Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Hazel Sparks' POV:

The fragile bridge of our love began to crumble the moment Donovan's father passed away.

It was sudden and brutal, plunging the Gordon family into a ruthless war of succession.

Whispers of illegitimate children scattered across continents erupted into a cacophony of legal battles and corporate maneuvering.

Donovan, the rightful heir, found himself fighting not just for his birthright, but for his very identity.

The battle raged on, fierce and unforgiving.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

In the middle of the most critical legal proceedings, Donovan collapsed.

He was rushed to the hospital, his body ravaged by acute kidney failure.

The doctors' words hung heavy in the air, a death knell: without a transplant, he wouldn't survive.

Days turned into weeks.

Donovan lay in the Intensive Care Unit, hooked up to machines that hummed with the rhythm of his failing life.

I watched him helplessly as his vibrant energy drained away, replaced by a pale, fragile shadow of his former self.

The search for a matching organ was desperate and frantic, but time was running out.

And he refused to let me get tested as a potential donor.

I approached his siblings-his half-brothers and sisters-who looked on his declining condition with a chilling mix of calculated indifference and greedy anticipation.

I begged them, one by one, to get tested. To save their brother.

Each one refused, their eyes cold, their excuses flimsy.

They saw his impending death not as a tragedy, but as an opportunity-a chance to claim a larger slice of the inheritance pie.

Their callousness was a punch to the gut, a stark reminder of the brutal world Donovan inhabited.

In those moments, I felt a profound, suffocating despair.

The man I loved, the man who had brought so much light into my life, was slipping away-and I was powerless to stop it.

One evening, Donovan, his voice barely a whisper, called his lawyer to his bedside.

He made arrangements to transfer a significant portion of his personal assets to me.

He held my hand, his fingers tracing the lines of my palm, his touch weak but filled with overwhelming tenderness.

"Hazel," he rasped, his eyes glistening with tears.

He lifted his hand, gently wiping away the tears streaming down my face.

"Don't cry. Meeting you, loving you-it's been the greatest gift of my life. If this is where it ends, I have no regrets."

His words were a knife twisting in my heart-a desperate plea for me to remember his love, even as he faced death.

I clung to his hand, the weight of his love and trust a heavy burden.

In that moment, I knew with searing clarity: I had to save him. No matter the cost.

And so, I made a choice that would brand me forever as a villain, a gold-digger, a betrayer.

I walked out of his hospital room, the image of his frail hand in mine still burning into my skin.

I didn't turn to despair-I turned to Kyle Becker, Donovan's ambitious half-brother, the man everyone believed would usurp him.

I went to Kyle not as a lover, but as an accomplice.

We orchestrated it perfectly: a public, brutal betrayal that would shock the world.

The news exploded across headlines: "Donovan Gordon's Girlfriend Abandons Him for Rival Heir During Life-Threatening Illness!"

Carefully leaked photos and fabricated stories fueled the fire.

The world branded me a traitor, a heartless opportunist.

The vitriol was immediate and overwhelming.

Donovan's friends, once so welcoming, now hurled insults at me.

"You greedy bitch!" one of them yelled, his face contorted in disgust. "How could you do this to him? He's dying, and you're jumping ship for the next best thing?"

"We always knew you weren't good enough for him," another sneered. "Just a common girl trying to climb the social ladder with money. Guess you picked the wrong horse, didn't you? Kyle's a long shot, and Donovan's the real deal."

Their words stung like poisoned arrows. But I endured it. I had to. It was part of the plan.

Then came the call. Donovan wanted to see me.

His friend, his voice heavy with despair, pleaded with me: "Hazel, please. Just one more time. He's asking for you. He won't believe what's happening."

Donovan reached for me, his hand trembling as he clutched my wrist. "Hazel," he whispered, his voice breaking. "Tell me it's not true. Tell me you still love me. Tell me you're not leaving me for Kyle."

My heart shattered into a million pieces.

His trust, his vulnerability, was almost too much to bear.

But I had to see it through.

I gently pulled my hand from his grasp. My voice was cold, flat-like a stranger's. "I don't love you anymore, Donovan. It's over."

His body stiffened, a tremor running through him.

His eyes, once filled with hope, now blazed with searing pain, tears brimming at the edges.

The proud, arrogant Donovan Gordon-the untouchable heir-was gone.

In his place was a dying man, weeping openly, his dignity stripped away.

"No, Hazel, please," he sobbed, clutching at my hand again. "Don't go. Just wait. I'll fight for you. I'll get the inheritance, I'll build an empire-just for you. Please, don't leave me."

I watched him, my face a mask of indifference, my heart bleeding inside.

It was the hardest thing I'd ever done.

Kyle-Donovan's half-brother, the very man I was publicly "betraying" him for-stepped forward, his face grim.

He roughly pulled Donovan's hand away from me.

"Get out," Kyle snarled, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and something I couldn't quite decipher.

He pushed me toward the door, slamming it shut with a thunderous bang.

"Don't you ever come near him again. If he doesn't make it, I swear I'll find you-and you'll pay."