Merging Hearts (Smitten Hearts #1)

Chapter Forty

Hazel

I wake up to the shrill ring of my phone, and I groan loudly as I stretch my body out. Rain is not beside me, but I pay no mind to that.

It’s the weekend. Maybe he’s downstairs, or the bathroom.

I redirect my attention to my phone, and ‘Bestie’ flashes on the screen. My brows furrowed. Why is Su-mi calling so early?

I glance at the time. Something must be happening if she’s calling me at nine in the morning. I rub the sleep from my eyes and answer with a groggy “Hey.”

“Hazel, are you okay?” Su-mi’s voice laces with worry and urgency that makes my heart skip. Has an apocalypse happened overnight?

“Uh, yeah. Why?”

“You haven’t seen it,” she whispers more to herself.

The remaining sleep in my eyes flies away and I sit up, my heart rate quickening. “Seen what?”

“You’ll have to calm down, okay?”

“Su-mi, you’re scaring me. Is everything okay? Is your brother fine?” I throw out more questions without stopping. It must be something important if she’s so worried, but I can’t think of a single thing it could be.

“There’s a blog post about you. Not only about you, but you and Rain. The paparazzi have gotten wind of your marriage.”

My breath catches in my throat. I throw the covers off my body and swing my legs over the side of the bed, my feet dangling in the chill morning air.

“What does it say?” I ask slowly, dread creeping up my spine.

Su-mi hesitates, giving me a hint that it’s nothing good. It’s what the paparazzi do; they weave a web of lies upon lies with no care how it affects the subject of the story.

“It’s not good. They’re calling you all sorts of … names. Tea For You started it, and if they start something, the other bloggers pick it up without thorough check.”

I pace around the room, grabbing a fistful of my braids. I can’t begin to imagine how many people have read my business that’s supposed to be private.

“Give me the link to it,” I demand, my voice stable despite the turmoil brewing inside me.

“I don’t think you should—”

“This is about me, Su-mi. I have to see it.”

She accepts and tells me to check my direct message on Instagram. The number of followers I meet on my page drops my jaw to the floor.

Sixteen thousand? I used to have two hundred. How did they even find my social media account? What else do they know about me now? I get the link and my finger shakes as I open it, my eyes scanning the captivating sensationalized headline:

‘ Rain Dacosta’s latest scandal: A live-in escort?’

Italian tech mogul Rain Dacosta who has recently acquired full ownership of Dacosta Technology, has allegedly been hiding a shocking secret. A life-in-escort! A source close to the escort, Hazel Wilmer, confirms that they both live together.

Hazel Wilmer is not the daughter of popular publishing house ‘Wilmer books’, nor is she of our famous Wilms and Tea. Instead, she’s a struggling aspiring chef with two hundred followers who posts about cooking, currently working at … Read more .

Read more? There’s more?

The words blur together as I read, my mind reeling. The full news claims that I’m a live-in escort and a gold-digging opportunist who’s after the Dacosta inheritance. They’re dying to know what Rain plans to get from the relationship as boosting his social status isn’t part of the list.

What’s more shocking are the pictures used in the blog post that were claimed to be exclusive photos bought from a source close to ‘the escort’.

There’s two pictures of me. One holding the tray at work ready to serve a customer, and the second one of me standing at the front of the house as I returned from work two evenings ago. There’s more of Rain and I as he opened the car door for me a few minutes after we announced our relationship to Angela.

Those camera clicks … I hadn’t imagined them. Someone was really stalking and taking pictures of me.

My legs shake. The room spins and I collapse to the bed. I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. This must be the reason Rain’s not home. What does he think about all of these after saying he’s still not ready to expose our marriage?

“This is a nightmare,” I cry. Despite Su mi’s calming and reassuring voice, I can’t be at ease. There’s over a million people who have read that news and believed it. The damage is done. The world is seeing me as a manipulative, opportunistic gold-digger who doesn’t care about marriage as long as I get the money and status quo I want.

How do I step outside again? I can just imagine the whispers, the pointing fingers, and the judgemental stares from people who have probably done worse things than me. How will I face my sister if she ever gets a hold of this?

“Hey, you’ll get through this, okay? I’m sure Rain will do something about it. His image is also on the line. Maybe he’ll issue a statement, or address the public. Just something to let this all die down. He’s a celebrity, he knows best.”

But I’m not. I don’t have thick skin like those people do. I’ve never been the center of attention before, and the bile rising up to my throat is proof of how scared, tormented, and nervous I am.

I rush into the toilet as the nausea swirls inside me, clutching my stomach, and emptying it into the closet. Bitter acid burns down my throat. Tears stream down my eyes as the news narrates continuously in my ear, like a horror audiobook.

The door opens, but I can’t even lift my head to see who it is. Only when arms wrap around me do I smell the familiar scent of orange cologne and fresh laundry. Angela rocks me side by side with a soothing hum.

“Shhh … it’s okay, child.”

“What am I going to do?” I whisper, my voice shaking as Angela continues to stroke my hair.

“Rain will sort it out,” she says with a gentle voice. “You know he won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“How will I go outside? It’ll always be on the internet, even in the next ten years. If people search for it, they’ll always find it. My career, my life, my family. What do I do?” Tears blur my vision again.

I thought I’m ready for the world Rain lives in, but I’m wrong. This seems to be a normal thing in the world of fame—scandals upon scandals—but I’m not built for it. I don’t want to be here anymore.

Angela’s expression turns stern. She gets up and damps a towel, pressing it to my forehead. I shut my eyes and let the coolness seep into my skin.

“Rain has unnatural broad shoulders, Sonnenschein. Let him use it to shield you from all these. ‘ I’ll take care of it. Please make sure Hazel is okay . ’ That’s what he told me this morning before he stomped out. It’s the first time he’s ever said please to me.”

I bite my lip, angry at myself for being selfish. Rain has more to lose than I do, and the fact that he’s still worried about me warms my heart. I lean into Angela and she cradles me.

“My, my, you’re burning hot. It must be a fever. Go to your bed, I’ll bring soup,” she orders with a firm but gentle voice as she walks us out.

I lay on my bed, wondering about the new life I’m exposed to and how much more time is left before a familiar person sees me on the news and realizes how much of a disappointment I am.