The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife novel Chapter 70

70 The Forgiveness Scheme

## Hazel’s POV 1

“You did WHAT?” Chloe’s shriek echoed through the private room at the Social Club.

I clutched my coffee mug tighter, tears threatening to spill over again. “I left him a goodbye note. And now I feel like I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life.”

My friends exchanged glances around the table. The remains of our brunch lay forgotten as the focus shifted entirely to my crumbling love life.

“A note?” Stella’s perfectly arched eyebrow shot up. “Really, Hazel?”

I sank deeper into the plush velvet chair. “I know, I know. It was cowardly.”

“Damn right it was,” Chloe said, refilling her glass with champagne. “After everything you two have been through? The man deserves a face-to-face conversation at the very

least.”

Thea reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “What did the note say exactly?”

I closed my eyes, the words I’d scribbled in haste now burned into my memory. “That I couldn’t do this anymore. That the pain was too much. That it was over for good.”

“Oh, honey,” Scarlett sighed.

“But that’s not how you really feel, is it?” Thea asked gently.

My throat tightened. “I don’t know what I feel anymore. One minute I’m furious with him for lying, the next I’m remembering how it felt to fall asleep in his arms last night.”

“Noah says Liam is absolutely wrecked,” Chloe said, checking her phone. “He’s been blowing up Noah’s phone all morning trying to find you.”

“He’s called me seven times already,” I admitted. “I can’t bring myself to answer.”

“Why not?” Stella challenged. “Because you might actually have to deal with your feelings?”

I shot her a glare. “That’s not fair.”

“Isn’t it, though?” She leaned forward. “Noah told Chloe something interesting the

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other day.”

I looked at Chloe questioningly.

She nodded. “He said Liam told him you’re the love of his life. Not just some passing fling or convenient arrangement because of Leo. The real deal.”

My heart stuttered. “He said that?”

“According to Noah, yes,” Chloe confirmed. “And Noah doesn’t bullshit about stuff like

this.”

I stared down at my hands, noticing they were trembling slightly.

“Look,” Thea said softly, “I’ve known Liam for years through business circles. He’s never, and I mean never, looked at anyone the way he looks at you. Like you’re the sun and moon all wrapped into one.”

“He lied to me, Thea.”

“Yes, he did,” she acknowledged. “And it was wrong. But think about his perspective for a minute. He discovers he has a son he never knew about. He falls in love with that

child’s mother all over again. He’s terrified of losing both of you if he makes the wrong

move.”

“That doesn’t excuse-”

“No, it doesn’t,” Scarlett interrupted. “But it explains. And honestly, Hazel? If I were in his shoes, I might have done something similar. Fear makes us do stupid things.”

I felt tears sliding down my cheeks. “I’m scared too. Scared of being hurt again.”

“Of course you are,” Thea said. “Anyone would be. But are you more scared of being hurt, or of missing out on what could be the greatest love of your life?”

The question hit me like a physical blow.

“Do you still love him?” Stella asked bluntly. “Cut the crap, Cat. Do you want him back?”

I looked up at my friends through tear-filled eyes. “Yes,” I whispered. “God help me, I do. I love him so much it physically hurts.”

The tension in the room immediately shifted. Chloe’s face broke into a grin. Scarlett clapped her hands. Thea looked triumphant. Stella raised her glass.

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“Well, then,” Chloe said, her voice lighter. “Let’s toast to that admission at least.””

We clinked glasses.

“So what now?” I asked, feeling oddly lighter despite my tears.

“Now,” Stella said with a dangerous gleam in her eye, “we make him suffer a little.”

“What?” I blinked in confusion.

“You can’t just take him back immediately,” Chloe explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “He needs to work for it.”

Scarlett nodded in agreement. “Men value what they have to fight for.”

“I don’t know…” I hesitated. “Playing games seems—”

“It’s not about games,” Thea interjected. “It’s about him showing you he’s willing to put in the effort. That he understands the gravity of his mistake.”

I bit my lip, considering. “And how exactly would that work?”

Chloe’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “That’s where we come in. The five of us together? We can devise a plan that will have Liam Sterling on his knees begging for forgiveness.”

“I’m not trying to humiliate him,” I protested. “I just want…”

“You want him to prove he won’t hurt you again,” Scarlett finished for me. “That’s reasonable, Hazel.”

“And trust me,” Stella added, “from what Noah’s been saying, Damian and the guys are already plotting their own strategies to get you two back together.”

“Really?” I couldn’t hide my surprise.

“Oh yeah,” Chloe confirmed. “Apparently, they’re tired of Liam moping around like a lovesick teenager. It’s affecting business.”

Despite everything, I felt a small smile forming. “He’s moping?”

“Like a damn puppy,” Chloe assured me. “Noah says he’s never seen Liam this distraught. Not even when his parents died.”

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