Seven Years, No Name, No Love

I had been with Pierce for seven years. We even had a child together, but he still refused to give me a title.

The elite circles of Manhattan were just waiting for the day he threw me away.

But against all odds, Pierce suddenly proposed.

His best friend found out and rushed over, demanding to know if he had lost his mind.

After all, Renee had just gotten a divorce and moved back to the States. The woman Pierce had been waiting for all his life was finally here, yet he was choosing to marry me, the nameless woman who had been warming his bed for seven years.

Pierce just calmly explained that Renee was too flighty, and she had a daughter. Even if she married into his family, she wouldn't have a good life.

Then he added that I, Hazel, was perfectly obedient.

His friend was still confused. Just because I was obedient?

Pierce nodded. He said he would set up a trust fund with eighty percent of his assets for Renee before our wedding. That kind of money would last her several lifetimes.

He also said that if this were a business marriage, a wealthy heiress would never agree to a prenuptial agreement like that.

But he was absolutely certain that I would.

"Bro, Hazel literally gave birth to your own flesh and blood!" his friend said, clapping him on the shoulder. "I can understand not giving her everything, but giving eighty percent of your net worth to Renee and her kid? Isn't that crossing a line?"

The VIP lounge instantly filled with knowing, sarcastic chuckles.

"Wait, don't tell me Renee's kid is actually yours, Pierce?"

Pierce took a slow sip of his whiskey. "If anyone disrespects Renee again, we are going to have a serious problem."

His friend immediately changed the subject. "Look, nobody in their right mind would agree to those terms. Why are you so sure Hazel will?"

Pierce ran his thumb along the rim of his glass, his voice entirely detached. "Because."

"Hazel has zero material desires. She has stayed by my side all these years, and it was never for the money."

"It is because she loves me."

"Because she is desperate to marry me."

...

I stood right outside the heavy mahogany door.

It felt like I had been stripped naked and thrown into a blizzard.

He knew. He knew all along.

He knew exactly how desperately I wanted to be his wife.

For seven years.

Even after I went through the agony of giving birth to his son.

I was still just the nameless Ms. Hazel.

He never once brought up marriage.

But now, for Renee's sake, he was going to marry me.

In that split second, seven years of blind devotion turned to ash.

I did not want to marry Pierce anymore.

My hands were still trembling when I pushed the door open.

The loud lounge fell dead silent.

I walked straight up to Pierce.

"Pierce, my gran wants to take a family photo with you and Sam."

Before coming to the club, Gran had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer at the hospital. The doctors said her prognosis was grim. Her only request was a family portrait. Right now, my only goal in life was to fulfill that wish.

Pierce opened his mouth to speak, but his phone buzzed.

The moment he saw the caller ID, the ice in his eyes melted into absolute softness.

Renee's voice came through the speaker, trembling with unshed tears. "Pierce, my flight landed early! I do not know if it is because of the outfit I am wearing, but even the airport security guards are staring at me..."

"I am so scared. Please come pick me up!"

Pierce stood up immediately. "I am on my way."

Almost by instinct, my fingers caught his sleeve.

"My gran is dying..."

He pulled his arm away, cutting me off coldly. "And what exactly does your gran have to do with me?"

My fingers froze in midair.

He leaned in, his breath brushing against my ear as he articulated every single word.

"Do you want to be my wife?"

"Then learn your place."

With that, he and his friends turned and walked out.

The VIP lounge was terrifyingly quiet.

I stood frozen in the center of the room, and then I laughed.

Something inside my chest completely and irreparably shattered.

Good.

I took a cab back to the hospital alone.

Overnight, I cashed in every favor I had to contact the top oncology professors. They reviewed her charts and suggested a cutting-edge targeted therapy trial in Zurich. It was a long shot, but it was hope.

First thing the next morning, I walked straight into the corporate headquarters.

I was quitting.

I only joined the company seven years ago for Pierce.

Now, I was going to take Gran to Switzerland for treatment. I was going to sever every single tie I had with him and this city.

I was in the middle of typing my resignation letter when an urgent email popped up on my screen.

It was a mandatory summons for all department heads to report to the top-floor conference room immediately.

