52 Chapter 52 – Gifts and Groveling
“Apologize with the same intensity you messed up with. Don’t give up easily. Hazel is special, worth every effort you can make. He squeezed my shoulder before calling up to her apartment, delivering my message with barely contained laughter. “You can go up now. Fair warning though, she’s spitting mad.”
“You have absolutely no idea.”
“Hazel ran out of here like the building was on fire, Liam,” Adrian observed, settling into the chair across from me.
“Thank you for what you did for my son today. He was genuinely happy.”
“More than I could ever put into words,” I answered with complete honesty.
“I would never do that. Leo is incredible, Hazel. He’s completely captivated me. I didn’t bring him presents or play with him to manipulate you into forgiving me. I’ll earn your forgiveness a different way,” I said with absolute conviction.
“We kissed. God, what a kiss it was. She can deny it all she wants, but I felt her surrender. I’m never giving up on her,” I declared to my friends with newfound determination.
“Look, Aunt Chl, it’s a huge building set!” Leo exclaimed, holding up pieces of his new toy for her to see.
“Yes, yes, yes!” he shouted, bouncing with anticipation. “Come on, Liam, come inside!”
I stood up and entered the apartment, closing the door behind me as Leo dragged me forward.
I remained frozen in that room, staring at the door Hazel had just fled through after our explosive kiss. My lips still burned from the contact, and I could taste the sweetness she had left behind. The confusion in my mind slowly cleared as Damian and Adrian entered, their footsteps echoing in the silence.
I pressed a tender kiss to her lips, kissed her hands once more, and whispered against
her ear.
“Leo, my little man, I missed you so much! How have you been?” I asked, completely
23:10
52 Chapter 62 Gifts and Groveling
absorbed in this beautiful boy.
Liam’s POV
The elderly man studied me with amused eyes and chuckled. “You really stepped in it this time, didn’t you, son?”
“Please do.”
The remainder of the afternoon was spent calling Hazel repeatedly. Each call was rejected with increasing speed until finally, her phone went straight to voicemail. But if she thought she could escape me that easily, she was mistaken.
That kiss had changed everything. The way she had melted against me, the soft gasp that escaped her lips, the trembling in her body when I pulled her close. Her walls had crumbled for those precious seconds, revealing the truth she desperately tried to hide. “I’ll spend the rest of my life earning your forgiveness if that’s what it takes. But I know what you feel when you’re in my arms. I felt it today when we kissed. Your heart beats in rhythm with mine, Hazel.
“You can play after we eat dinner. I’ll set an extra place at the table,” Hazel announced, rising from the couch. I caught her hand before she could walk away.
Holding this precious child, feeling his unconditional affection wash over me, I found myself completely overwhelmed. Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them. This kid had inherited his mother’s devastating ability to shatter my emotional walls with a single gesture. Chloe watched me with a knowing smile.
I pressed the doorbell and immediately dropped to my knees, arranging my face into the most pathetic expression I could manage while holding the chocolate bag in front of me like a shield.
Her words hit me like physical blows, shattering my heart into countless fragments. I stood up and left without another word, the pain so intense I could barely breathe. Outside her building, I pulled out my phone and called Damian.
How was it possible to love a child this much after only meeting him twice? But of course it made perfect sense – he was Hazel’s son, part of the woman I loved more than life itself.
Chapter 52 – Gifts and Groveling
23:18
52 Chapter 52 Gifts and Groveling
“Are you inviting me to stay for dinner?” I asked, hope creeping into my voice.
“Can we build something now, Liam?” Leo asked when he finally pulled back from our embrace.
“I love you, Hazel, and I refuse to give up. I’ll crawl on my hands and knees, I’ll beg until my voice gives out, but I won’t walk away from us.”
“Sweetic, what do we say when someone gives us a present?” Hazel gently reminded him.
Remembering Leo’s fascination with building toys, I made a detour to the mall and purchased an enormous construction set. That incredible kid had captured my heart from our first meeting. His intelligence and infectious energy had made our time together unforgettable. I had promised to return and play with him again, and I intended to keep that promise.
“Please come to the party tomorrow. Forgive me, I’m begging you to forgive me.”
His laughter followed me to the elevators. Standing outside her door, a ridiculous but perfect idea formed in my mind. The doorman was right – I needed to match apology to my stupidity. I had been a complete fool, so I would be a complete fool
my begging for her forgiveness.
