The Husband

“Mommy, I’ve got you a husband!” a green-eyed beauty declared in front of her mother.

“A husband!” As hilarious as it was, Hazel couldn’t bring herself to laugh at it because this wasn’t the first time her daughter was trying to play matchmaker for her.

She has been doing this since she turned three and became more aware of what a family should look like. At first she’d often call random men her Dad since her Mom told her her daddy went missing but when she turned five, the smarty pants decided she had to find her Mom a husband and herself a daddy.

“Ivy-Lynn! Go back and sit with Mabel at the counter. I will clear this table and join you.”

Ivy frowned and lifted his eyebrows, “It’s for real this time!” With excitement, she held up a piece of paper and said, “See, we even drew up a contract!”

Hazel took the paper from her and briefly went through it while shaking her head in disbelief. Whoever she had talked to was really indulging her with the reassuring words signed on the paper.

“Ivy, you can’t go around forcing people to write you a note! I am not in need of a husband– especially not from you." She complained.

“But, Mommy, he’s totally your type.” She added, winking slyly, “And he seems loaded too.”

“Ivy!” Hazel let out a shocked gasp. “Get back to the counter and get your books!” She warned as she continued to clear the table, dusting it up with a towel, She mumbled, “You don’t want to end up like me.”

But Ivy wasn't ready to listen to her as she turned around and walked into the VIP lounge, which was opposite the regular lounge where Hazel was clearing up.

“Young lady, get back here–” she called out before Ivy vanished behind the glass doors that divided their spaces.

‘I must have raised her wrong.’ She sighed, gently massaging her temple as she dropped the towel on the table and followed her.

As she gently pushed the door open, she spotted Ivy talking to a man in a gray suit. With his back to the door, Hazel could only catch a glimpse of his shiny brown hair and his bulky body, which completely encased the chair he was seated in.

As she walked closer, she began to hear their conversations.

“Hey, where is my wife? I thought you were going to get her.” The man asked, his voice gentle and warm. Hazel could tell right away that he was good with kids.

"I truly intended to bring her, but I believe that after too many rounds of this game, she has lost faith in me. You have to come with me, that way she won’t have any doubts.” Ivy prodded and pulled his arm gently, giving the young man a cutesy face he could not help but smile at.

Hazel shook her head in disbelief as she finally walked up to them and pulled Ivy apart. “I’m sorry she interfered. She’s always like that with handsome men.” She complimented while offering an apology, her head cocked slightly in a bow.

“There is no need to apologize for such a cutey.” He said, playfully pulling her cheek while getting on his feet.

Hazel raised her head to finally get a glimpse of the man she complimented. As they locked eyes, what she saw took her aback.

Her heart skipped a few beats as the familiar face and scent quickly brought her back to that night several years ago like a tidal wave.

In that split second, a whirlwind of emotions and memories from her past came rushing back with an overwhelming force.

The first image that appeared in her mind was the day her father had discovered she was pregnant. The look of disappointment and anger on his face as he yelled at her and eventually kicked her out of their home echoed in her mind like it had just happened yesterday.

Then, the memories of her high school days came flooding back. The whispers and stares from her classmates when her belly started to show, the cruel words and teasing that made her feel like an outcast. The loneliness and isolation she felt as she navigated the halls of her school, carrying a secret burden that she was too young to understand fully.

As she continued to lock eyes with the stranger, her mind raced to the countless nights she had spent alone, cradling her growing belly, wondering how she would be able to take care of a baby when she was just a child herself.

A vivid collection of the night she brought her child to the world resurfaced.

She remembered the feeling of overwhelming pain and exhaustion as she braced herself for the arrival of her child. The walls of the small room closing in on her, the sounds of her own breathing echoing in her ears as she gritted her teeth through each contraction. The fear and uncertainty of not having anyone by her side to hold her hand and reassure her that everything would be okay.

She could almost feel the weight of her baby pressing against her, the sensation of her tiny body emerging into the world filling her with a mix of awe and overwhelming love.

The cries of her newborn pierced through the room, a sound that simultaneously brought her to tears and filled her with a sense of unparalleled joy and relief.

The fear and uncertainty that had gripped her in those moments came back in full force, making her feel small and vulnerable once again.

Her education ended as soon as she decided to keep the baby so there was no other way for her to secure a better job.

In the end, Hazel Estelle Ricci Sinclair, the first daughter of Ruso Ricci Sinclair, the most affluent and revered International Crime family in Evercrest City was now waiting tables at a hotel lounge a few kilometers away from home in Crestmont City.

“I knew you'd like him.” Ivy seeing the duo lost in each other's eyes exclaimed with excitement.

Hot tears quickly filled her eyes hearing her daughter's voice. She thought her daughter had been through a lot born to a single mom whose only living parent abandoned as soon as she became a stain to the family name.

“Ivy, let's leave from here!” She said, dragging Ivy who wasn't ready to leave.

“Mom, we can't leave Daddy behind!” Ivy cried loudly, forcing her mom to stop in shock right before opening the glass door.

Hazel raised her eyes and blinked back her tears. She cleared her throat before kneeling to Ivy’s height.

“Ivy, he isn't your Daddy. I’m sure you're smarter than that.” Hazel said, trying to brainwash Ivy.

Ivy looked through the glass at the man who was still standing frozen in the same spot and the same position they had left him then she turned her gaze back to her mother, “But he has green eyes– just like mine. You don't have green eyes.” She pointed out.

Hazel’s temper flared but she couldn't express just how she was feeling towards her child after all, it wasn't her fault.

“Love, green is a very common eye color. If you go by that, every man with green eyes will be your Daddy.” She tried to explain, “And by the way, we both have caramel hair color which he clearly doesn't. Do you believe me now?” She asked, hoping her trick worked.

Ivy went silent for several seconds, moving her gaze from the young man to her mom back and forth.

“You’re right about everyone with green eyes becoming my Dad but– Green is one of the rarest eye colors. So you won't see many people with it.” Ivy confronted her mom.

Even though she was angry, she felt relief thinking Ivy had come to terms with her.

“It doesn't matter. At least you know he isn't your real Dad just because he’s got green eyes.” Hazel said, getting back to her feet.

She gently held Ivy’s hand and attempted to walk away one more time but didn't expect Ivy to pull from her grip and stand firm to her point.

“What does it matter if he isn't my real Dad? At least, he is the only one willing to marry a single mom.” She blurted, her words stinging Hazel's heart.