Hazel felt the ground tilt beneath her.
Aiden, her Aiden — reckless, annoying, impossible Aiden — was standing in their living room, looking like a man teetering on the edge of a cliff. Michael's face was stone, eyes cold as ice, and for the first time, she saw him not as her husband, not as the man she'd started falling for… but as the ruthless businessman people whispered about in boardrooms.
"What did you do?" Hazel whispered, her voice barely audible.
Aiden ran a hand through his hair, pacing like a caged animal. "I screwed up, okay? I didn't mean for it to go this far."
Michael's jaw tightened. "You sold confidential information, Aiden. My company's future. You handed it to a rival firm for a payout."
Hazel's stomach churned. "Is it true?"
Aiden stopped, guilt twisting his features. "I… yeah. But it wasn't like that. I was drowning, Haz. The debts, the calls, Clara leaving — I didn't know what else to do."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Hazel's voice cracked, the betrayal cutting deeper than she expected.
"I didn't want you to see me like that," Aiden whispered. "Not after everything Dad left us with. I promised I'd take care of you, and instead… I dragged you into this."
Hazel swallowed hard, blinking back tears. "So you thought selling out my husband was the answer?"
Michael flinched at the word husband. It hit harder than he expected.
"I didn't know it was his company at first," Aiden admitted. "When I figured it out, I tried to back out. But it was too late."
Hazel pressed a trembling hand to her mouth.
Michael stepped forward, his voice deadly calm. "Who's behind this?"
Aiden hesitated.
"Aiden," Hazel said quietly, her eyes shining. "Tell him. Now."
Aiden's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Victor Kane."
Michael's face darkened. Victor Kane was one of the most cutthroat executives in the city — a snake in designer suits. The man had been trying to sabotage Graze Industries for years.
"I can fix this," Aiden said desperately. "I'll talk to him. I'll take the blame. Just… don't involve Haz in this. She didn't know."
Michael stared at him, torn between fury and pity. Then he looked at Hazel.
She was pale, eyes glassy, and it gutted him.
He loved her.
Damn it, somewhere between their bickering, teasing, and late-night confessions, he'd fallen for the clumsy girl who left socks in his office and sang off-key in the shower.
And now she was breaking right in front of him.
"You're leaving," Michael said to Aiden, his tone final. "Tonight. I'll handle Kane."
Aiden opened his mouth to argue, but Hazel held up a hand. "Go, Aiden. Before I say something I can't take back."
Aiden's face crumpled. He nodded once, grabbed his duffel bag, and was gone.
The apartment fell silent.
Hazel turned to Michael, tears spilling down her cheeks. "You should've told me."
"I wanted to," he said quietly. "But I didn't want to be the reason you lost your brother."
"You didn't. He did." Hazel wiped her face, her voice trembling. "And now I don't even know what I have left."
Michael stepped closer, his voice breaking. "You have me."
Hazel looked up at him, heart aching. "Do I?"
And for the first time… he wasn't sure.....