I was just getting out of my chair when Gran's attending physician called.

Five minutes later, I rushed to the conference room doors, my eyes still rimmed red from crying.

I pushed open the heavy glass doors just in time to hear Pierce's cold, authoritative voice.

"Effective immediately, Renee will take over as the Director of Research and Development. She reports directly to me."

Renee was the first to spot me.

Dressed in a pristine designer pantsuit, she smiled brightly.

"Does Director Hazel have a problem with my appointment?"

"It is my very first meeting, and you are already showing up late?"

Before I could even open my mouth to explain.

She turned to Pierce, pouting playfully. "Boss, do I have the authority to punish insubordinate employees?"

Pierce's indifferent gaze swept over my face without lingering for even a second.

Then, he nodded.

A sweet, incredibly vicious smile bloomed on Renee's lips.

"Well, since the boss gave me the green light," she drawled slowly. "Director Hazel, you are fired."

The entire conference room went pin-drop silent.

Vanguard Holdings was known for its incredible benefits. No one in the history of the company had ever been fired for being five minutes late to a meeting.

Pierce's brow twitched imperceptibly.

I knew him. I knew he thought Renee was taking it too far.

After all, I had bled for this company for seven years. I secured their biggest accounts. I had flawless performance reviews every single quarter.

But in the end, he did not say a word.

Because Pierce wanted the entire executive board to know that Renee had his absolute backing.

The weird, pitying looks from everyone in the room felt like hundreds of tiny needles sinking directly into my heart.

The second I sat back down at my cubicle, my desk phone rang. It was Pierce's private line.

"Come to my office."

I pushed open his heavy oak doors.

Pierce leaned back in his leather chair, skipping the pleasantries.

"Renee is an outside hire. People are naturally going to doubt her."

"She only did that today to establish her authority. She did not mean any actual harm."

I stood there listening quietly, like he was telling a story about a stranger.

Seeing my total lack of reaction, Pierce looked visibly irritated. He pulled a thick folder from his drawer and tossed it onto the desk.

"Here is a contract for the General Manager position at our Brooklyn branch. The title and the salary are both a massive step up from your current role."

"Stop throwing a tantrum, Hazel."

I stared dead into his eyes. "I will take it, but only if you have accounting wire my severance package to my personal account right now."

Pierce narrowed his eyes. "Are you short on cash?"

I nodded. "Yes."

He studied me for two seconds, then picked up his phone and dialed a number.

Less than ten seconds later, my phone buzzed. The massive severance payout had hit my account.

"Are we done here?" he asked.

I nodded and took the contract he held out to me.

Pierce visibly relaxed. "If you ever need money, just tell the estate manager. You have unlimited access to my accounts."

I did not reply. I just turned and walked out.

I dropped the lucrative contract straight into the trash can by the elevators and walked right out of the Vanguard building.

Seven years of corporate slavery.

Seven years of blind, willing sacrifice.

At this exact moment, it was completely, permanently over.

When I started my car, my fingertips were still numb.

I took a deep breath and drove straight to the elite private preschool.

Gran's family portrait.

Just Sam and I would be enough.

But the moment I walked up to the school gates, my son's face completely dropped.

"Mom, why are you here?"

"Auntie Renee and Daisy got back yesterday. Dad promised he was taking us all out to a fancy dinner!"

I pulled him off to the side, kneeling down so I was exactly at his eye level. My voice was more serious than it had ever been.

"Sam, your great-grandmother is very, very sick. She wants to take a picture with you."

"I need you to come to the hospital with me right now, okay?"

Sam physically recoiled from me.

"No way! Mom, you know I hate germs. Hospitals are disgusting."

He paused, then muttered under his breath, just loud enough for me to hear.

"And great-grandma... she is dirty too."

My heart sank to the absolute bottom of my chest.

Because I knew the truth.

Sam's obsessive fear of germs only applied to certain people.

I carried him for nine months. I went through hell to give birth to him.

I raised him with my own two hands until he started school.

But if I did not wear sterile gloves, he refused to eat anything I cooked.

Yet whenever Renee handed him a random piece of junk food, he devoured it happily.

