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I gave up my family's fortune and a political dynasty for my fiancé of five years, Hoyt. I chose him over everything for a simple life. But when his socialite mistress, Bella, got a DUI, he demanded I take the fall. When I told him I was pregnant, he ordered me to get an abortion. "I'm in love with Bella," he said, his eyes cold. "I always have been." He brought her into our home. At a fundraiser, she tripped me, and as I lay bleeding on the floor, Hoyt walked away. His mother then had me abducted from the hospital, and in a cold, abandoned warehouse, I lost our child. They took everything from me-my love, my future, my baby. They thought they had erased me, the quiet, unassuming grant writer they saw as a convenient scapegoat. They were wrong. At their glamorous engagement party, I made my entrance. And with me, my grandfather, Senator Abelardo Brown. They had no idea who they'd just declared war on.
Contents
Chapter 1
I gave up my family's fortune and a political dynasty for my fiancé of five years, Hoyt. I chose him over everything for a simple life.
But when his socialite mistress, Bella, got a DUI, he demanded I take the fall. When I told him I was pregnant, he ordered me to get an abortion.
"I'm in love with Bella," he said, his eyes cold. "I always have been."
He brought her into our home. At a fundraiser, she tripped me, and as I lay bleeding on the floor, Hoyt walked away. His mother then had me abducted from the hospital, and in a cold, abandoned warehouse, I lost our child.
They took everything from me-my love, my future, my baby. They thought they had erased me, the quiet, unassuming grant writer they saw as a convenient scapegoat.
They were wrong.
At their glamorous engagement party, I made my entrance. And with me, my grandfather, Senator Abelardo Brown. They had no idea who they'd just declared war on.
Chapter 1
"You need to take the blame for Bella's DUI, Flora."
Hoyt said it like he was asking me to pick up dry cleaning. His voice was calm, almost bored, as if this was a perfectly reasonable request.
I stared at him, my heart already hammering against my ribs. My fiancé of five years, the man I' d given up everything for, looked at me with an unsettling blankness in his usually expressive eyes.
He repeated slowly, "It's for the best. For everyone."
His words hung in the air, thick and suffocating. I felt a cold dread spread through my veins. This wasn't the Hoyt I knew, or thought I knew. This man was a stranger, wrapped in my fiancé's skin.
"Are you serious?" I managed to choke out. My voice sounded thin, almost unrecognizable to my own ears.
He nodded, a sharp, decisive movement. "Completely. Bella's career is just taking off. A DUI would destroy her. And mine, by association. You... you're out of the limelight. No one would even notice."
His eyes, once filled with so much warmth for me, now held a calculating, cold glint. He saw me not as a partner, but as a conveniently invisible scapegoat.
"It's a minor offense, Flora," he continued, leaning forward slightly. "A fine, maybe some community service. Nothing you can't handle. We'll ride it out, and then everything will go back to normal. Better than normal."
My hands started to tremble, the mug of lukewarm coffee I was holding clattering against the saucer. "My record, Hoyt. My reputation. What about my career as a grant writer? What about the non-profit I've dedicated five years to?"
He waved a dismissive hand, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. "Please, Flora. It' s not like you're shaping policy or running for office. It's grant writing. You can do that anywhere. No one cares about a grant writer's minor traffic infraction."
A sudden, fierce surge of anger ignited in my chest. It felt foreign, sharp. This man knew nothing of the quiet pride I took in my work, the long hours, the countless lives touched by the funds I helped secure.
"I gave up everything for you, Hoyt!" I heard myself say, the words tumbling out, raw and unfiltered. "My family, my name, the fortune that came with it. I walked away from a political dynasty, from a life of power and influence, because you said you wanted a simple life with me. I chose you over everything!"
He stood up, walking around the coffee table to me. He placed a hand on my shoulder, his touch sending a shiver of revulsion down my spine. "I know, sweetheart. And I appreciate it. That's why I'm asking you to do this for us. Think of our future." His voice was smooth, a practiced balm, but it felt like sandpaper against my skin.
I flinched away from his touch. The thought of his skin against mine, after what he' d just asked, made my stomach churn.
"I'm pregnant, Hoyt," I said, the words a quiet whisper that shattered the fragile silence.
