Chapter 302— Find Her or Lose Her

Chapter 302— Find Her or Lose Her
Tension is2 — Find Her or Lose Her

The bed beside Torres Rowan was cold.

That was the first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes.

His hand moved across the mattress instinctively, sliding over thethat smooth sheets as if expecting to find warmth there. For a brief second, his fingers searched the space beside him, reaching for the familiar presence that usually rested there.

But his hand met only empty fabric.

Torres’s brow slowly furrowed.

The room felt strangely quiet.

Too quiet.

He opened his eyes fully and sat up in bed, his sharp gaze scanning the bedroom carefully. Pale morning light slipped through the slightly parted curtains, spilling softly across the polished floor and the neatly arranged furniture.

Everything looked exactly the same as it had the night before.

Nothing appeared disturbed.

Except Hazel was not there.

A faint unease crept into his chest.

Hazel never left the room before he woke up. Not without telling him where she was going. Even when she woke early, she usually remained nearby.

But now, the room felt empty.

Torres pushed the blanket aside and stood up quickly, tension tightening across his shoulders. Something felt wrong, and the feeling grew stronger with each passing second.

He checked the bathroom first.

Empty.

Then he stepped out onto the balcony.

Still nothing.

The cool morning air brushed against his face as he scanned the garden below, half expecting to see Hazel walking along the paths.

But she wasn’t there.

Torres stepped back inside and walked into the hallway.

“Hazel?”

His voice echoed lightly down the corridor.

No answer came.

His steps grew quicker.

He moved through the manor, checking every place he could think of. One room after another. The guest rooms. The library. The small sitting rooms.

Every space was empty.

His frustration began rising steadily.

He walked into the kitchen next.

Nothing.

Then he stepped outside to the garden.

Still nothing.

The silence around him only deepened the uneasy feeling growing inside his chest.

By the time Torres returned inside the manor, a darker suspicion had begun forming in his mind.

Hazel was not the only one missing.

Elena was gone.

Dario was gone.

And the children were gone too.

Torres stopped in the middle of the hallway, his jaw tightening.

Something was definitely wrong.

He pulled out his phone immediately and dialed Hazel’s number.

The call didn’t connect.

A sharp silence followed.

Torres frowned and tried again.

Nothing.

Then the realization struck him like a sudden blow.

Hazel had blocked his number.

His fingers tightened slowly around the phone.

She had blocked him.

A cold weight settled deep in his chest.

Torres lowered the phone slowly and turned toward the sitting room where his mother usually spent her mornings.

If anyone knew where Hazel had gone, it would be her.

He found Camille sitting near the large window, calmly sipping her tea as the morning sunlight filtered gently through the glass.

She looked completely at ease.

As though nothing unusual had happened.

Torres stopped a few steps away from her.

“You really don’t know where she went?”

His voice carried frustration and disbelief.

Camille looked up at him calmly.

“I don’t.”

Her tone was simple.

Even.

But Torres knew his mother too well.

Too well.

If she truly had no idea where Hazel was, she would have been worried. She would have been restless, searching for answers.

Instead, she looked perfectly composed.

And that calmness betrayed her.

Torres’s frown deepened.

What the hell is going on?

He stared at her for another moment, hoping she might reveal something.

But Camille simply returned her attention to her tea.

Torres turned away abruptly.

If his mother would not tell him the truth, he would find it himself.

He pulled out his phone again and dialed his assistant.

“Track my wife,” he ordered coldly.

“I want to know where she is immediately.”

His assistant didn’t dare question the command.

Within an hour, the information arrived.

Torres read the message once.

Then he read it again.

His jaw tightened slowly.

Hazel had run away.

Without saying a word.

Without warning.

His wife had left him.

Torres stood there staring at the screen as if the words might somehow change.

They didn’t.

The truth remained the same.

Hazel had left him.

An hour later, Torres stepped off his private jet in Florence.

He had already canceled every meeting scheduled for the day.

Nothing else mattered.

Within minutes, he stood in front of his sister’s mansion.

The doors opened before he even had the chance to knock.

“What a surprise, Torres.”

Elena stood in the doorway, clearly amused by the sight of her brother.

She tried to hide the smile tugging at her lips.

Torres ignored the greeting completely.

“Where is my is wife?”

His voice was sharp.

Filled with impatience.

Elena shrugged casually.

“How should I know?”

Her tone remained calm.

“Shouldn’t you know better about your wife by now?”

Torres’s eyes narrowed immediately.

“Don’t get clever with me, Elena,” he growled.

“I’m here to take her back home.”

Standing nearby, Dario frowned slightly at the way Torres spoke to his wife. He stepped forward, clearly ready to intervene.

But Elena quickly shook her head.

A silent signal for his im to stay back.

She turned her attention back to her brother.

“Why do you want her to return, Torres?”