When he rolled around in the mud with Renee's daughter Daisy, he never once complained about being dirty.

I forced back my tears.

"Sam, I have told you this before. My parents died when I was very little. Gran raised me by collecting cardboard and saving every single penny."

"She has pancreatic cancer. The doctors say it is a disease that hurts so much most people cannot even handle it."

"But she was so terrified of being a burden to us that she hid the pain until she physically could not take it anymore..."

A wave of suffocating guilt practically ripped me in half.

My seven years of swallowing my pride just to stay with Pierce.

It had ultimately become the reason my own grandmother was too afraid to ask me for help.

"Please, just do this one thing for me. Let us go take a picture with her so she can have some peace. Please?"

Sam's face scrunched up in obvious disgust.

"No! She is a garbage picker! Garbage pickers are filthy and covered in bacteria!"

I felt my blood turn to ice. I stared at him in sheer disbelief.

"Sam Pierce! What are you saying?!"

Sam screamed back at me. "I am telling the truth! She raised you, so you are probably covered in bacteria too! If you were not my mom, I would not even want you!"

"You need to stay away from her, or I do not want you to be my mom anymore!"

Before the echo of his words could fade.

A low, furious voice snapped from behind me.

"Sam!"

Pierce was standing right there, his expression terrifyingly dark.

"Apologize to your mother."

Sam was so terrified by Pierce's tone that he instantly burst into loud, ugly sobs.

Pierce turned to look at my pale, shattered face. His brow furrowed deeply.

For the first time ever, his voice held a trace of regret and frustration.

"I am sorry. I had no idea your gran was this sick."

"I will clear my schedule over the next two days and personally bring Sam to see her."

I wiped away a tear with the back of my hand and stood up straight.

I refused to look at him.

I refused to look at the son I had sacrificed everything to raise.

"Do not bother."

I meant it. Do not bother.

Pierce.

Sam.

I was done with both of them.

I got into my car and dialed my immigration consultant.

"Hi, cancel the visa application for Sam Pierce."

"And please extend the visas for my grandmother and me to the absolute maximum duration allowed."

"We will not be coming back anytime soon."

Once Gran got better, I was going to take her to travel the world.

"Understood," the agent replied. "I will let you know the second it is processed."

I stayed at the hospital with Gran for two days.

Once her pain medication finally kicked in and she fell asleep, I drove back to the main estate to pack my things.

But when I stood on the porch.

My fingerprint failed.

The passcode showed an error.

Eventually, one of the maids had to open the door for me.

When the heavy door swung open, the sight before me made me freeze.

The center of the grand foyer was piled high with expensive designer luggage.

The staff were carefully carrying box after box of Renee's belongings up the grand staircase.

Renee, wrapped in a luxurious silk robe, glided down the stairs.

When she saw me, she flashed a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Hazel, you are back!"

"Are you still mad about me firing you? I am so sorry!"

She blinked her massive, innocent eyes and intimately looped her arm through mine.

"I just got back to the States, and I was terrified the staff wouldn't respect me. I had to make an example out of someone."

"I wasn't targeting you on purpose."

I calmly pulled my arm out of her grip.

Renee did not seem to notice my icy demeanor. She took a step closer.

"But guess what? I got you a massive consolation prize!"

"I finally convinced Pierce to marry you! Now you can just stay home and enjoy the high life as his wife!"

"Are you going crazy with excitement?"

I stared at her with dead eyes. "Are you done?"

Her smile did not waver, but a mocking glint appeared in her eyes.

"Not quite!"

"You know I am planning to settle down here for good. I grew up in this exact house. It holds so much sentimental value for me."

"Pierce said that to help me adjust, he is moving your little family of three to the Hamptons estate. This house is just going to be for me and Daisy."

"So I went ahead and deleted your fingerprint and passcode. Next time you visit my house, make sure you knock!"

10

Watching Renee act so incredibly entitled.

In that split second, I was genuinely jealous of her.

I had known Pierce since college.

Naturally, I also knew the pampered princess who always hovered around him.

Back then, I naively assumed she was the precious heir to some massive fortune.

Chauffeured in luxury cars, draped in high fashion, surrounded by admirers.

