Chapter 0003

(Scott's POV)

As I watched Allison walk away through the window, heartbroken and scattered, a pang of guilt suffocated me. I had broken her so deeply after promising never to leave her side. The memory of her tear-streaked face haunted me, and I couldn’t shake off the weight of my betrayal.

The woman I love was carrying my child. That should’ve been something to celebrate, something to cherish. I wanted to rush to her, pull her into my arms, spin her around, and kiss her as I begged her to marry me. But I couldn’t. I had made a choice—a selfish choice. If my father discovered I got a woman pregnant, the opportunity he reluctantly gave to me would be gone in an instant.

My father hated me. To him, I was nothing more than a mistake—a product of his one-night stand with my late mother, who died giving birth to me. He never saw me as his son, and I grew up believing love was a weakness, something I didn’t need. But that changed the day I met Allison. She showed me what it meant to love and be loved. Her smile, her laughter, the way she looked at me like I mattered—she became my everything. When she agreed to be my girlfriend, I promised myself I would never let her go.

That promise crumbled the day my father called me with an offer I couldn’t refuse.

“Scott, you know what this means,” his voice echoed in my mind, cold and commanding. He had finally agreed to fund my studies in London, something I’d been denied for years. But there was a price—one cruel condition: I had to sever all ties in California, including Allison. According to him, she was a distraction, a dead weight holding me back from achieving greatness.

Blinded by my ambition and desperate to escape the shadow of being called a "mistake," I accepted his terms. That’s why I couldn’t tell Allison the real reason I broke up with her. What was the point? It wouldn’t change anything. I have made my decision to prioritize my dreams over the woman I loved and the life we could have had together.

Tears burned my eyes, but I blinked them away. What right did I have to cry when I was the one who chose ambition over love? Allison deserved better than me—better than a selfish man who was willing to abandon her and our unborn child. She has every right to hate me. I deserved her resentment.

A soft hand wrapped around my arm, pulled me from my thoughts. I turned to see Jenna, the woman I had introduced to Allison as my new girlfriend. I had been so consumed by thoughts of Allison that I forgot Jenna was still in the room.

Jenna was the daughter of a prominent family, someone my father had introduced me to the day he announced my trip to London. Her family’s influence was part of his grand plan for me, and he insisted I take her with me. Reluctantly, I agreed. To him, she was the perfect match—a stepping stone toward the success I craved.

“Who was that woman?” Jenna asked, her hands sliding up my arm. I let her touch me, knowing that any resistance could lead to complications. One word from her to my father, and everything I had worked for could come crashing down.

“She’s no one,” I replied, forcing a smile. The words tasted bitter on my tongue. Calling Allison “no one” felt like betraying her all over again, but what choice do I have?

“It didn’t look like she was no one to you, Scott,” Jenna pressed, her lips hovering dangerously close to mine. I turned my head just in time to avoid her kiss, masking the move as casual indifference.

“She’s no one, Jenna. Believe me.” I ran my fingers through her hair, a calculated move to distract her. “Let’s focus on our flight to London instead.”

My tactic worked. Jenna’s questions ceased, and the conversation shifted to our upcoming trip. But as we talked, she threw herself at me again, and this time, I didn’t resist. I gave in, not out of desire, but because it was the path I had chosen—the price I had to pay for success.

The day of our departure arrived faster than I expected. Before leaving, I made discreet inquiries about Allison and learned she has left California. I didn’t dig deeper to know where she relocated to. It was better this way. She deserved a fresh start, a life without me dragging her down. I convinced myself that it was for the best. We weren’t meant to be, not when I was willing to sacrifice her happiness for my ambitions.

In London, I poured myself into building my dream. Jenna, however, proved to be nothing more than a fleeting arrangement. One day, I discovered she was cheating on me.

“What we have isn’t love, Scott,” she said, her voice cold and detached. “This is just a duty we’re fulfilling for our parents. I’m sorry, but I love someone else, and I’m going to marry him.”

Her words didn’t sting. I had never loved her, and I never pretended to. She was merely a means to an end—a ticket out of California and into the life I wanted. With her gone, I locked my heart away and focused solely on my ambitions.

My goal was clear: to build my empire and prove my father wrong. Love had no place in my life anymore. Nothing mattered except achieving the success I had sacrificed so much for.

As for Allison, I thought about her often. The image of her walking away, broken and betrayed, haunted me in quiet moments. I wondered if she had moved on, if she was happy, if our child was growing up without knowing the selfish man who had chosen a dream over them.

It hurt, but I didn’t regret my decision. I was one step closer to becoming the man my father said I could never be. One step closer to proving him wrong, even if it meant I had to live with the guilt of breaking the heart of the only woman I had ever loved.