The Billionaire's Awakening: A Ruthless Divorce

Fever baked Hazel's little body. She drifted in and out, barely breathing. And my wife, Blair? She went completely off the grid at a theme park, partying for Jaxson’s birthday.

Jaxson belongs to Holden—the ex she forever obsessed over. I walked in from my business trip and found my daughter practically lifeless. Something inside me snapped.

I demanded a divorce. Blair called, screaming through the speaker. She gaslit me, spitting that I blew everything out of proportion. She swore I'd regret it.

But months later, Blair choked on her own tears, begging Hazel and me for forgiveness. I just laughed. Belated devotion comes cheaper than dirt. ...

Chapter 1 Blair and I were both slaves to our careers. We barely had time for Hazel.

I didn't even need to ask to know what our little girl wanted for her birthday—a trip to the theme park with both of her parents. So, I rushed to finish my project overseas.

I skipped sleep, caught a redeye flight, and carried the cake and the doll she’d been begging for all the way home. I wanted to surprise my girls. I pushed the front door open.

The massive house was dead silent. Even Shirley, our nanny, was nowhere to be found. Did Blair already take Hazel out to celebrate? It looked like my mad dash home was too late.

I headed up the stairs to the second floor. I figured I’d leave the cake and the doll on her bed, letting the little princess find them herself.

I could already picture that massive, toothy grin. She’d launch herself into my arms, smacking a kiss on my cheek, calling me Daddy in that sweet, highpitched voice.

The mere thought of it melted the exhaustion right out of my bones. I nudged her bedroom door open. Hazel was crumpled on the mattress. Her cheeks were flushed red.

She tossed in the tangled sheets, her tiny voice slurring together. "Mommy… Daddy… It hurts." I pressed my palm against her forehead. She was burning alive.

Panic spiked in my veins. I grabbed her, sprinted to the car, and tore out of the driveway straight to the ER. The doctor hooked Hazel up to an IV.

He stared at me in disbelief. "What kind of parent are you?" he asked sternly. "She's practically a toddler, and you wait until she's a furnace to bring her in?

Do you have any idea what this kind of fever does to a kid's brain? Unbelievable." I stood there and took the verbal beating, stammering out apologies.

I watched Hazel’s flushed face. Her eyelids fluttered shut, a weak, incoherent mumble slipping past her chapped lips every so often.

She was curled into a tight, trembling ball under the stark hospital lights. She must have been in so much agony. My throat tightened, making every breath hurt.

My heart ached for her. I would have given anything to take her place and bear the pain for her. Hours bled by. Thank God, the fever finally broke.

The harsh tension melted from her tiny features, her breathing evening out into a peaceful rhythm.

Only when the monitor showed her vitals stabilizing did my brain snap back to Blair. I yanked my phone out and dialed my wife. She picked up.

A blast of carnival music and chaotic laughter—kids screaming in joy, adults cheering—assaulted my ears.

The sheer volume of it made the dead silence of my house feel even heavier. "Harrison, what?" Blair’s voice clipped through the noise, dripping with impatience. "Could this not have been a text?" I hadn't even asked her where she was, and she was already snapping at me.

Maybe she was busy with something important, I told myself. Look at me, already making excuses for her. A sharp pulse throbbed behind my temples.

I dragged a heavy hand down my face, swallowing the surge of raw anger.

Even now, I couldn't bring myself to rip into her. "I should be asking you that," I forced my voice to stay level. "What could possibly be so important that you didn't even notice your own daughter burning up with a fever?" The line went dead quiet.

The background noise muffled slightly before she spoke, her tone faltering. "A fever? She was perfectly fine when I left.

She just complained about a tiny headache." Her casual dismissal felt like a physical slap.

The last thread of my patience snapped, my voice rising in the empty room. "Blair, are you out of your mind?

You knew Hazel was sick and you just left her in that massive house all by herself? Where the hell is Shirley? Why isn't she home?" Blair’s breathing hitched.

