The CEO’s Masked Secret Wife novel Chapter 51

51 A Desperate, Tear-Stained Kiss

Hazel’s POV

“Oh no, I forgot my presentation folder!”

I glanced at my watch as I stood beside Adrian and Morris in the parking garage. The meeting had gone well, but leaving my materials behind was unprofessional. What if the Sterling Group executives wanted to review the metrics?

“I’ll run back and get it,” I offered, already stepping away from the car. “You two go

ahead. I’ll catch a cab.”

Morris frowned. “Are you sure? We can wait.”

“No need. It might take me a while to find it,” I insisted, waving them off. “The traffic will be terrible if you don’t leave now.”

Adrian nodded. “She’s right. We have that conference call in forty minutes anyway.”

I breathed a sigh of relief as they drove away. The thought of spending another twenty minutes in the car discussing my “stellar performance” made me anxious. All I wanted was to grab my folder and escape this building that held too many memories.

The security guard recognized me immediately and waved me through without question. Old habits die hard, I supposed.

My heels clicked against the marble floor as I made my way back to the conference room. The door was closed, but I could see light filtering through the frosted glass. Someone was still inside.

I hesitated, then knocked softly before pushing the door open. My breath caught in my

throat.

Liam stood by the window, his back to me, shoulders rigid with tension. My folder sat on the table, seemingly untouched.

“I forgot my materials,” I said, my voice unnaturally loud in the quiet room.

He turned, and the look in his eyes made my stomach flip. Pain, longing, determination – all swirling in those violet-blue depths.

“I know,” he said simply. “I was hoping you’d come back.”

My defenses shot up immediately. “You planned this?”

“No,” he answered, taking a step toward me. “But I hoped.”

I crossed quickly to the table, snatching up my folder. “Well, I have what I came for. Goodbye, Liam.”

Before I could reach the door, he moved to block my path. He didn’t touch me, but his presence was overwhelming.

“Please,” he whispered. “Just five minutes.”

“We have nothing to discuss.” My voice trembled slightly. “You made your feelings very clear when you accused me of betraying the company.”

Pain flashed across his face. “I was wrong. So terribly wrong.”

“Yes, you were.” I clutched my folder tighter against my chest like a shield. “Now, if you’ll excuse me-‘

“I can’t sleep,” he blurted out, stopping me in my tracks. “I lie awake thinking about you

and Leo. About what I’ve lost.”

I felt my resolve weakening and steeled myself against it. “That’s not my problem.”

“Hazel, please.” His voice broke. “I’m barely functioning without you.”

“You managed just fine before you met me,” I countered, but my heart was racing.

“Did I?” He laughed without humor. “I was a shell walking through life. You brought me

back. You and Leo showed me what matters.”

“Stop it,” I demanded, my eyes filling with tears. “You don’t get to say these things after what you did.”

He moved closer, and I backed away until I hit the conference table. “What can I do?

Tell me how to fix this.”

“You can’t fix it!” I snapped, finally letting my hurt surface. “You didn’t trust me. You believed I would betray you. After everything we shared, you thought the worst of me.”

Before I could react, he closed the distance between us, his hands gripping the table

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on either side of me, caging me in without touching me.

“I was a fool,” he admitted, his face inches from mine. “A jealous, insecure fool who let his past cloud his judgment. But I’m begging you, Hazel. Give me another chance.”

His scent surrounded me – that familiar mix of expensive cologne and something uniquely him. My body responded traitorously, remembering nights tangled in sheets, the taste of his skin, the feeling of completeness when we were together.

“I can’t,” I whispered, though with less conviction than I intended.

“You can,” he insisted. In one fluid motion, he pulled me against him, lifting me onto his lap as he sat in the nearest chair. My folder fell to the floor, papers scattering. “I miss you. God, I miss you so much.”

His hands cupped my face with such reverence that fresh tears spilled down my cheeks. “Don’t do this to me,” I pleaded.

“I love you,” he said, his thumbs catching my tears. “I’ve never stopped loving you.”

Before I could respond, his lips found mine in a kiss so gentle it broke something inside me. I tried to resist, really I did. But when his tongue traced the seam of my lips, I opened for him with a soft whimper.

The kiss deepened, turning desperate and hungry. My hands crept up to his shoulders, then to his hair, grabbing fistfuls as he pulled me tighter against him. His heartbeat thundered against my chest, matching my own frantic rhythm.

“I need you back,” he murmured against my mouth. “Please come home. Leo misses his swing set. I miss hearing his laughter in the mornings.”

I pulled away slightly, struggling to think clearly. “Don’t use my son to manipulate me.”

“Our son,” he corrected, pain evident in his expression. “And I’m not manipulating you. I’m telling you the truth. The house feels empty without you both.” 2

He kissed me again before I could argue, this time more urgently. I felt the wetness on his cheeks mingle with my own tears.

“I was drowning before you,” he confessed, his voice breaking. “And I’m drowning now. Come back to me, Hazel.”

My body betrayed me completely, melting against him as his hands caressed my back.

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51 A Desperate, Tear-Stained Kiss

Every nerve ending sparked to life under his touch. I’d tried so hard to forget this

feeling – this perfect alignment when we were together.

“You hurt me,” I whispered against his lips. “You broke my heart.”

“I know,” he sobbed, actual tears flowing freely now. “I know, and I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you if you’ll just give me the chance.”

I had never seen Liam cry before. Not even when he discovered Leo was his son. Seeing this powerful man break down completely, holding me like I was his lifeline, shattered the last of my composure. 121

But even as my body responded to his touch, my mind flashed back to that awful day. The cold accusation in his eyes. The security guard escorting me out. The humiliation of having my integrity questioned.

I pulled back, placing my hands on his chest. “Stop, Liam. Please.”

He froze immediately, though his breathing remained ragged. “Tell me what you need. Anything.”

“I need time,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “I can’t just forget what happened.”

“I understand,” he nodded, though the desperation never left his eyes. “But don’t shut me out completely. Let me prove myself to you again.”

He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against mine. “I love you, Hazel. I love our son. I want my family back.”

The sincerity in his voice nearly broke my resolve. How many nights had I lain awake wishing he would say exactly these words?

But the wound was still too fresh, the trust too damaged.

I stood up abruptly, pulling away from his embrace. “I’m sorry, Liam. I still can’t forgive you.”

His face crumpled with grief as I backed toward the door, leaving my scattered papers behind.

“Hazel, please,” he called, his voice cracking as tears continued streaming down his face.

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51 A Desperate, Tear-Stained Kiss

I turned and fled, closing the door on the sight of Liam Sterling-the powerful, commanding CEO-sobbing openly in an empty conference room.

As I hurried through the lobby, my lips still tingling from his kisses, I felt my own tears flowing freely. The pain in his eyes had been real. The desperation in his touch had been genuine.

But sometimes love wasn’t enough to mend what had been broken.

I pushed through the revolving doors into the cold afternoon air, leaving my heart- and my presentation folder-behind me.