Her voice was calm but direct.

The question made him pause.

Before he could respond, Elena asked another.

“Do you love her, Torres?”

The words struck him like a sudden blow.

Torres froze.

Elena did not stop.

“Do you love her enough to spend the rest of your life with her?”

The second question left him completely silent.

Torres stood there, suddenly lost inside his own thoughts.

His heart began beating harder against his chest.

Memories rushed through his mind.

Hazel laughing.

Hazel arguing with him.

Hazel standing bravely in dangerous situations.

Hazel risking her life to save him.

Moment after moment flashed before his eyes.

And suddenly the truth became impossible to deny.

He loved her.

Not because he had to.

Not because of duty.

But deeply.

Completely.

The realization hit him with startling clarity.

He had known it from the moment he saw her standing beside Chloe that day.

From the moment he chose Hazel instead of the woman he once believed he loved.

Torres lifted his head again.

“Yes.”

The word came quietly.

But with certainty.

“I love her.”

Elena smiled brightly.

“Then go tell her.”

She gestured toward the staircase.

Torres did not hesitate.

He ran upstairs.

His footsteps echoed through the hallway until he reached the guest room door.

He stopped there, taking a few deep breaths.

Trying to calm the racing pulse in his chest.

Then he knocked.

The door opened.

Hazel stood there.

Their eyes met.

For a brief second, neither of them spoke.

Then Hazel tried to slam the door shut.

But Torres was faster.

His hand pressed against the door before it could close.

“Babe, please… just listen to me.”

His voice carried desperation.

“I’m not listening to anything you say,” Hazel replied sharply.

“Just leave.”

Her voice was cold.

But Torres refused to move.

“I won’t leave until you tell me why you ran away,” he insisted.

Hazel pushed against the door again.

“You dared me to leave, remember?” she snapped.

“So I did.”

Her eyes were icy.

“Now you can’t force me to come back, even if you find me.”

Hazel knew she was safe here.

Dario Moretti was just as powerful as Torres.

Maybe even more powerful.

If Elena had promised to protect her, Torres could not force her to leave.

“No, I could never challenge you, mon soleil,” Torres said softly.

“The Duchess always protects the Duke’s rights.”

His voice softened further.

“So I would never upset you, Ms. Montecarlo.”

Hazel narrowed her eyes immediately.

She understood exactly what he was doing.

In a single sentence, he had reminded her of her duty.

Her role.

Her place as his wife.

“Why should I go back with you?” Hazel demanded.

She raised her hand before he could answer.

“Give me one reason,” she said firmly.

“Other than the fact that I’m carrying your heir.”

Torres didn’t hesitate.

“Because I love you.”

His voice was raw.

Honest.

“And I can’t live without you.”

Hazel froze.

For a moment, the words stunned her.

Then her expression hardened again.

“Liar.”

Pain flickered in her eyes.

She knew him too well.

He would say anything to get what he wanted.

“No,” Torres insisted quietly.

“I’m telling you the truth, mon amour.”

His eyes held hers.

“I love you, Hazel Montecarlo.”

His voice remained steady.

“I love you more than anything in this world.”

Hazel’s eyes widened slightly.

Her anger began melting.

“Hazel… please give him a chance,” Elena said softly from behind them.

She had quietly stepped into the hallway.

Dario stood beside her.

“I know Torres is arrogant, unbearable, and extremely difficult to live with,” Dario added lightly.

Torres shot him an irritated glance.

Elena slapped her husband’s arm gently.

Dario chuckled before continuing.

“But he loves you.”

His voice became sincere.

“And trust me… we can all see it in his eyes.”

Torres stepped closer.

“Do you know what you are to me, mon bijou?”

His voice dropped to a whisper.

“You are my everything.”

His eyes never left hers.

“And I will spend the rest of my life proving it to you.”

Slowly, he released the door.

Hazel didn’t close it.

Instead, Torres stepped forward and wrapped his arms gently around her.

Behind them, Elena and Dario exchanged quiet smiles.

Without saying anything, they slipped away.

Leaving the couple alone.

“I’m not going to be convinced so easily, Mr. Montecarlo,” Hazel teased softly.

A small smile touched her lips.

“I’m not stopping until you believe me, ma reine,” Torres murmured.

He brushed his lips against hers.

“Just be mine forever.”

Hazel wrapped her arms around his neck.

And kissed him.

In that moment, she tried to believe it was real.

That she did not have to live the miserable life her parents once planned for her.

That her prince had truly come for her.

And that together they could build something beautiful.

A life built on love.

Trust.

And hope.

For the first time, Hazel allowed herself to believe that she could trust this man.

But Torres knew something she did not.

This was only the beginning of their journey together.

He had an entire lifetime ahead of him to prove that she had not made a mistake by choosing him.

And he was determined to spend every moment making her fall in love with him.

THE END