When she finally answered, the guilt was thick and heavy on her tongue. "Shirley… she came with me." Chapter 2 "Auntie Blair! Auntie Blair!

Take a picture of me!" a kid screamed through the speaker, vibrating with excitement. A little boy? Then, Blair’s voice cut in. Soft. Soothing. "Hold on a second, Jaxson." Jaxson.

Holden’s kid. The son of the man she never quite managed to get over. He was five. He shared the exact same birthday as Hazel. The ugly truth finally hit me.

Blair ditched her own flesh and blood—burning up with a fever in an empty house—to throw a birthday party for her ex’s kid. Was she out of her mind?

The sheer absurdity of it made my blood boil. "Blair!" I barked into the receiver. "You left your sick daughter home alone to take someone else’s kid to a theme park?" A heavy sigh came through the line.

Blair sounded dismissive. "Harrison, stop being so dramatic. Kids get sick.

It’s just a fever, she’ll sleep it off." "Besides," she added, her tone sharpening, "you know Jaxson doesn't have his parents around right now. He’s just a little boy.

Why are you acting so jealous over a kid? Whatever. We’ll talk when I get home." The line went dead. Beep. Beep. Beep.

I rubbed my throbbing temples. "Daddy, does your head hurt again?" I dropped my hands. Hazel was staring up at me, her large eyes blinking against the harsh hospital lights.

I swallowed the bile in my throat. I forced a smile and smoothed back her damp hair. "Just a little bit, sweetie." Her tiny face crumpled.

The usual bright spark in her eyes was totally extinguished. "Are you and Mommy fighting because of me?" she whispered. "It’s my fault, Daddy.

Please don’t be mad at her." My heart ached. Blair didn't deserve a fraction of this little girl's pure, unconditional love.

I gave her tiny fingers a gentle squeeze. "Never," I murmured. "You’re the best thing in the whole world, Hazel. Mommy and Daddy fighting has absolutely nothing to do with you.

The adult world is just… complicated.

You wouldn't understand yet." Hazel shoved her bottom lip out in a stubborn pout. "Don’t treat me like a baby," she mumbled. "I’m gonna grow up super fast!

Then I’ll see just how complicated it is." … Hazel spent three agonizing days in that hospital bed. Blair never showed up. She didn't even bother to call.

The silence cemented my decision. The marriage was dead. I carried Hazel through our front door, only to be met with a scene straight out of a Hallmark movie.

Blair was sitting on the living room rug, cradling Jaxson in her lap. They were whispering and giggling together. A pictureperfect mother and son.

A stranger walking in would never guess the kid wasn't hers. Beside me, Hazel lit up.

She launched herself across the hardwood floor like a tiny rocket. "Mommy!" Blair’s head snapped up. She froze.

Then, she threw her hands up, physically blocking our daughter from coming any closer. "Hazel, stop right there. You’re sick.

Stay away from Jaxson, you’re going to give him your germs." Suddenly, the living room fell quiet.

The only sound was the faint rustle of Hazel lifting her small fists to rub away the tears spilling down her cheeks. "Okay, Mommy." My jaw locked.

I crossed the room in two strides, scooping Hazel into my arms and burying her face against my shoulder. I shot a glacial glare at the nanny hovering in the corner. "Shirley.

Take the kids to their rooms. Now." Chapter 3 "Blair, what the hell is wrong with you? Why would you say that to Hazel?" Blair sat on the sofa.

She didn't even look up as she casually picked at her fresh manicure. "Harrison, are you crazy? Am I wrong? Do you want Jaxson catching her fever? Is that what you want?

Jaxson's parents live out of state right now. I'm keeping him company, so what? You're a grown man.

Why are you picking fights with a fiveyearold?" The sheer audacity on her face made my blood boil. "Unbelievable," I scoffed. "You care so much about someone else's kid, but do you even give a damn about Hazel?" Blair shot up from the couch.

