The Billionaire's Last Love - almost 5 years ago

There was another flash of lightning and a loud roar of thunder followed, but both of them seemed to be bothered. Right then and there, the world could end but nothing else would matter more than their topic of discussion. Sancho couldn't believe his eyes. Even more, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He’d ask Clementine to say it again but he already asked twice and even then, he still couldn’t believe it.

“What would you do if I didn’t agree?”

“If you won't have her, I'll put her up for adoption.”

“I knew you were ambitious, but damn it, Clementine, I didn't know you were this fucking selfish.”

If this proves anything, it is the truth that she is rotten to the core. Whatever affection was left was gone and what remained was the intense hate he felt for this woman.

“When you left me, you told me not to look for you, so I didn’t. No questions asked. And now, this?”

She knows what she wants, and she’d do everything she can to get it. As Sancho has told her before, ‘Even the devil couldn’t stop you, Clementine.’

“I won't stop you. Go and curse me all you want. If you want, you can slap me. I’ll take it all.”

“And you even dare make me the bad person here. I’m not the one who left, and I’m certainly not the one who came back only to leave again.” Sancho touched her face. She was still the same beautiful woman he loved before. There were dark circles under her eyes, and she looked restless as heck, but nothing could affect her beauty. “I really liked you, you know. I didn’t care if you had nothing. I was willing to give you everything.”

“And that is why I can’t be with you. You’d give me everything just so I could be yours… but I’m not yours, Sancho. No one owns me.”

Sancho laughed sarcastically. Her feistiness and being direct were on top of the reason why he liked her. Now, that same attitude made him loathe her so much. It would be a sin to hate someone this much and he’s willing to burn himself in hell just so he could curse this woman.

“I need your answer now. Will you take the baby?”

“Where is this baby you're talking about? How would I know if you’re not fooling me for some money?”

“I don’t want your money, Sancho. I never wanted it.”

“How would I know? If, in the first place, you are someone I could never trust.”

Sancho knew though that she was telling the truth. Clementine never cared about his net worth or how much he was set to inherit. 

She had a tough expression on her face but her tears kept on betraying her. Sancho was taken aback when she suddenly kneeled in front of him. “I didn’t want to have her in the first place. I was… I wanted to get rid of the baby. It was an out for the both of us.” Her voice was shaking. With the guilt on her face, Sancho knows that she is telling the truth. “I told myself, ‘I’ll go to the clinic next week.’ and then a week passed and I’d say the same thing. I couldn’t do it, Sancho. When I heard her heartbeat… I… You always told me you wanted a family, and that kept playing in my head.”

She was right. He grew up in a nontraditional household where the priority was money and power. He was raised by tutors and nannies. He counts his blessings and is thankful for what he has, but he wouldn’t do the same thing to his future family. Where staying in the same home with his parents and spending time with his own family was a luxury he couldn’t afford, even with the money they had.

Perhaps he’s at fault too. He got involved with Clementine, knowing she’d never be welcomed in his family. She can never be his wife. Whatever they had, it was doomed from the very beginning. He was groomed to play one of the most important roles in their group of companies, and Clementine… she has nothing but her dreams.

“We never would have worked,” Sancho admitted.

“I know. I shouldn’t have gotten involved with you.”

He wanted to say the same, but the truth was, he had no regrets. He enjoyed every moment he spent with Clementine. He loved hearing his opinions, looking at her face, feeling her lips, and just loving everything about her. That is why he couldn’t drive her away. A part of him was relieved that Clementine was the one who left him. That way, he wouldn’t have to muster the courage to do the same thing.

“I’m getting married,” Sancho confessed. It was more of a business proposal, but a marriage nonetheless—a gain for both families.

Clementine’s lips parted in surprise. “I-I didn’t know.” She lost her balance trying to stand up, and before Sancho could catch her in her arms, she stood up without his help. “Forget this… Forget any of this happened. I’m… I’ll… I shouldn’t have come here.”

“Have you really lost your mind? You came here without warning, telling me I have a child, and you’ll walk away? Just like that?”

“What do you want me to do?” She cried. “Tell me, Sancho, because honestly, I don’t know what to do. I don’t have money. At this point, I don’t even have pride. I have a baby with me that I don’t even want to call mine!”

His hand hovered in the air, tense and shaking. If this conversation has proven anything, it is that Clementine is a terrible woman. It was a mystery how he ended up liking her. If he regrets one thing in his life, it was meeting this woman he promised to hate forever.

“That kid didn’t ask to be born. It’s not the child’s fault that you're wallowing in despair. You’re a horrible person, that’s already established, but you’re nothing better than trash. You don’t deserve to be a mother.”

“I know,” she whispered. “And I know how terrible I sound and how cruel this is. That kid… that kid deserves someone better. I’m not ready to be a Mom.”

“You should never be one.”

“If… if you take her, I promise never to get involved. Raise her as your own, Sancho, and I promise you’ll never hear from me again. You can have the family you’ve always wanted. You, the baby… and your future wife.”