Chapter 225: I CAN HANDLE YOU
It was always on the back of Logan’s mind, but he kept pushing back the memory, thinking it was not a big deal.
However, the more he thought about it, the more he felt the need to tell Hazel what had happened at the bar that night.
Logan then recalled everything. "I don’t wish to cause trouble in your marriage, though." He raised both of his arms in a surrender gesture. "I only want to know what’s going on and what he has done to me, because it didn’t seem right."
To Logan’s surprise, even though Hazel listened to him, her expression didn’t change at all, as if she was waiting for the climax of the story. She looked disappointed when it was done.
"And then?" Hazel raised her brows after Logan rambled about how he didn’t mean to cause trouble and for Hazel to talk gently to Ranon. He also asked if Ranon had ever mistreated her or if she was under pressure in this house.
Well, his concern was cute, though. But it was very unnecessary.
"What do you mean by ’and then’?" Logan frowned. "Are you listening to me?"
"I am."
"No, you are not." Logan squinted his eyes; he was not happy with the lukewarm response he got from Hazel.
She didn’t seem concerned with the fact that her husband had threatened him for information.
"Okay, let me start this again." Logan then began to reiterate what he had already told Hazel, but she stopped him mid-sentence.
"I heard you, duh." Hazel rolled her eyes dramatically. "So, why? He asked you questions."
"He threatened me to get the answer; he... kidnapped me!" Logan didn’t find the word right, but he couldn’t find another way to describe it. That was the closest term that he could think of.
"Kidnapped you?"
"Yes, he surrounded me with his people. He didn’t let me go."
"So, why did I see you the next day?"
"Because... he let me go."
Hazel raised her brows because Logan contradicted himself, and he also realized it, which made him even more frustrated.
"He asked you questions about me; what is wrong with that?" Hazel shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly and then sipped her cucumber juice. "It’s normal for him to want to know me better."
"Why didn’t he use a more conventional method? He could invite me for a drink or a dinner to ask me questions about you."
"He invited you to the bar to drink, didn’t he?"
Logan opened his mouth and closed it again before he grunted in frustration; he was too angry to speak, but then, he didn’t know how to make Hazel understand what he meant.
"Whatever!" Logan groaned. He leaned against the sofa, feeling dejected. He thought he would give Hazel a heads-up, but she seemed very relaxed about it. "Does he treat you well?"
"Much better than the Roses."
"You don’t need to make that remark." Logan grimaced. He didn’t know that his sister was holding a grudge.
Hazel glanced at Logan and offhandedly asked him a question. "Why did you bully me all those years?"
That didn’t matter to her, but it was good to know why Logan seemed to hate Hazel so much; yet, he changed drastically and even looked out for her.
Too bad it was too late. The real Hazel had gone. Even if he tried to make amends, it would be a waste. Obviously, Hazel couldn’t tell him this.
On the other hand, Logan was taken aback by Hazel’s question; he didn’t expect the topic to change to this.
But he chose his words carefully to answer the question. "I was young and dumb."
"And now, you are old and still dumb."
Hearing that, Logan groaned at her in frustration. "Can you please let me finish?"
"Sure; go on." Hazel flashed him a harmless smile.
"Ugh! You ruined the mood!" Logan explained to her why he had treated her so poorly all those years. "Dad always has Dylan in his eyes. He was, and he is, a perfect son in his eyes. He is business-driven, cunning, and smart—everything he wants in someone who will run his company someday. But look at me."
Logan let out a self-deprecating laugh and waved to himself.
"I am nothing like Dylan. I am the opposite of him, but I always want his approval. Deep down, I think I only want him to look at me and pay attention to me. Even though I got his attention through bad behavior, I got it anyway."
Logan then turned around to look at Hazel.
"I believe you are the same, too. You tried to be very obedient. In a way, you wanted to make Dad happy and proud of you. Unfortunately, he will not stop seeing you as a murderer of his wife. No hard feelings about that. You know it’s true."
"None is taken."
From the memories of the original Hazel, Hazel knew. Even though those feelings had started to fade away by now, just as the original Hazel had died.
Those feelings and memories felt like a distant dream.
In a way, Logan was right. Hazel tried not to be present because she knew from a young age that her father and brothers hated her. She tried to seek her father’s acknowledgment by being very obedient, just like Dylan, but of course, it resulted in a different effect.
"Well, I saw you as an opportunity. Dad and Dylan treated you poorly most of the time. They resented you, and even from a young age, I picked up that feeling, and I thought if I treated you poorly, I could be a part of them. Silly, I know, but like I told you, I was dumb. I want to be a part of that father-son bond that Dad shares with Dylan."
Strangely enough, Hazel could understand that. Hazel and Logan were two kids who were seeking their father’s approval, trying to get his attention in whatever their childish minds could think of.
"I think that once you start doing something for years, it will be difficult to stop. I don’t hate you, Hazel; I don’t really remember our mother. I was so young when she died that I didn’t really understand the resentment. It was Dad’s attention that I was seeking."
Logan told Hazel that at the time he thought that treating her well might cause him to be left behind. It was like befriending people who didn’t share the same interests but forcing yourself to spend time with them and do the things they did, even when you disagreed.
"And what changed you?"
"I don’t know, maybe when I felt that you had changed." Logan turned his head and looked at Hazel intensely. "I felt you suddenly changed, Hazel. It felt as if... I was losing my sister. I don’t know. Even now, I still don’t feel quite right around you. Something is off."
"Well, the old Hazel is dead," Hazel replied offhandedly.
***
Later that night, when Hazel was watching Peni and Ashlyn playing before she left, Ranon called her.
Hazel didn’t interact with Ashlyn much aside from what was necessary, such as breastfeeding her and spending time with her. Hazel still felt disconnected from her baby.
It was not right, but she didn’t know how to fix it.
"I am downstairs; come here and have a movie night with me," Ranon said, and Hazel laughed because she remembered what she had said that morning. She was surprised that he had taken it seriously.
"Why all of a sudden? I have not yet put on my makeup."
"There is no need for that. You are beautiful even without them."
Hazel scrunched her nose when she heard those cheesy words, but a wide grin on her lips told anyone who saw her that she was very happy. "I will be right there."
Then, Ranon asked about Ashlyn. Hazel reassured him that their baby was well taken care of. She then told him that she would be there in fifteen minutes.
Renna, who knew what had happened, was happy for her. "It’s great that he still dates you even when you have a baby. Go. Go. Being a parent doesn’t mean you have to be a boring adult!" Renna was excited for Hazel.
She knew both Hazel and Ranon wouldn’t neglect Ashlyn. More often than not, Ranon would change and bathe his daughter whenever he was around, but he had been busy again recently; therefore, it was also a good thing that he still spared his time for his wife.
Twenty minutes later, Hazel came in simple flannel pants and a white t-shirt. She looked fresh and young with thin makeup. She was also wearing a football cap, and her hair cascaded down her back.
"You are late by five minutes," Ranon said. He approached her and pecked her on the lips.
"You are so petty." Hazel grabbed his arms. "So, what will we watch?"
"You choose."
Ranon was not fond of watching a movie, but he did it because it made Hazel happy. He had been very busy lately, and he didn’t want her to feel neglected and run off to do something dangerous.
"Are you sure you can handle a horror movie?" Hazel teased because she had never seen Ranon watch one before, nor did she know that he liked that type of movie.
"I can handle you." Ranon kissed the top of her head as he opened the car door for her.
The smile dropped from Hazel’s face. "What does that mean?!" This man could be very sweet in one second and infuriating in the next!