Chapter 2

Elara pov

The sound of the call ending echoed in my ears like a death sentence. I stared at the phone screen until it went black, reflecting my own miserable face back at me. Tears blurred my vision, falling endlessly like rain that would never stop.

How could he be so cruel? How could a human being possess so much coldness inside their heart?

I curled myself into a ball sitting on the cold grass of the park, hugging my knees tightly against my chest. The wind blew harder, piercing through my clothes, making me shiver, but it felt nothing compared to the ice that had formed inside my chest.

“I won, Elara. And you lost everything.”

Those words kept replaying in my mind like a broken record. Over and over again. Torturing me. Killing me slowly.

He was right. I did lose. I lost my heart, my dignity, my innocence, and almost my sanity. I lost everything to a man who didn’t even see me as a person, but merely as a toy to play with. A challenge to conquer. And once he got what he wanted, he threw me away like trash.

And the worst part? He wanted to kill our child.

My hands instinctively moved to my stomach, covering it gently as if protecting it from invisible harm. A small, fragile life was growing inside me. A life created out of passion, but born out of lies. And that man... that monster wanted to erase it just because it was inconvenient for him. Just because it would ruin his perfect, selfish life.

“I won’t let you hurt him,” I whispered to myself, my voice cracking. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, my baby. Even if it’s your own father.”

I didn’t know how long I stayed there. When the sun finally set and the city lights started to glow like tiny stars, I stood up. My legs were weak, my head was spinning, and my heart was shattered into millions of pieces, but I had to move. I had to survive.

Going back to the condo we used to share was impossible. The walls there held too many memories. Every corner smelled like him. Every piece of furniture screamed his name. I couldn't stay there and be reminded every second of how much of a fool I was.

With what little savings I had, I checked into a cheap hotel far away from the city center. It was small, dark, and smelled of old paint, but it was safe. It was away from him.

As I locked the door behind me, the reality of my situation finally hit me hard. I was alone. Completely and utterly alone. Pregnant, broken, and with nowhere to go.

I walked towards the dirty mirror hanging on the wall and looked at my reflection. Pale skin, red swollen eyes, messy hair. I looked like a ghost. A shadow of the happy girl I used to be.

“Look at you, Elara,” I spoke to my reflection, tears falling again. “You gave him everything. You trusted him with your life. And this is how you ended up. Pathetic.”

I slid down the floor, leaning against the cold wall. The silence of the room was deafening. It made me think. It made me remember everything.

Flashbacks of our time together haunted me. The way he smiled at me. The way he held me. The sweet words he whispered in my ears. “You’re beautiful, Elara. You’re different from others. I like you.”

All lies. All scripted. All part of his game.

He knew exactly what to say and do to make me fall. He planned it. He calculated every move. And I, being the stupid, naive girl that I was, walked right into his trap with my eyes wide open.

He said we were friends first. Friends who agreed to have fun. Friends with benefits. But he knew. He knew that eventually, I would develop feelings. He knew that I was the type of girl who gave her heart away easily. And he used that weakness against me.

“You lost the game, Elara.”

Yes. I lost because I loved. I lost because I was sincere. I lost because I believed that somewhere deep inside him, there was a heart that could feel. But I was wrong. Kael was made of stone.

Days passed in a blur. I spent most of my time lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling empty. The morning sickness started to kick in, making my physical state as miserable as my emotional state. Every time I threw up, my body ached, and I would cry even harder, thinking that this was my punishment. Punishment for being so blind. Punishment for trusting the wrong person.

But then, I would feel a strange flutter inside me, or maybe it was just my imagination, but it reminded me that I wasn't completely alone. There was someone else inside me relying on me.

I couldn't give up. Not now. Not ever.

One afternoon, while I was trying to eat something to keep my strength up, my phone rang again. I knew that number by heart. It was him.

My heart skipped a beat. Fear, anger, and a stupid little bit of hope mixed together inside me. Should I answer? What if he changed his mind? What if he came to his senses?

With trembling hands, I accepted the call.

“Hello?” my voice was barely a whisper.

“So you are still alive,” his voice came through the line, cold, arrogant, and laced with mockery. “I thought you would have done something stupid by now.”

“What do you want, Kael?” I asked, trying my best to sound strong, even though my voice was shaking.

“I just want to check if you came to your senses,” he said casually, as if he wasn’t talking about destroying a life. “Have you scheduled the appointment yet? You can’t wait too long, Elara. It will get harder the longer you keep it.”

Clenching my fists, I felt tears prick my eyes again. “I already told you. I am not killing my baby.”

