-Hazel-
Damn, it's been a rough week, I heave stepping outside our house. I need to throw the trash away it's beginning to make the kitchen stink.
"Hi Hazel, how's your mom?"
I turned to see Ma's favorite neighbor by her house corner. "She's feeling better I responded."
"Oh thank God" she exclaims
"Yea"
"We've been worried about her, I hope you're okay too dear?" she asks.
" I'm fine, thanks a lot for your concern I appreciate it," I replied.
I turned to my left and the first thing I noticed to the right of my door was the smell.
Fresh fruits. Something clean.
There's a delivery on the front steps — a stack of brown paper bags and plastic crates packed with groceries, two small boxes labeled First Aid and Linens, and a handwritten delivery slip with no name. No sender. Just… here.
I glance left. Then right.
There's no trace of Cassian.
I moved towards the bags slowly, my heart ticking a little faster. The street is still. There was no sign of the car I'd noticed around my house for some days.
No tinted windows watching. No guy pretending to mind his business while reporting everything back.
He's gone.
A weight lifts from my shoulders. I almost don't believe it. I check again just to be sure — walk to the edge of the yard and look around the street corner.
Nothing. Just people going about their lives and the sound of a lawn mower a few houses down.
I bite my lip to keep from smiling as I carry the bags in, one by one. Inside, I place them gently on the counter, sorting them without really thinking.
Almond milk, vegetables. My favorite tea brand, toothpaste, antiseptic, oatmeal, ginger roots, fresh fruits and a full set of cotton sheets. Shampoo. Prenatal vitamins.
It's not just thoughtful. It's accurate.
He noticed things. And now he's giving them — quietly, without asking for anything. Or the hospital asked him to. That's also possible…hmmm
No follow-up call. No warning. Just… care.
And the guard is gone.
Maybe it wasn't his idea after all. Maybe someone pushed it, and he listened when I said no.
I shake the thought off before it starts warming me too much. I'm not here to be grateful. I'm not trying to feel seen. Not owned or even bought but Considered.
I walked to the shower to have my bath. I needed to get to work. I Soaked myself in the water for a while. I packed my hair to let it flow backwards. I looked at the clock. I had enough time to meet the morning bus. I grab my badge, keys, and bag then head out.
The air feels clearer this morning. Maybe it's me. Maybe it's the absence of the guards. I honestly feel like today is a good day.
At the hospital, it's routine as usual and a drip of chaos. I head straight to the nurse's station and find Mabel already there, sipping bad coffee and flipping through a patient chart.
She spots me and immediately smirks.
"Look at you, early and glowing. Somebody get laid?"
I blink. "Jesus, Mabel."
"What? I'm just saying — that's not the face of someone drowning in overtime."
I roll my eyes and drop my bag behind the desk. "I got to sleep. That's it."
She narrows her eyes. "Nah. That's not sleep. That's peace. That's 'I got rid of a security guard I didn't ask for and now I can pee without someone watching' energy."
I snort, but she's not wrong. "Okay, fine. You're halfway right."
"Wait. Did he send someone to follow you around?"
"He didn't say it was him. But yeah. A car I just have been seeing around lately A silent dude parked on my street. Very subtle."
Mabel raises both brows. "Wow. That's not creepy at all."
"He's gone now."
She whistles. "Girl. This is exactly why I don't date rich people. They think they're being protective but they just want control. Next thing you know he's putting cameras in your microwave."
I laugh, but the words still prick something in me. Is that what this is? Or… is he trying not to be what I assumed?
"Anyway," Mabel says, already back to flipping pages. "If he sends another silent bodyguard, make sure he's at least hot. And single."
The rest of the shift is so boring as usual. I did my share of work. I was attending to a newborn who refused to stop screaming no matter what I tried. I move from room to room with my clipboard and smile, doing the job that reminds me I'm still myself, even when the rest of my life feels like it's turning into someone else's movie.
By the time we're closing the shift, I'm exhausted.
I signed out. Saying goodbye to Mabel, and pushing through the sliding hospital doors, I needed to visit Ma. I'd miss her and I know she's definitely missing her favorite hot pasta. I'd get it on my…
And then—
Flash. I flinch.
Another flash. Then another. And another. A wave of voices crashes into me before I even understand what's happening.
"Hazel! Over here!"
"Is it true you're pregnant with Ace Milan's child?!"
"How long have you known each other?"
"Did you sign a surrogate contract or is this a scandal?"
"Is it true you refused his estate?!"
"Are you under threat?"
My heart punches through my chest.
People pushing close to me, lights flashing from every direction with phones in my face. Microphones shoved near my mouth. Someone grabs my elbow, and another pushes me forward.
I'm literally in the middle of a paparazzi stampede.
I can't move. My breath becomes shallow.
"Please—" I whisper, my eyes darting.
There's no path. No space. No exit. I back up but there's more behind me. A blur of yelling and clicking and questions I can't even understand.
My vision tips sideways. Everything spins. My legs give. My world goes black.