It was not until I was pregnant with Sam that I found out the truth.

Renee's mother was the maid at the Pierce estate.

The only reason she had access to that world was because Pierce adored her.

But his elite family absolutely refused to let him marry the help's daughter.

So, she took a ten-million-dollar check from Pierce's grandfather and promptly moved overseas to marry some other rich guy.

Over the years, she threatened to divorce her husband almost annually.

The reasons were always absurd.

Sometimes her husband forgot she hated onions in her pasta.

Sometimes he bought the wrong brand of her signature perfume.

Every single time she threw a tantrum and threatened to fly back to America, Pierce would drop his billion-dollar empire to go pick her up and fix her life.

He would let her stay in his private Hamptons estate.

He would even drag my son, Sam, along to play with her daughter, Daisy.

But giving up the main estate... this was a first.

Whatever lingering pain I had left simply went numb.

I was leaving anyway.

I did not care who Pierce gave the house to.

11

It did not take me long to pack my bags.

As I dragged my suitcase down the front steps, a sleek black Bentley pulled into the driveway and came to a smooth stop.

Pierce stepped out.

His eyes instantly locked onto me, then dropped to the suitcase in my hand.

His gaze darted between the luggage and my disturbingly calm face.

"Where are you going?" he asked, his voice noticeably colder than usual.

I stopped walking and looked up at him.

"The hospital. To stay with Gran."

Hearing the hospital mentioned, the tight knot between his brows loosened just a fraction.

"Come to the lawyer's office with me first."

"I have some paperwork you need to sign."

I knew exactly what it was.

Even though I was completely checked out, the issue of Sam's custody meant I had to go.

12

We sat down in the sleek, glass-walled conference room.

My phone buzzed against my palm.

It was a text from the agent:

[Ms. Hazel, all paperwork is finalized. You are cleared to fly out tomorrow.]

I was just typing my reply when Pierce slid a thick legal document and a blinding pink diamond ring across the table.

"Sign the prenup," he said, his tone softer than I had heard in months. "And we get married."

I did not even glance at the contract.

My eyes fixed entirely on the ring.

I recognized that pink diamond. Pierce had dropped a hundred million on it at a Sotheby's auction.

My medical broker had already warned me.

Gran didn't have international health insurance. The experimental treatments in Zurich were going to cost an astronomical fortune. I needed to be prepared.

I looked up and met Pierce's eyes.

"If I sign this, is the ring legally mine?"

Pierce clearly hadn't expected that to be my first question. He paused before giving a low, "Yes."

I turned to the corporate lawyer sitting across from us.

"Draft an addendum stating that this ring is an unconditional prenuptial gift."

Pierce's brow slammed together in sheer irritation. "Hazel, what exactly is your angle here?"

"My angle is that this ring belongs to me. It gives me security."

I held his stare. "Otherwise, I am terrified you will change your mind tomorrow and demand it back so you can give it to someone you actually want to give it to."

The tense, angry line of his jaw instantly relaxed.

He probably thought that because I cared about the ring, I still desperately wanted to marry him.

Looking highly amused, Pierce took the drafted addendum and signed his name with a flourish.

"There. Do you feel secure now?"

"Be at City Hall at nine tomorrow morning to get the license."

I slipped the velvet box into my purse and nodded. "Okay."

Pierce stood up, walking around the massive oak table to stand right in front of me.

"Then it is settled."

"Do not be late, wife."

He breathed the last word incredibly softly.

Then, he quickly looked away and strode out the door.

Wife.

What a deeply sarcastic joke.

There was a time when I hallucinated about hearing him call me that.

Now? I didn't even have the energy to roll my eyes.

So this is what it felt like when the love completely, irreversibly died.

My fingers tapped across my screen as I calmly replied to the agent:

[Book us on the earliest flight tomorrow.]

I watched Pierce's retreating back one last time.

After today, we would be oceans apart.

I would never have to look at his face again.

13

I left the law firm, but I didn't head straight to the hospital.

Instead, I walked into a different legal office downtown.

I signed a document legally surrendering all my custody rights to Sam.

By the time I got back to Gran's room, she was resting her eyes, leaning against the pillows.