He let out a heavy sigh, sounding annoyed. “You are really being difficult, aren’t you? Why are you making this complicated? Is this your way of getting attention? Is this how you plan to force me into marrying you? Let me tell you right now, it won’t work. I would rather die than tie myself down to someone like you.”

“Who said anything about marriage?” I cried out, the pain bursting out of me. “I don’t want you anymore, Kael! I hate you! I despise you! Do you think I would still want to be with a monster like you after everything you said?!”

“Then get rid of it!” he shouted back, his voice rising in anger. “If you hate me so much, why keep my child? Why bring a child into this world just to suffer? Do you think you can give it a good life? Look at you! You’re pathetic! You’re alone! You have nothing!”

His words were like sharp knives stabbing me repeatedly. He was hitting me where it hurt the most.

“I have love!” I shouted back, gathering every ounce of strength I had. “I may have nothing else, but I have love to give this baby! I will work hard! I will struggle! But I will raise my child with dignity! Unlike you who has everything but no heart!”

“Tch. How dramatic,” he scoffed. “Suit yourself then. But don’t come crying to me when you’re starving in the streets. Don’t come running back when you realize you can’t do it alone. Because I won’t help you. I won’t give you a single penny.”

“I would rather starve than take anything from you!” I yelled. “Just leave me alone! Don’t ever call me again! Erase my number! Forget that I exist! Because from now on, Elara and your child are dead to you!”

“Gladly,” he replied without hesitation. “It was fun while it lasted, Elara. Too bad you had to ruin it by falling in love. Remember... I won. Goodbye.”

The line went dead.

I dropped the phone on the bed and finally let go. I screamed. I screamed at the top of my lungs, releasing all the pain, anger, and agony that was bottled up inside me. I hit the mattress repeatedly, crying until I had no more tears left to shed.

He really meant it. He was happy to be rid of me. He was proud that he won.

Months passed by slowly. Life became a daily struggle. I found a small job as a waitress in a small café. It paid very little, and the work was hard, but it put food on my table and kept me and my baby alive.

I moved to a tiny apartment. It was old and located in a rough neighborhood, but it was home. Every day, I would look at my growing belly in the mirror, and a small smile would appear on my face despite everything.

My body was changing. I was getting bigger, heavier, but I felt a strange sense of power. I was creating life. I was nurturing a human being inside me. And that gave me strength.

But the pain never truly left. It became a constant companion. Every time I saw a happy couple, every time I saw a father playing with his child, my heart would ache. The scar on my soul was deep and raw.

I often wondered... did he ever think about me? Did he ever feel even a tiny bit of regret?

But deep down, I knew the answer. No. Kael was living his perfect life. He was probably with other girls, laughing, enjoying himself, completely forgetting that he had left a piece of himself behind with me. He was the winner, after all. Winners don't look back.

One evening, as I was walking home from work, tired and exhausted, I saw a familiar expensive car parked by the roadside. My heart stopped.

It was his car.

I froze, hiding behind a pole, my breathing hitched. And then, I saw him.

Kael. He looked even more handsome than before. Wearing an expensive suit, looking sharp and powerful. And next to him... was a beautiful woman. She was glowing, her hand resting on her obviously pregnant belly. They were laughing together. He was touching her face with such gentleness. Such love.

The world stopped spinning.

He said his girlfriend was pregnant too. And here they were. Happy. Complete.

He was giving her everything he denied me. He was giving her respect, love, care, and a future for their child. While I was here, struggling, alone, carrying the child he wanted to abort.

It was then that I realized the full extent of his cruelty. It wasn't just that he didn't love me. It was that he could love. He could be good. He could be responsible.

He just chose not to be... for me.

Because I wasn't special enough. Because I was just the game he played. Because I was the mistress, the fun, the past time. And she was the real deal.

My knees gave out, and I slid down on the sidewalk, hiding in the shadows as tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. The pain was so intense I thought I would die right there and then.

He loved her. He loved her and their baby. But me and mine... we were just mistakes.

“God... why does it hurt so much?” I sobbed, holding my stomach tightly. “Why did you make me love him so much if this was going to be the end?”

I watched them get into the car together, looking like the perfect family, and drive away. Leaving me alone in the dark, cold street with nothing but my broken heart and the child he rejected.

That night, I made a promise to myself and to my child.

“I will never let anyone make me feel less than I am ever again,” I whispered into the darkness. “I will raise you to be better than your father. I will teach you what love is, what respect is, and what it means to be human. And Kael... one day, you will see what you threw away. One day, you will realize that you didn't win anything. Because you lost the only person who truly loved you.”

The road ahead was long and dark, and I was walking it alone. But I would walk it with my head held high. Even if my heart was bleeding, even if the memories haunted me forever... I would survive.

For my baby. For myself.

To be continue