Chapter 1

ELARA POV

The room was filled with a heavy silence that seemed to suffocate me. I stood there, trembling, holding the positive pregnancy test results in my hand. My heart was beating so fast, a mix of fear, nervousness, and a foolish sense of hope.

I was pregnant. Two months pregnant with his child.

I looked up as the door opened, and he walked in, Kael. The man who owned every piece of my heart. He looked as charming and handsome as ever, wearing his casual yet expensive attire, a smirk playing on his lips as he looked at me.

“Hey, babe. You’re early,” he said casually, walking towards the mini-bar to pour himself a drink, acting as if everything was normal.

I bit my lower lip, gathering all the courage I had left. This was it. I needed to tell him. Maybe... maybe he would change. Maybe hearing about the baby would make him realize that we could be a family.

“Kael...” I called his name softly, my voice already shaking.

He turned around, taking a sip of his whiskey, raising an eyebrow at me. “What’s wrong? You look pale.”

I took a deep breath, stepping closer to him. My hands instinctively went to my stomach, protecting the little life growing inside me.

“I... I have something to tell you,” I started, tears already threatening to fall. “I went to the doctor today. And... and I’m pregnant, Kael. We’re going to have a baby.”

I waited. I waited for him to be shocked, to be happy, or even to be angry. But I never expected the reaction I saw next.

The smirk on his lips slowly faded, replaced by a look of pure annoyance and disgust. He put down his glass on the table with a loud thud, crossing his arms over his chest, looking at me as if I had just committed a huge crime.

“Pregnant?” he spat out the word like it was poison. “Are you serious, Elara? Are you fucking serious?”

His tone was sharp, cold, and full of hatred. It pierced through my heart like a thousand knives.

“Y-Yes...” I stuttered, taking a step back. “It’s your child, Kael. Our child—”

“Cut the crap!” he shouted, cutting me off. He walked closer to me, towering over my small frame, his eyes burning with anger. “There is no ‘our’ child, Elara! Do you think this is a joke? Do you think I want a brat from you?”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My tears started to fall freely, streaming down my face. “W-What are you saying? This is your responsibility! I thought... I thought you loved me!”

He let out a sarcastic laugh, a laugh that held no humor, only mockery.

“Love?” he repeated, looking at me with so much disdain. “Elara, look at yourself. Do you really think a guy like me would ever fall in love with a girl like you? Wake up! Stop living in your fantasy world!”

Every word he spoke was like a heavy blow to my chest, making it harder and harder for me to breathe.

“B-But... all this time... everything we did... everything you said...” I sobbed, clutching my shirt tightly. “You held me, you kissed me, you said I was special...”

“Special?” He scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. “I said those things so you would open your legs for me, Elara! Is it not obvious enough? I never loved you. I never had any feelings for you. You were just... convenient. You were just good in bed.”

The world around me seemed to spin. My knees felt weak, and I almost collapsed if I didn’t hold onto the wall for support.

“You mean... everything was a lie?” I whispered, my voice broken.

“Of course it was!” he said arrogantly, his face showing no remorse at all. “We were just having fun, Elara! It was just sex! I thought you knew the rules! I thought you were a cool girl who didn’t need labels and commitments! Why are you acting like this now?”

He stepped closer, grabbing my chin forcefully to make me look at him. His grip was painful, but the pain in my heart was far worse.

“And now you come here telling me you’re pregnant? Are you out of your mind? Do you think this will trap me? Do you think having a baby will make me marry you or take responsibility?” He sneered, looking at me with so much superiority.

“Let me tell you something, Elara. You lost. You really lost.”

I looked at him, confused and in pain. “W-What?”

“You lost the game,” he said, a wicked smile forming on his lips. “We started this as friends, right? We agreed that whatever happens, it’s just physical. But look at you now... you fell in love, didn’t you? You got attached. You got weak.”

He chuckled darkly, patting my cheek lightly but harshly.

“So that means I won. I got what I wanted—your body, your time, your attention—without giving anything in return. And now you’re here crying and begging because you got hurt. How pathetic. You played yourself, Elara. I never promised you anything.”

Those words shattered me completely. He saw our relationship as a game. He saw my love as weakness. And he was proud that he won by breaking my heart.