When she saw me, her lips curved into a gentle smile. She didn't ask why Pierce or Sam wasn't with me. She just said softly, "Are you hungry? I had the nurse save you some soup."

While I was eating, Gran's phone suddenly rang.

It was Pierce.

"Gran, it is Pierce. I am bringing Sam over to see you at four this afternoon. Does that work for you?"

The dull, exhausted light in Gran's eyes flickered with sudden life.

"Yes, of course it works."

"Four is perfect. The lighting will be nice for the picture."

Watching the pure, fragile hope in my grandmother's eyes, a massive lump formed in my throat.

We were about to cross an ocean. The treatments would be grueling, the outcome completely unknown.

If this one photo could give her peace of mind...

Even if it was just a fraction of peace...

I would swallow my pride and play along one last time.

14

Gran only managed a brief nap before she woke up.

"Hazel, I am sweating so much. Can you help me wash up?"

I brought over a basin of warm water and carefully wiped her down.

Her frail hands shook violently from the pain, but she didn't make a single sound.

After I finished, she asked me to pull a brand new navy blue silk blouse from her suitcase.

She gave a weak smile. "We are taking a photo. I cannot wear this ugly hospital gown."

I helped her into the blouse and gently brushed out her thin, white hair.

By the time we were done, she was completely exhausted. She managed a few spoonfuls of broth before a fresh layer of cold sweat broke out across her forehead, threatening to soak the silk blouse she had just put on.

She scratched weakly at her forearm.

"Hazel, I think a mosquito bit me. It is so itchy."

She paused, looking deeply embarrassed, and added in a whisper, "Could you rub some of that scented water on me?"

15

The moment I looked down, hot tears flooded my eyes.

This was a sterile, VIP hospital room on the tenth floor. There were no mosquitoes.

She remembered what I told her.

Sam was a germaphobe.

She was terrified that the smell of her sick sweat and the heavy scent of hospital medicine would disgust him.

I pretended I didn't know what she was doing.

I poured the fragrant cologne onto my fingers and gently rubbed it into her painfully thin arms.

The cold liquid touched my skin, but it felt like a branding iron searing directly into my heart.

"Oh, and give me a face mask," she said quickly. "Sam is still so little, and I am so sick..."

I fought hard to keep my voice steady. "Gran, they will not care..."

"I know, I know. But I want to wear it."

She took the surgical mask, folded it neatly, and tucked it right next to her pillow.

As she moved, the corner of two thick envelopes peeked out from under the pillowcase.

Thinking I hadn't noticed, she frantically shoved them deeper out of sight.

But I already knew.

The only reason she pushed so hard for this photo was because she wanted to see Pierce and Sam one last time.

She wanted to hand them those two letters.

Before she died, she wanted to entrust me, her only living relative, to the man I had loved for seven years, and the son I had birthed.

She actually believed they were my safe harbor.

Right at that moment, my phone lit up with a text from Pierce.

[Something came up. I will bring Sam tomorrow instead.]

That one sentence.

It was like a rusty knife plunging directly into my chest and slowly twisting.

I stood up, forcing a bright smile onto my face.

"Gran, I have a quick emergency at work. I will be right back."

She had spent every last ounce of her failing energy preparing for this.

Even if I had to drag them by their hair.

I was going to put Pierce and Sam in front of her today.

16

I called Pierce. I called Sam's smart watch.

Neither of them picked up.

I drove like a maniac to Vanguard Holdings, only for the receptionist to tell me Pierce had left after his morning meetings.

I ripped the steering wheel to the side and sped straight toward the main estate.

The second I walked through the door, the head maid gave me the news.

Today was Daisy's first day at her elite private school.

Pierce took Sam and attended the ceremony as Daisy's family.

That was his 'emergency.'

At eight o'clock that night, the sound of laughter echoed from the front door.

Pierce walked in holding Daisy, while Renee held Sam's hand.

They looked like a picture-perfect family.

When Pierce saw me standing dead center in the living room, he instinctively set Daisy down and opened his mouth to explain.

"Hazel, I..."

I lunged forward and slapped him across the face with every single ounce of strength in my body.

Smack!

The explosive sound instantly killed the laughter in the room.