Hazel stood very still in front of the bathroom mirror.
Her mind hadn't settled yet. It was still reeling with confusion from everything that was happening.
One moment, she'd been brutally injured at the back of a crushed car, and the next, she'd opened her eyes in a fancy room, with the same crazy stranger she saw just before she lost consciousness.
But that wasn't the weirdest thing.
She was looking at her reflection and everything was... wrong.
She had always been on the chubbier side, with a round-face, a little too much extra weight that clung to her hips and arms. Her hair too was shoulder-length.
She leaned into the mirror to get a closer look at her face. The small scar on her left brow confirmed this was her, but now, her face was slimmer.
Her cheeks were no longer soft, instead, her jawline was sharper and more defined. And her hair was longer. She was afraid as she slowly looked down at herself.
Her body had changed too!
All the softness she had carried was gone. Her waist was narrow. Her collarbones were prominent, and even her hands were thinner.
Hazel swallowed. "This isn't possible!"
Dead people didn't lose weight!
She frowned as she thought back to what happened with the naked man before she came into the bathroom.
He'd startled her by calling her another name. Not knowing how to react, she fled here to calm down.
Hazel wondered if he mistook her for someone else because she was thinner now, but a colder thought overshadowed that.
Her chest tightened as she cautiously checked her body for pain or any signs that she'd been violated, but there was no soreness or proof he'd touched her.
Relief washed over her so strongly her knees almost gave out. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed.
She had no memory of how she got here, where this was, or what had happened, but she couldn't stay here.
Quietly, Hazel unlocked the bathroom door, and peeped inside the dimly lit room.
The naked man sat on the sofa with his eyes closed. He wasn't completely naked now. He was wearing a pair of grey joggers, but his alluring upper body was bare. Still, Hazel decided it was better to not pay too much attention.
It bothered her that he was this peaceful as if none of this troubled him at all, but she waved that thought as well, and quietly began moving toward the door.
She was almost there when—
"Come here." His words were soft, not raised, but they froze her in place.
Hazel turned slowly and found him watching her. Her heart skipped.
"I wasn't asking."
His voice didn't need to be loud to move her heavy feet that felt rooted in place.
There was just something about his calm, yet cold and dangerous demeanor that compelled her to obey.
She stopped a few steps away.
That was when he stood.
He was taller than she expected, practically towering over her, but more concerning, closer than she wanted.
Before Hazel could take another breath, his presence consumed her whole. He was only a few inches away now.
The proximity made her pulse thunder, and his same intoxicating scent made it difficult to focus on any other thing.
Why did he smell so good?!
His dark eyes held hers for seconds before he leaned into her neck, deliberately avoiding her lips.
"Stay still."
Hazel had no time to process his words. Her body went rigid as his warm breath brushed her skin, along her collarbone, taking his time to inhale her scent, before it lingered on a spot.
When the warmness got replaced by the softness of his lips, she sucked in a sharp breath. Shock flooded her senses, but she broke out of the trance almost immediately.
"Stop! What are you—?!" She tried to pull back.
Her protests dissolved into panic as his hands settled on her waist firmly to keep her where she was.
"Don't make me repeat myself."
She swallowed at his lifeless tone that sent a chill down her spine, and decided it was better to listen to him.
His lips that lingered on her bare skin left a wake of goosebumps, before the sting that made her chest tighten. Her hands trembled uselessly at her sides.
He didn't stop at one place. He moved to another part of her sensitive skin, repeating his actions until he was satisfied.
When he finally pulled away, Hazel's legs felt weak.
His cold eyes returned to her face, and as if nothing unusual had happened, he gracefully returned to the couch.
"Try not to look her in her eyes when you speak. That'll save you so much trouble. More importantly, be a good wife." His gruff, deep voice resounded in her ears.
Wife?!
His words made no sense. None at all. But it echoed in Hazel's mind over and over, until it dragged a painful name to the surface; Her fiance, Dale Blackmoor.
Her chest tightened until it hurt.
What did I just do...?
The shame hit her first.
Dale Blackmoor had been nothing but good to her since they met. He loved her faithfully. He had never looked at another woman, never made her doubt him, or even betrayed her trust.
But she'd spent the night with another man and let him plant hickeys on her!
Even worse, she had no memory of what transpired and only assumed nothing happened.
Hazel began to doubt everything. She couldn't believe nothing had happened between them if he was this comfortable doing these things to her.
She took a shaky step back.
Unable to look at the man in front of her anymore, she turned and ran out of the room.
She ran past wide corridors and stunned workers who called after her in confusion, until she finally got to the exit.
Even when she burst out of the mansion, she didn't stop, not when all she could hear were the cruel words of what she'd done.
I cheated... I cheated on Dale!
Her heart ached with every step, and tears blurred her vision. She'd ruined everything!
She didn't know where she was going, she only knew she couldn't stop.
Not until she collided with someone.
The impact knocked the breath from her lungs, sending her stumbling backward before she fell hard to the ground.
"Oh—hey, are you alright?" a voice said quickly, stretching a hand to help her.
Hazel barely heard it. She lifted her head slowly, and her heart stopped when she saw the person standing in front of her.
Dale!