Her eyes locked onto mine, defiant. "Of course I care about her! I'm her mother. How could I not?" I let out a bitter, humorless laugh. "You care about her?

You knew she had a raging fever! You left her alone in this empty house to throw a birthday party for your ex's kid! You call yourself her mother?

She spent three agonizing days in a hospital bed. You didn't show up once.

You didn't even bother to pick up the damn phone!" A flicker of guilt flashed across Blair's face, but she quickly masked it, lifting her chin. "I was just too busy.

Besides, she had you there. Me showing up wouldn't magically cure her. I don't hold a medical degree. Harrison, stop making a huge deal out of nothing!" I stared at her.

It felt like looking at a total stranger. I couldn't connect this cold, detached woman with the sweet girl I grew up with. "I'm not doing this with you, Blair.

I'm too exhausted to fight." A heavy silence stretched between us.

I dragged a long, exhausted breath into my lungs. "I want a divorce." Blair stared at me like I just grew a second head.

Then, she let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Have you lost your mind? You seriously want to pull this over a simple fever? I'll just assume you're throwing a tantrum.

I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that." She spun on her heel and marched up the stairs. We survived our share of screaming matches before. But I never dropped the Dword.

Never. She clearly thought I just made empty threats to get her attention. But the thought festered since the moment I saw Hazel convulsing in pain.

I could handle her cold shoulder. I could handle her petty tantrums. Because I loved her. But I drew the absolute line at my daughter.

Hazel didn't deserve to become collateral damage. I collapsed onto the sofa. My mind drifted back, unearthing memories I buried deep. Blair and I grew up together.

Childhood sweethearts. Our families practically planned our wedding before we hit high school. And honestly? I completely bought into the fairy tale too.

But history didn't stand a chance against a shiny new obsession. Sophomore year of college, she fell head over heels for Holden.

He lived as a broke indie art student with nothing but a sketchpad and a sob story. They ignored all the massive red flags.

Her parents threatened to cut her off, but she didn't care. Back then, Blair's family money flowed like water. She reigned as the ultimate "It Girl," practically untouchable.

But a princess locked in an ivory tower had zero clue how brutal the real world actually operated. By graduation, her family's company went under. They lost absolutely everything.

The spoiled heiress suddenly had to hustle three parttime jobs just to make rent. Right on cue, Holden bailed.

He scored an overseas scholarship and dumped her at the airport terminal. Under the double blow, she finally yielded to the harsh reality.

She came crawling back to me, choking on her tears, begging me to honor our old engagement and bail her family out of bankruptcy. Chapter 4 My parents stepped in.

Out of decades of loyalty and watching Blair grow up, they agreed to honor the old arrangement, pulling her family back from the brink of financial ruin. Honestly? I was thrilled.

I grew up with Blair. She anchored every major milestone of my life. I couldn't even pinpoint when my feelings shifted from childhood loyalty to a deep, unconditional love.

Maybe it was the quiet, everyday moments. Maybe it was the way her eyes lit up every time I surprised her. I convinced myself Holden was just a glitch in our timeline. A phase.

How could a starving artist wipe out a decade of history? But standing here in this empty living room, the truth hit me like a freight train. I lost. I lost everything.

And I dragged my daughter into the wreckage. You can't force a dead heart to beat.

I poured my soul into her, stupidly believing my endless devotion would eventually melt her frozen heart. It didn't.

She felt absolutely nothing for me, and that icy indifference bled right down to Hazel. Blair treated our little girl like a mild inconvenience.

Yet Hazel clung to her with a blind, desperate need for her mom. She threw herself at Blair's frozen walls, over and over, never giving up.

Meanwhile, Blair was still utterly obsessed with Holden. And because she loved him, she adored Jaxson.

She worshipped a child that wasn't even hers. … I dragged myself upstairs to Hazel’s room. Sure enough, a tiny lump trembled under the duvet.

She was muffling her sobs—a coping mechanism she picked up way too young. I couldn't help but smile, walking over quietly and gently pulling the covers back. Hazel gasped.

