It had been days since Vincent’s accident. Hazel never left his side. She skipped work, ignored her own exhaustion, and devoted herself entirely to caring for him. But her unwavering presence only fueled Chris’s anger.

She barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, the image of Vincent  haunted her. So she stayed—watching over him, guilt eating away at her.

"Don’t break my heart like this, Hazel," Chris  eyes filled with an emotion he couldn’t voice as he stopped outside the room watching her

Just then, his phone rang.

"Hello," he answered, his voice rough. But whatever he heard next made his entire body tense. His grip on the phone tightened, his jaw clenched, and his eyes darkened with fury.

Across the room, Hazel gently adjusted Vincent’s blanket. She smiled at him, trying to push away the guilt clawing at her. "You rest, I’ll be back in a while," she said softly and turned to leave.

But before she could take a step, his fingers wrapped around her wrist—firm, yet hesitant.

She turned back, eyes meeting his. "Thank you for staying with me," Vincent murmured, his voice lower than usual, almost fragile.

Her heart clenched. I have to… This happened because of me. He did this to you because of me. She swallowed hard, pushing the thought away.

"Hazel."

His voice pulled her out of her daze.

"Hazel."

"Huh?" she blinked, realizing he had been calling her.

"Where did you get lost?" Vincent asked, studying her face carefully.

"Nowhere," she forced a small smile. "I’ll be back soon."

She gently slipped her hand from his grip and walked away. But with every step she took, she felt his eyes still on her—holding her back in ways she wasn’t ready to admit.

.........

Hazel stepped out of the room, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. She had to buy medicine for Vincent, and though exhaustion weighed on her, she forced herself forward. The hospital corridor felt endless as she made her way toward the medical store.

Then—out of nowhere—he appeared.

Chris.

Too close. Too sudden.

Her steps faltered, her breath hitched. She tried to back away, but before she could, his fingers wrapped around her wrist in a firm grip.

"Chri—" She barely got his name out before he started pulling her away.

Her pulse spiked. People were watching. Whispers began. She didn't want a scene, not here.

"What are you doing?" she whispered, trying to resist, but he didn't answer. The way he was dragging her wasn’t normal. It was desperate.

"Chris, stop!" she hissed, but he ignored her, his grip tightening.

Before she knew it, they had reached the storage area.

He pushed open a door, pulled her inside, and in one swift motion, pinned her against it.

"Chris—" she gasped, but he stepped even closer.

She turned her face to the side, trying to put distance between them. Her hands instinctively pressed against his chest, attempting to push him away. But before she could, he seized both her wrists and pinned them to her sides.

His voice was sharp, raw with anger. "Why did you resign?"

She shut her eyes for a second, exhaling shakily. So this is what it's about.

"I asked you something, Hazel!" His voice rose, his body pressing closer.

She opened her eyes and met his glare. "Because I have the right," she said, her tone firm.

His grip loosened slightly, but she didn't back down.

"I have the right to choose my own life, Chris. I resigned because I wanted to. Because I needed to show you that you can't always control me."

His jaw clenched. "You're doing this because of Vincent, aren't you? You still think this was my fault?"

Her expression hardened. "It was your fault."

"It wasn’t!" His voice thundered in the small room.

"Yelling at me won't change the truth!" she shot back, pulling her arms free from his grasp.

She turned to leave.

"You're hurting me," his voice was barely above a whisper.

She stopped for a second but didn’t turn around.

"You started it first," she said, her voice cold, before walking away.

..........

Hazel sat beside Vincent, carefully feeding him spoonfuls of soup. He was still too weak to manage on his own—or at least, that’s what he wanted her to believe.

Vincent, however, wasn’t focused on the food. His gaze remained fixed on her, admiration evident in his eyes. He watched her every movement, the way her brows furrowed in concentration, the way she carefully blew on the spoon before bringing it to his lips.

Then, the air in the room shifted.

Chris entered, his presence sharp and suffocating. His fists clenched the moment he saw them together—Hazel sitting so close, Vincent looking at her like she belonged to him. It was as if they were some kind of couple, and that thought alone ignited something dark within Chris. But what truly set his blood on fire was the way Vincent’s eyes lingered on her, unbothered by his presence.

"Chris," Vincent acknowledged him, his voice calm, almost amused.

Hazel didn’t react. She simply looked away, refusing to acknowledge Chris at all.

Chris walked closer, forcing himself to stay composed. "How are you feeling?"

Vincent let out a low chuckle. "Fine… as long as Hazel is with me."

Hazel turned to look at him, surprised, but Vincent simply smiled at her—a soft, knowing smile.

Chris’s jaw tightened.

Just then, Hazel’s phone rang. "Excuse me," she muttered, quickly standing up and walking away without sparing Chris a glance.

It only fueled his anger.

The moment she left, Vincent sat up, stretching his arms as if shaking off an act. Chris’s brows furrowed. "You can stand?" he asked, shocked. For the past two weeks, Vincent had barely moved, with doctors insisting he was too weak.

Vincent smirked. "Got tired of lying in bed." He rolled his shoulders as if nothing had ever been wrong. "Don’t tell Hazel."

Chris narrowed his eyes. "So… you’re fine?"

"I always was."

Chris’s anger flared. "Then what is all this?"

Vincent leaned back, smiling. "Just a little play."

"A play?"

"Yeah." Vincent’s tone was casual, as if manipulating Hazel’s emotions was just another game to him. "I proposed to Hazel, but she rejected me, saying she doesn’t feel the same way. But I know that’s a lie. She does love me—she just doesn’t realize it yet. So I chose this way… to show her how much she cares. And look at her. She’s always here, taking care of me, just like someone in love would."

Chris’s hands curled into fists, his nails digging into his palm.

"You’ll see," Vincent continued, his voice full of certainty. "It’s only a matter of days before she confesses it herself."

Just then, Hazel returned.

"She’s back," Vincent whispered with a smirk, immediately lying back down and slipping into his act once more.

Chris turned, his eyes meeting Hazel’s. For a brief second, he thought she might acknowledge him. But she didn’t. She simply walked past him, heading straight for Vincent.

"You need anything?" she asked, her tone soft.

Vincent shook his head. "No."

She smiled. "Alright."

Vincent returned her smile, watching her with quiet admiration.

Chris, however, was seething.

---

That night

The room was dimly lit, and Vincent had already fallen asleep, his medication knocking him out for the night. Hazel sat beside him, lost in thought.

Then, her phone buzzed. A message.

Chris: He’s lying. He’s perfectly fine. He’s doing this to make you confess you love him.

Hazel frowned. What rubbish. She opened the message, reading it again.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard before she typed back:
If this is another one of your pathetic attempts to manipulate me, just stop. I’m not in the mood for your lies, Chris.

She didn’t wait for a reply. The moment another message came through, she sighed, already exhausted from him. Without reading it, she switched off her phone.

---

Outside the room

Chris stood in the hallway, staring at the closed door. His jaw clenched, his breath heavy.

His fingers curled into a tight fist. His mind raced with thoughts of Vincent, of Hazel, of how easily she was falling for that bastard’s act.

He exhaled sharply, eyes dark with determination.

"I won’t let him take you from me."

Author note:We're getting closer to the main plot—where she'll soon be chained to his desire. I can't wait to dive into that part! Let me know your thoughts on this chapter. Thank you for reading ,have a nice day ❤