Chapter 1 – The First Love
Hazel was only twenty-six but she carried the weight of her feelings like someone much older. She lived in New York with her parents, who were educated, respected, and who gave her everything they could. She grew up in love and comfort. People often said she was lucky. She was beautiful, with soft eyes and a gentle smile, but Hazel herself never thought beauty mattered much. What mattered to her was loyalty, trust, and a heart that could stay true. That was why, when she chose Oliver, she thought she had chosen love for life.
Hazel and Oliver had been together for six years. She was still in college when they first started their relationship. For Hazel, it was her first experience of love, and she believed it would also be her last. “When my heart chose Oliver,” she often whispered to herself, “it was not about looks or wealth. It was simply because I felt safe with him.” Oliver was very handsome, so many girls looked at him, but Hazel said, “I never loved his face, I loved his soul.” She believed these words so deeply that she never questioned them.
Hazel was not a girl who gave her trust easily. She did not make friends quickly. She spoke little and always focused on her studies. But with Oliver, she had opened her heart fully. She would spend hours listening to his dreams. Sometimes she wondered if those dreams were real, because Oliver was never serious about anything. Yet Hazel told herself, “Love will change him. My love will give him strength.” When she spoke to him, her eyes filled with hope.
Her parents noticed she was often lost in her thoughts. They trusted her but they did not know yet about Oliver. Hazel told herself again and again, “One day I will introduce him. But first, he must show that he can stand on his own feet.” She wanted her parents to feel proud of her choice. She wanted to see her father Jackson look at Oliver and say, “Yes, this boy is good enough for my daughter.” That wish stayed inside her like a fire.
Hazel would often push Oliver gently, sometimes firmly. She said, “Please, do something for yourself. Get up in the morning and think about your future. I want to stand beside you in front of my parents. I want them to see the man I love is not weak.” Oliver would smile, take her hand, and say, “Babe, you worry too much. You are my life, you are my everything.” His voice was soft, his words sweet, and Hazel’s heart would melt. She believed him again and again, even when her doubts tried to rise.
At times Hazel felt the world was against her. Friends warned her. Some said, “Oliver is not good enough. He is not serious. He loves your money more than he loves you.” But Hazel shut her ears. She told them, “You don’t understand. When you truly love someone, you don’t count qualities. You don’t compare. You just love.” Her friends shook their heads, but Hazel stayed firm. She believed loyalty was stronger than warnings.
The years passed slowly. Hazel grew older, her studies moved forward, but Oliver stayed the same. He was handsome, yes, but he was lazy. He had no plans, no work, no achievements. Hazel’s heart was torn. She wanted to believe his words, but she also saw his actions. Still, she said, “I will hold him up. If he cannot walk alone, I will carry him.” That was the kind of woman Hazel was — soft, loyal, selfless.
Sometimes, late at night, she asked him directly, “Oliver, do you really love me? Tell me the truth. Is it me you love, or is it the money I give you, the support I offer?” Oliver never changed his answer. He always said, “Hazel, don’t doubt me. You are my life. Without you, I am nothing.” And Hazel, with tears in her eyes, would believe him once more.
Her parents had no idea of the silent battles in Hazel’s heart. They saw her smiling but they did not see her worries. They noticed her studying but did not know how much of her time went to Oliver. They saw their daughter as strong, but inside, Hazel was soft as glass. She wanted to protect her love at any cost. She told herself, “I will fight the world for Oliver if I must.”
Hazel sometimes imagined her wedding day. She thought of standing in her white dress, holding Oliver’s hand, and introducing him proudly to her family. But the dream was far from reality. She knew deep inside that her father would never accept Oliver as he was. She whispered to Oliver, “Please, make me proud. Please show the world that you can be the man I see in you.” Oliver only kissed her hand and smiled. He had no urgency, no fire, no hunger.
Yet Hazel’s love stayed strong. She believed patience was part of loyalty. She believed sacrifice was part of love. She told herself, “I am not weak. I am waiting because I believe in him.” The truth was harder, but Hazel was not ready to face it.
Her life, her love, her trust — all of it rested on Oliver. She had given six years of her youth to him. She thought, “If he is not my future, then all these years mean nothing. I cannot let that be true.” That thought alone kept her tied to him. She fought her doubts with tears, and she fought the world with silence. Hazel’s story of love had only begun, but already, pain was sitting quietly in the corner of her heart.
And as Hazel lay awake at night, holding her phone, waiting for Oliver’s call, she whispered, “You are my first love. Please, Oliver, don’t let me down. Don’t break me. Don’t make me regret my choice.” She closed her eyes, hoping tomorrow would be different. But tomorrow always looked the same.