Her face was flushed, wet, and totally streaked with tears. She instantly slapped her small hands over her eyes, frantically scrubbing at the wetness. "Mean Daddy!

You scared me!" I chuckled, reaching down to ruffle her tangled hair. "Okay, okay, I'm the bad guy.

But who let this messy little raccoon into our house?" Hazel scrunched up her nose, wiping her tears right across my cheek. A bright giggle finally broke through. "Hahaha!

Now you're a messy raccoon too!" I laughed, the crushing weight in my chest loosening just a fraction at her childish logic.

Then, her smile flatlined. "Daddy, does Mommy… not like me?" She blinked up at me, a desperate, fragile hope swimming in her glossy eyes. I couldn't do it.

I couldn't crush her. "Of course she likes you, Hazel.

How could anyone not love the sweetest girl in the whole world?" The spark ignited in her eyes instantly, her voice jumping an octave. "Really?

You're not lying to me?" I gently pinched her cheek. "I promise." Hazel grabbed my hand, a bright, blinding grin splitting her face. "Then don't be mad at Mommy anymore, okay?

I just want us to be happy!" I stared down at her sweet, hopeful face and let out a heavy sigh. "You're way too little to be carrying all this worry in your head." Hazel's fever was gone, but the pediatrician demanded a followup appointment this morning.

Downstairs, Blair descended the staircase with Jaxson trailing closely behind. The little boy practically hid behind Blair's legs, peeking out to mumble a shy, "Hi, Mr.

Harrison." I wasn't about to unleash my toxic marriage onto a fiveyearold. I forced a polite smile. "Hey, Jaxson. Grab a seat.

Breakfast is ready." Blair's shoulders visibly dropped. She exhaled a long breath, instantly shifting into denial mode.

She started making trivial small talk, acting like the massive argument last night never happened.

Then, Hazel's tiny voice cut through the domestic illusion. "Mommy, are you coming to the hospital with me today?" Chapter 5 Blair patted Hazel's head, flashing a tight smile. "I can't, baby.

I have to drop Jaxson off at kindergarten. Daddy is going with you." "Okay." The disappointment crashed over Hazel's tiny features. After breakfast, Blair grabbed Jaxson's backpack.

She tossed a careless goodbye over her shoulder before walking out the door. "Drive safe." … At the hospital, the pediatrician gave Hazel a clean bill of health.

The heavy knot in my chest finally unraveled. "Daddy, am I all better?" "Yep, but you still have to finish your medicine." Hazel scrunched up her little face. "It tastes so gross!" I burst out laughing, the lingering tension finally fading away.

We walked right into Blair and Holden in the middle of the hospital lobby. Holden looked like he just lost a bar fight.

His face was a bruised, swollen mess, and he leaned heavily against Blair's side. Blair froze the second she locked eyes with me. Her jaw worked, but no sound came out.

She stammered for a full minute. "Harrison… I… Holden got hurt…" Holden’s gaze flicked to me.

He instantly pressed himself even closer into Blair's personal space. "Harrison, it's my fault. I got busted up, and Blair practically dragged me here.

Please don't take this the wrong way!" He didn't even wait for a response before turning his pathetic puppydog eyes on my wife. "Blair, it hurts so bad." I blocked out the pathetic excuses.

I just wanted to grab Hazel and walk away. Blair looked at me awkwardly, as if she was afraid I would embarrass Holden. I let out a hollow laugh. I didn't love her anymore.

Her blatant disrespect didn't even sting. I met Blair's panicked stare with a deadpan smile. "You better hurry.

Go save his life before he literally drops dead in the lobby." Blair’s eyes darted between me and the bruised mess clinging to her.

Without another word, she hooked her arm around Holden and hauled him toward the examination rooms. I watched them walk away. A bitter, selfdeprecating laugh scraped up my throat.

Harrison, you absolute fool. This was Blair making her choice, loud and clear. My deep love for this woman had completely blinded me to reality.

