mei Zhou first appeared in our lives. And these photos may ruin us again. I need someone to talk to, to release my pain about this! Not papa obviously. So I call my psychiatrist but she’s not picking up. She’s probably asleep by now since it’s already late. I also call Marius, but when he answers, I can’t find any words to say to him. Marius senses my discomfort and asks, -[“Are you okay, my love?”]- Even that question doesn’t get a response from me. Should I go to Marius’ office and confront him about this instead? But that’s humiliating. Perhaps I should wait for him to be back home. As I frantically pace my bedroom, my phone rings. I thought it’s Marius calling back out of concern, but it’s Leslie. -[“Hey. Thanks for picking up my call. Just called to check on you.”]- Without thinking much, I blurt out, “Can you drop by
More of Mei Zhou and Marius’ intimate photos keep being delivered to me. There are photos which show them in a jacuzzi, n.aked, while drinking wine. Other photos show that they’re having dinner in what looks like a fancy restaurant. When did Marius do all these? While I was breaking down? While pretending that he’s saving our sons? I confront Marius about this again, and all he can say is that those photos are fake, edited. But it’s hard to believe that. I open up to my psychiatrist about the matter, hoping she can give me some advice or medications to help me not fall into the same darkness I was in a week ago. She ends up asking me and Marius to have a sit down with her. As expected, Marius vehemently denies the photos. “I told you, Hazel. Those are fake. If you want, let's have a photo editor who can prove my innocence. I’d never cheat on you,” he says. I bit my lip, not sure how to respond to him. The psychiatrist asks for a private conversation with Marius for a moment. T
It’s hard to trust people anymore! Even the ones who have been very nice to you for a long time can quickly become an evil person in just a snap of a finger! I rush out of bed, and try to open the door, but it’s completely locked. When I try to scream for help, Leslie quickly clutches my mouth with his hand. “Don’t make things complicated, Hazel,” he says. “Let’s just be happy together.” The instant Leslie whirls me around and removes his hand off my mouth, I spit at his face. I then run towards the kitchen and luckily find a knife. I point the knife at Leslie, “If you come any closer, I’ll kill you!”He stops and raises his hands up. “Put the knife down. You may hurt yourself.”My hands tremble as I swing the knife to his direction.Fearfully, he steps back.“Unlock the door!” I demand.But Leslie lunges at me, trying to steal the knife from my grasp. I fight back, not letting go of the knife.Though Leslie is taller than I am, he’s flimsy, so I’m able to shove him down the floo
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Thorne. But you have to be put in a mental institution for the safety of others.” The police officers present a Mental Health Warrant against me. It’s not a warrant for arrest, but it’s a demand for an improvement of my mental health until I’m no longer considered a danger to anyone. “Marius, please… Don’t let them do this to me,” I beg, tears stinging my eyes. Marius and papa try their best to negotiate with the police, promising that they won’t let me get out of the house all by myself again. But when the police bring up the possibility of me harming my children too, neither Marius or papa is able to defend nor trust me anymore. My heart shatters into a million pieces.While I’m being carried away towards a van, Leslie’s discrete smirk mocks me.“Please! Don’t let them take me away! I’m not crazy!” a desperate scream tears at my throat.Marius and papa can only watch me with distraught expressions, but none of them take a step towards me.On the way to the men
MARIUS’ POV: My glare at Leslie softens. He may really be a victim of Hazel’s circumstances. But, a part of me screams that Hazel may also be telling the truth. If so, what’s Leslie’s purpose in doing this to her? Leslie taps my shoulder apologetically, and I shrug it off. “I understand that you’re upset with me. But Hazel being treated in a mental hospital is what’s best for her and your family,” he says. I’m quiet for a moment, teetering on how to word my thoughts. “To be honest, I prefer to believe that my wife is telling the truth coz it means she’s not what everybody thinks she is. But if it turns out that you’re telling the truth, I’ll be glad too coz that means you’re not a danger to us.” “I’ll never be a danger to anyone, especially to you,” he says confidently. I sigh, then ask with suspicion, “I can’t help but to wonder, why would you bring Hazel to a motel rather than to our home or to a hospital when she suddenly felt dizzy?” Leslie’s body stiffens a little, a bi