Chapter 3

Hazel

The moment the car rolled to a stop in front of the family mansion, I felt a strange heaviness in my chest.

The tall gates swung open like arms I once knew so well, and yet it felt foreign after all these years away. I stepped out, my heels clicking against the driveway.

Before I could even take another step, the door to the house opened, and there he was.

“Hazel,” Grandpa’s voice broke, trembling with joy as he stepped forward with surprising speed for his age. His white hair had thinned, his back slightly bent, but his eyes still held that fierce spark I’d always admired.

“Grandpa.” My throat tightened as I rushed into his arms. For the first time in so long, I felt the safety of home.

“You’re finally back,” he said, patting my back, his voice thick with emotion.

Warmth spread through me, but so did guilt. I should have returned sooner. Maybe if I had, I wouldn’t have wasted years as someone’s disposable housewife.

We walked inside together, and I was instantly enveloped by the familiar scent of sandalwood and fresh polish.

“Look who finally decided to show her face,” my eldest brother, Elijah, teased. He stood tall and proud, the kind of man who commanded respect without saying a word. The CEO of our family company, the kind of man people call ruthless in boardrooms, but right now, whoever saw him like this wouldn't believe it.

“Don’t tease her,” Leon, the second, said as he walked over to hug me. His hands were still stained with faint streaks of paint, no doubt from another million-dollar masterpiece. “We’re just glad you’re here.”

“Glad? I’ve been counting down the days,” Nathan, the youngest of the three, grinned as he joined the hug pile. A well-known lawyer, he carried himself with sharp precision, but around me, he was still my playful big brother.

“Okay let's settle down now. Hazel, darling, next week,” Grandpa said firmly, his gaze sweeping the room. “We’ll hold a banquet. The world will know my granddaughter has returned. It’s time you take back what’s yours.”

I swallowed hard, unsure how to respond. Part of me longed for that acceptance, for the recognition I had lost when I tied myself to a man who never truly valued me. Another part of me feared the attention, the gossip, the whispers, the accusations that the banquet might bring. But I didn't want to care, I had left my family and my luxurious life to be with the one I loved, and now? I was nothing but trash to him.

Never! Will I return?

“You’ll stand tall again Princess,”Elijah said firmly. “If you're ready, you can merge your company with the family's. It's what you had longed for.”

I nodded slowly. I had built my company from scratch, encrypted its name, worked in the shadows while secretly helping my ex-husband without him ever realizing it was me keeping him afloat.

That irony wasn’t lost on me. He had thought himself capable, but without me, he would’ve crumbled long ago.

Then Nathan leaned forward to ask, “Hazel, do you want me to take him to court? After everything he’s done, I could ruin him in days.”

The idea struck something deep in me, but I quickly shook my head. “No, Nathan. That’s not what I want. I don’t want revenge in that way. I just… I want to live without being chained to him anymore.”

He frowned but didn’t push.

Meanwhile, Leon gave me a gentle smile, “You don’t need to explain, Hazel. You’ve already suffered enough. We just want you back as yourself.”

I blinked rapidly, forcing back tears.

"Alright now, that's enough. I'm sure your sister must be tired. Allow her to go upstairs and freshen up." My grandpa said. I turned and gave him a smile as I took the stairs to my old room.

The house was quieter than I remembered.

For years, I had lived in the chaos of a marriage that demanded every ounce of my time and attention, cooking, cleaning, planning, and swallowing my pride until it became second nature.

But tonight, walking through the wide halls of my grandfather’s home..... In my childhood home, everything was calm.

The chandeliers glowed warmly overhead, casting light on family portraits that stretched across the walls, every generation immortalized in a golden frame. My place among them had always been certain, but now… now it felt like I was returning as a stranger.

I opened the door of my room and nostalgia hit me hard. The shelves were still lined with the books I loved, the bed neatly made, as if waiting for me to come back all these years. I ran my fingers along the headboard, the faint scent of lavender lingering in the air, and felt something in me loosen.

I was home.

Finally,

Later, my brothers stopped by one after another, checking in on me like I was a fragile piece of glass.

By the time they left, exhaustion crept in. I curled beneath the covers, letting the silence of my childhood home wrap around me.

There was no husband barking orders. No cold stares across the dinner table. Just me, and a chance to reclaim everything I had lost.

For the first time in years, I believed I could.

Just as I was drifting into sleep, my phone vibrated on the nightstand. I frowned, reaching for it. The name flashing on the screen made my stomach twist. Adrian.

Why was he calling me? At this hour? What had happened? I wondered.

I hesitated, then swiped to answer, my voice cold.

“What do you want?”

“Hazel. Cook something and bring it to the hospital. For Daniel and for Alice. She hasn’t eaten properly. You should make up for it.”

For a moment, I thought I had misheard. I sat up in bed, anger bubbling in my chest. “Are you serious right now? You’re calling me in the middle of the night to tell me to cook for her? Adrian, are you insane?”

"Watch your time! I am still your husband and you'll respect me.”

“I want a divorce.” I dropped the word. Then I heard a cackle over the phone.

“You've finally gone crazy, Hazel. You want a divorce? Who's going to take care of Daniel?”

It was Daniel he was concerned about. Daniel doesn't even care about me.

“Let Alice do the caring. I'm done, Adrian. Find someone else to do your bidding.”

“You're just being pathetic again. Why are you so heartless?”

I laughed bitterly, the sound cracking in my throat.

“Heartless? You dragged my heart through the mud for years, Adrian. And now you expect me to play housemaid for the woman you cheated on me with? Buy her a takeout meal. You have the money. Don’t ever call me for something like this again.”

Before he could reply, I ended the call with trembling fingers and immediately blocked his number. My hands shook as I set the phone down. My chest ached, and tears slipped down my face before I could stop them.

I curled into myself, clutching the blanket, my body shaking with silent sobs. No matter how strong I tried to be, no matter how high I stood today, nights like this reminded me of the scars I still carried. He still knew how to wound me with just a few words.

But as the tears dampened my pillow, I whispered into the dark, “Never again. I won’t let you break me again.”

With that vow clinging to my heart, I finally cried myself into sleep.