It was time to pull the plug before I ruined my life any further.

Hazel tugged hard on my index finger, snapping me back to reality. "Daddy, didn't Mommy say she wasn't coming to the hospital today?" I crouched down, meeting her confused gaze. "Hazel, Mommy is out here saving lives.

Didn't you see that man? He was in so much pain he practically looked dead." Hazel gave a slow, hesitant nod. She clearly didn't buy it completely, but she accepted my excuse.

I bit the inside of my cheek to kill the grim laugh bubbling up. Staying home with Hazel put me massively behind on my projects.

I locked myself in the study that night, fully prepared to pull an allnighter. Knock. Knock. "Harrison, I'm coming in." Blair pushed the heavy oak door open.

Now that was a plot twist.

She usually forgot this room even existed in our massive house. "Harrison," she purred. "I just wanted to chat." I dragged my eyes away from my glowing monitor.

Blair stood there in a sheer silk nightgown that clung to her curves, highlighting her figure. "Don't work yourself to death," she cooed, batting her eyelashes.

She played the perfect, doting wife to a tee. When I didn't immediately drop everything to worship her, she crossed the room.

She hooked her manicured fingers around my shirt sleeve, sliding into my personal space. "Harrison, stop being so mad at me. Holden got into a massive brawl today.

I only took him to the ER to make sure he wasn't concussed. Don't be so petty." I shoved her hand off my arm.

A cold, sharp sneer twisted my lips. "Blair, you somehow found the time to rush your ex to the ER. But making time for Hazel was just too impossible?" Chapter 6 Blair flinched.

The sweet, doting wife act instantly dissolved, replaced by a dark, ugly scowl. "Harrison, stop acting unhinged!" she snapped. "Hazel had you sitting right next to her.

Holden literally has no one else." She crossed her arms, glaring down at me. "Stop picking fights over nothing. I'm throwing you a bone here, Harrison.

Take it." A dry, hollow laugh escaped my lips. She didn't come in here to fix our marriage. She dressed up to run damage control for Holden. I should have known.

The only people who ever got this kind of VIP treatment from Blair were Holden and his kid.

Blair bristled. "What the hell are you laughing at?" she demanded, her voice pitching into a shrill register. "Have I been too accommodating to you lately, Harrison?" I felt zero urge to bite back.

Falling out of love was brutally simple. She could stand right next to me, making sarcastic remarks, and I would feel absolutely nothing.

I locked eyes with her, my face a total blank slate. "The kids are asleep. Do you want to wake them up?" I turned back to my glowing monitor. "I'm not doing this with you tonight.

I have actual work to do. Get out." Blair stared at me in shock.

She wasn't used to me shutting her down like this. "Harrison, stop being so utterly unreasonable!" she hissed. "You're rejecting my olive branch.

Don't expect me to ever offer another one. You are going to deeply regret this." I didn't give her a single word in response. I just started typing.

A heavy silence dragged on for a moment before she spun on her heel and slammed the door behind her. … The next morning, the house was thick with ice.

We moved around each other like ghosts, not dropping a single word. But Hazel became the collateral damage.

Blair went out of her way to dote on Jaxson right in front of Hazel, treating our daughter like she didn't exist.

When I dropped Hazel off at kindergarten, the little girl was visibly upset. … I dialed my office from the car. "Sutton, run a full background check on someone named Holden." "Right away, Mr.

Harrison," my secretary replied sharply. I finally caught a breath after a chaotic morning of backtoback meetings. My phone buzzed loudly on the desk.

It was Hazel's kindergarten. "Hello?" I answered, a sense of dread pooling in my stomach. "Hi, is this Hazel's dad?" the teacher's voice wavered. "We need you to come down to the school immediately.

There's been an incident…" I floored my car all the way to the kindergarten. Hazel was the sweetest, most ruleabiding kid on the planet. She didn't just get into fights.

Something was seriously wrong. I shoved the classroom door open. Hazel was huddled in a tiny ball in the corner, furiously swiping at her eyes.