“P-Please...” I cried, pushing his hand away. “Don’t say that... please... think about the baby...”

He looked at my stomach, and his eyes turned ice-cold. There was no softness, no fatherly instinct, nothing. Just pure indifference and cruelty.

“There will be no baby, Elara,” he said coldly, his voice sending chills down my spine.

“What?” I gasped, covering my stomach protectively.

“I want you to get rid of it,” he said bluntly, as if he was just talking about throwing away trash. “Abort that baby. I don’t need an heir from you. I don’t need any responsibility. I have a life to live, and I certainly don’t want a mistake like this to ruin my future.”

I shook my head vigorously, sobbing uncontrollably. “No! No! I won’t do that! This is my child too! How can you be so heartless?!”

“Shut up!” he yelled, his patience running out. “Don’t act so high and mighty! You were the one who was careless! You were the one who let this happen! So fix it! Get an abortion, Elara! That is the only option!”

“I won’t!” I shouted back, gathering what little strength I had left. “I will keep this baby! Even if you don’t want it, I will raise it alone! I don’t need you!”

He glared at me, his eyes dark and dangerous. “You think you can survive without me? You think you can raise a child alone? Fine! Do whatever you want! But don’t ever come crawling back to me asking for money or help! Because from now on, you are nothing to me!”

He turned his back on me, adjusting his clothes as if my pain was just a nuisance to him.

“I should have known you were just like the others. Clingy and dramatic. Good thing I never fell for your trap. Good thing I kept my heart closed while you gave yours away freely. Like I said... I won, Elara. And you lost everything.”

Those were his last words before he walked out of the door, leaving me alone in that big, cold room, crumbling down on the floor with nothing but pain and the life growing inside me that he wanted to erase.

Days turned into weeks, but the pain never faded. It only grew deeper, carving a permanent scar in my soul. Every time I looked at myself in the mirror, I remembered his words. “I never loved you. It was just sex. You lost the game.”

How foolish I was. How incredibly stupid to believe that a man like Kael could ever love someone like me. I gave him my innocence, my trust, my whole world, and he crushed it under his feet like it was nothing but dust.

I was sitting in the park, feeling the cold breeze against my skin, when my phone rang. It was him. Kael.

I hesitated, but I answered. Maybe... maybe he changed his mind. Maybe he realized he made a mistake.

“What do you want?” my voice was hoarse and weak.

“I just want to remind you of what I said,” his voice was still as cold as ever, no trace of emotion. “Have you thought about it clearly? The abortion? It’s not too late yet, Elara. Just get it over with so we can both move on.”

“Move on?” I laughed bitterly, tears falling again. “You can move on easily because you have no heart, Kael. But I... I am carrying a life. I won’t kill my child just because you are a coward.”

“Tch. Suit yourself,” he said dismissively. “But don’t expect anything from me. I told you, you lost. You fell in love, you got pregnant, you got hurt. That’s your problem now. I’m just glad I didn’t catch feelings. That’s why I’m the winner here.”

“You are not a winner, Kael,” I said, my voice trembling but firm. “You are just a pathetic man who is afraid to love. You think winning means hurting people? You are empty inside.”

“Say whatever you want,” he replied arrogantly. “At the end of the day, I have everything, and you have nothing but a broken heart and a baby that no one wants.”

He ended the call.

I dropped my phone on the grass, covering my face as I wept bitterly. The pain was unbearable. It felt like my chest was being ripped open. He didn’t want the baby. He didn’t want me. He was happy that he hurt me. He was proud that he used me.

But as I looked down at my still flat stomach, I felt a spark of strength. This baby... this little life was all I had left. It was a part of me, and no matter how cruel the world was, I would protect it.

“I’m sorry, baby...” I whispered, caressing my tummy. “I’m sorry your father is like that. I’m sorry you had to come from a love that was just a game. But I promise you... I will love you enough for the both of us. I will be strong. I will never let anyone hurt you.”

I stood up, wiping my tears. The road ahead would be hard. I would be judged, I would be alone, and I would carry the pain of his words forever. But I had to survive. For my child.

Kael thought he won. He thought he destroyed me. But little did he know, the child he wanted to abort would be the very reason I would rise again. And one day... he would regret this. One day, he would realize that he threw away the only person who truly loved him.

To be continue