Dinner was magical. Leo entertained us with endless stories and observations that had us all laughing until our sides hurt. He was truly an extraordinary child. Afterward, we sprawled on the living room carpet building elaborate structures with his new set. Those hours with him washed away all the stress and tension from the past few days, filling me with renewed energy and purpose.
“Mind if this old timer gives you some advice?”
“I’m great, Liam! What about you?” He gazed up at me with those enormous eyes that mirrored my own color, his angelic face beaming with pure joy. “Did you come to play with me?
Leo was already on the floor tearing at the wrapping paper, and I joined him there, sitting cross–legged near Hazel’s legs as she settled onto the couch with her chocolates. I glanced up at her sideways and noticed the soft expression on her face as she watched her son’s happiness unfold.
I moved from the carpet to kneel directly in front of her, taking her clasped hands in
23:10
352 Chapter 52 Gifts and Groveling
mine and pressing gentle kisses to her knuckles before speaking.
“Is this really for me?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement that made my chest tight with emotion.
“You didn’t trust me, Liam. You wouldn’t even listen to my explanation. You didn’t give me the benefit of the doubt. You attacked me viciously, humiliated me, and threw me out. So you should move on with your life and leave me alone. I won’t come back to
you.”
“Okay, Romeo, but what exactly happened in here?” Damian’s curiosity was written all over his face.
When I arrived at his house, Adrian was already waiting. My friends listened as I poured out my heart, then drank with me long into the night.
“Looks like my son already did,” she replied, meeting my eyes briefly before heading toward the kitchen.
When bedtime arrived. Leo hugged me tightly before Chloe took him to brush his teeth. Hazel sat down across from me and spoke for the first time all evening. “Absolutely I did. I promised
you I would, remember? And look what I brought you: 1 handed him the wrapped gift, watching his face light up.
“Of course it’s for you. Should we open it together?”
Once she left the room, Chloe leaned forward and studied my face intently, as if searching for something specific.
When the door swung open, Chloe’s delighted laughter rang out from inside the apartment, followed by Hazel’s exasperated voice.
“You genuinely care about Leo,” she said finally.
He abandoned the box with Chloe and ran straight to me with his arms wide open, throwing himself into my lap and wrapping his little arms around my neck.
“She loves me,” I said, unable to suppress the smile spreading across my face. “She’s furious and wounded, but she loves me.”
At her building, I approached the front desk with my packages and explained my situation to the doorman. I told him plainly that if Hazel refused to see me, I would
23-
52 Chapter 52 Gifts and Groveling
spend the night in the street calling her name until she relented.
I left the office with one destination in mind – her apartment. We were going to have this conversation whether she wanted to or not. I would camp outside her building if necessary, shouting her name until she agreed to listen. She needed to release all that anger and pain so we could move forward.
“Oh my God, Liam! Stop being ridiculous!” She snatched the chocolate bag from my hands, examined my pitiful expression, and rolled her eyes dramatically. “I’m keeping the chocolates, but don’t think this changes anything.”
“I could do this every single day,” I said, making sure she understood exactly what I was offering.
“Don’t use my son as a weapon, Liam,” she warned, her voice sharp.
“If your mommy says it’s okay,” I replied, wiping my face quickly.
“That’s playing dirty, Liam!” Chloe called out, laughing so hard she could barely speak. “You’re so confident that I’ll forgive you. Actually, you’re always confident about everything,” she said, sadness creeping into her voice.
She spun around and walked back into the apartment, leaving the door open behind her. Before I could rise from my knees, Leo’s excited shout reached my ears as he launched himself into my arms. The impact of his small body nearly knocked me over, but I caught him, my heart swelling with an overwhelming rush of affection.
I traced the curve of her cheek with my
fingertips and watched her eyes flutter closed
as she sighed. Moving closer, I kept my gaze locked on hers.
“Thank you so much, Liam! I love it! But I love that you’re here even more!” Leo whispered against my shoulder.
Walking past a gourmet chocolate boutique, inspiration struck. I went inside and selected their largest gift box, hoping the sweet gesture might soften Hazel’s resolve. “I’ll take your advice to heart. Maybe these chocolates will help tame the beast.”