The second she saw me, she launched herself across the room and crashed into my legs. "Daddy, I didn't bully Jaxson!" she sobbed into my pants. "He started saying mean things first!" Her eyes were bloodshot.

Wet, sticky tears completely coated her flushed cheeks. My chest caved in. I dropped to my knees, gathering her tiny, shaking frame into my arms. "Shh, it's okay, Hazel.

I believe you." I pressed a firm kiss to her messy hair. "Daddy's right here. Nobody is going to mess with you." A few minutes later, the door swung open.

Holden strolled in, gripping Jaxson's hand.

He locked eyes with me, a smug, arrogant smirk pulling at the bruised corner of his mouth. "Harrison," he chuckled, playing the chill, reasonable guy. "Kids get into squabbles all the time, right?

I heard your girl shoved my boy. Just have Hazel spit out a quick apology to Jaxson, and we’re good.

Otherwise, Blair is going to be incredibly pissed off when she gets here." Blair. He tossed her name out with such sickening intimacy.

The guy practically wanted a billboard announcing his toxic hold over my wife. I stood up, stepping deliberately in front of my daughter.

A glacial smile spread across my face. "My daughter didn't do a damn thing wrong.

She isn't apologizing to anyone." Chapter 7 The teacher probably noticed the awkward atmosphere between us and hurried over to mediate. "Mr. Holden, Mr.

Harrison, here’s what happened.

During lunch today, Jaxson and Hazel got into a little argument… and then…" She shot a nervous, desperate glance my way. "Hazel lost her temper and shoved Jaxson." Holden shot me a smug, challenging smirk. "Hear that, Harrison?

Hazel threw the first punch." Before he could even finish his gloating, the classroom door banged open. Blair rushed in.

She froze the second she spotted me, but her eyes immediately darted straight past me. "Holden…" She dropped to her knees, completely bypassing our daughter to pull Jaxson into a hug. "Jaxson, are you hurt?" Hazel's tiny fingers clamped around my hand in a death grip.

A violent tremor rocked her small frame. Was Blair completely delusional? Did she literally forget which kid she actually birthed?

She whipped her head toward Hazel, her tone instantly dropping into a harsh, freezing reprimand. "Hazel, apologize to Jaxson right now. Tell him you were wrong to push him.

Your father has completely spoiled you rotten!" Holden chimed in. With Blair in the room, his whole demeanor flipped into the understanding, gentle single dad. "Blair, it's fine.

Kids squabble all the time. Just a quick apology from Hazel and we’ll drop it. They'll be best friends again by tomorrow." Hazel just stared at Blair.

Massive, silent tears spilled over her lashes, hitting the floorboards.

I took a jagged breath, doing everything in my power not to lose my damn mind. "Blair, why don't you actually listen to your daughter's side of the story?

How is she supposed to face anyone in this school if you just blindside her like this?" Blair rolled her eyes, dripping with utter impatience. "Harrison, this is your fault for coddling her!" "Don't you yell at my daddy!" Hazel, my tiny, trembling fiveyearold, threw herself squarely in front of my legs, shielding me. "I didn't bully Jaxson!" Hazel screamed, her voice cracking with raw devastation. "He said Mommy is going to divorce Daddy!

He said Mommy is going to marry his daddy, and I'm going to be a motherless loser! Bad Mommy! I'm never talking to you again!" Everyone in the room froze.

Blair and Holden's faces immediately changed. Holden held Jaxson, his voice involuntarily raising a pitch. "Jaxson, did you say that?" Jaxson's eyes darted around.

He stuttered, shrinking back against the wall, looking completely guilty.

Holden doubled down, his voice pitching into a panicked snarl. "Did you say it?" Jaxson burst into heavy sobs. "But Daddy… isn't that what you told me?" The kid mumbled it through his tears, but in the dead silence, the words dropped like a live grenade.

Blair looked physically sick. A violent shade of green washed over her face