The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife novel Chapter 115

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115 A Cruel Message and a Forced Vow

115 A Cruel Message and a Forced Vow

“I don’t know what to do,” I admitted between hiccupping sobs. “I love him so much, but she’s having his baby. And now he has to marry her.”

“Please,” Liam begged. “Five minutes. Just let me explain.”

“But it’s happening,” I pushed. “Answer me. Is it true?”

I couldn’t respond. Couldn’t turn around. If I looked at him again, I’d crumble completely.

“Hazel,” he breathed, rushing toward me.

I crawled away from the door, allowing her to enter before curling back into myself.

We sat in silence until my tears finally subsided. My head pounded, and my entire body ached with exhaustion.

I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t form words. The cruel note had shattered something inside me. After everything–the threats, the confrontations, Liam’s promises–seeing it spelled out so starkly made it unbearably real.

I nodded gratefully, pulling myself up to the sink. The woman in the mirror looked like a stranger–red–rimmed eyes, blotchy skin, hollow cheeks. I barely recognized myself.

I had told him to do this. Had practically pushed him toward Isabella for the sake of his baby. But facing the reality was a different kind of hell.

“Hazel’s taking the day off,” Stella announced firmly.

The walls were closing in around me. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. The man I loved was being forced to marry another woman. A woman carrying his child.

Stella picked up the note from the floor, her eyes widening as she read it. “Who sent this?” she demanded, anger flashing across her face.

“I love you,” Liam called after me. “That will never change, no matter what happens.”

“Hazel? Are you okay?” Stella from accounting appeared at my desk, her friendly expression quickly changing to alarm. “Hazel! What’s wrong?”

115 A Cruel Message and a Forced Vow

The tea smelled herbal and sweet. I sipped it gratefully as they escorted me back toward my desk.

I shook my head. “There isn’t. I know how these powerful men work. My cousin’s father was like this. Once they decide what they want, they take it.”

“There has to be another way.”

I gathered my purse, continuing to sip the soothing tea Margaret had given me. The warmth spread through my body as I headed toward the elevator.

The office had gone silent around us, everyone pretending not to watch the drama unfolding.

“Not today,” I whispered, unable to meet his gaze. “I can’t do this today.”

Liam stood there, shoulders slumped in defeat, running a hand through his hair. He looked up when he heard us approach, his eyes filled with such raw pain it nearly broke me all over again.

“I don’t know,” I whispered, tears streaming down

my cheeks.

My hands trembled so violently the note fluttered to the floor. The room spun around me as bile rose in my throat. I collapsed into my chair, struggling to breathe.

I placed my purse under my desk and noticed two flower arrangements waiting. The first bouquet was a gorgeous collection of red roses. My heart skipped as I reached for

the card.

The elevator dinged, and through my blur of tears, I saw Liam step out with Damian and Owen. My chest constricted. He looked exhausted, dark circles prominent under his eyes, but still devastatingly handsome in his tailored suit.

When I emerged from the bathroom, Stella waited with Margaret from HR, a kind older woman who’d always been supportive.

In the elevator, I finished the tea, grateful for its calming effect. By the time I reached the lobby, however, something felt wrong. The foyer seemed to tilt sideways. My limbs grew heavy. Voices around me sounded distant, muffled.

Despite everything, a small smile tugged at my lips. Then I spotted the second arrangement–funeral lilies wrapped in black ribbon. My stomach knotted as I hesitantly picked up the typed note attached to it.

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115 A Cruel Message and a Forced Vow

“Hazel?” Stella’s voice was soft. “Let me in, honey,”

“Hazel, please,” he begged, reaching for my hand. “They’re forcing my hand. Julian threatened to destroy you, to go after Leo-”

I couldn’t handle his touch. Not now. I flinched away as he reached for me.

Minutes or hours later–I couldn’t tell–a gentle knock came at the door.

His silence was confirmation enough. Fresh tears spilled over as I stood up, nearly knocking my chair over in my haste.

“I can’t face Liam again today,” I admitted.

“Is it true?” I asked, hating how broken my voice sounded. “Are you marrying her in thirty days?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I whispered. “Julian Clairemont gets what he wants. And he wants Liam for his daughter.”

“I need-” I gasped, struggling for air. “I can’t-”

“Don’t,” I choked. “Just don’t.”

The morning light filtering through the office windows felt like a personal attack on my exhausted eyes. I’d barely slept after my conversation with Liam last night. My mind had replayed his heartbreak over and over–the defeat in his violet–blue eyes as he accepted a fate neither of us wanted.

Stella marched toward them, note in hand. “What is this?” she demanded, shoving the paper at Liam.

Stella sat beside me on the cold tile floor, pulling me against her shoulder. “I’m so

sorry.”

I bolted toward the bathroom, ignoring Liam’s calls behind me. Once inside, I locked the door and collapsed against it, sliding to the floor as sobs overtook me.

“Splash some water on your face. I’ll get your purse and tell him you’re taking a sick day.”

My purse slipped from my fingers as I struggled to stay upright.” warning, but it was growing fuzzy, disconnected from my body.

mind screamed a

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