His hand froze mid-air. His eyes, for the first time, widened in genuine shock, then quickly narrowed with a flash of pure panic. The practiced charm evaporated.
"Pregnant?" he breathed, his voice raw, disbelieving. He took a step back, as if the news itself was a physical blow.
"Yes. Pregnant." My voice was flat, devoid of the joy that should accompany such an announcement. Instead, it was filled with a bitter, ironic grief.
He ran a hand through his perfectly styled hair, his gaze darting around the room as if searching for an escape route. "No, no, no. This is... this is a disaster, Flora. A complete and utter disaster."
A choked, humorless laugh escaped my lips. Tears pricked at my eyes, hot and unwelcome. "A disaster? Is that all it is to you? Not a miracle, not a new life, just... a disaster?"
He ignored my question, his face tight with a desperate fear. "Bella's profile is skyrocketing. My career is finally taking off after years of grinding. We're on the cusp of something huge. A scandal, a baby... it would destroy everything." He paced, his movements jerky and agitated. "It would destroy her career. And mine."
My breath hitched. "What about our baby, Hoyt? What about my life? Why is it always about your career, or Bella's? Why is it always my sacrifice?"
He stopped, turning to face me, his eyes hard and unyielding. "You need to terminate the pregnancy, Flora."
The words hit me like a physical blow. My vision blurred, and the room spun. My ears filled with a high-pitched ringing. I could feel the blood drain from my face, leaving me cold and empty.
"We can rethink our plans later," he continued, his voice softer now, almost coaxing. "When things settle down. When the time is right. We can have a baby then. A baby that doesn't jeopardize everything." He reached for my hand, but I pulled it away instinctively.
I felt numb, my body a hollow shell. Was this real? Was this the man I'd loved, the man I'd envisioned building a family with?
"This is our child, Hoyt," I pleaded, my voice barely a whisper. "Your blood, my blood. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
His jaw tightened, and he let out a frustrated sigh. His eyes, dark and stormy, finally landed on me, but they held no love, no remorse. "No, Flora. It means nothing. Because I'm in love with Bella. I always have been."
The world tilted. The air left my lungs. A sad, desolate smile stretched across my lips, a silent acknowledgment of the final, devastating truth. My heart, already shattered, splintered into a million irreparable pieces.
He seemed to misinterpret my silence, a flicker of relief easing the tension in his shoulders. Just then, his phone buzzed on the coffee table. He glanced down, his eyes softening almost imperceptibly as he saw the caller ID.
"It's Bella," he murmured, his voice laced with an unfamiliar tenderness. He picked it up immediately. "Hey, love. Everything's fine, don't worry." He walked towards the door, already speaking in hushed, comforting tones, entirely oblivious to the wreckage he left behind.
"I need you to go to the clinic this afternoon," he said, pausing at the threshold, his back to me. His voice was cold again, devoid of any warmth. "I've already made the arrangements. And I've signed the consent forms." Then he was gone, the door clicking shut, leaving me in a silence that felt heavier than any scream.
The taxi ride to the clinic was a blur. The city lights streaked past, mirroring the chaos in my mind. When I arrived, the clinic was sterile, hushed. The intake nurse, a kind-faced woman with tired eyes, offered me a sympathetic smile. She knew. They always knew.
When she handed me the paperwork, I saw Hoyt's signature already scrawled on the consent form, neat and decisive. My name was left blank. He had decided for me. He had decided for us.
"There are always risks, dear," the nurse said softly, her voice filled with a practiced empathy as she outlined the potential complications. "It's a medical procedure, after all."
The clipboard slipped from my nerveless fingers, clattering loudly against the tiled floor. The sound echoed in the quiet room, a stark punctuation mark to the chilling realization: Hoyt knew these risks. He knew, and he still signed. He was willing to risk my life, my future, just to remove an inconvenience.
I pinched the inside of my arm, hard. The sharp sting was a welcome distraction from the unbearable ache in my chest. I almost went through with it. I almost let them erase the last tangible piece of what I thought was my future, the last connection to a man who had ripped my world apart.
But then, a faint flutter. A tiny, almost imperceptible movement deep within me. My hand flew to my stomach, a sudden, fierce protectiveness surging through me. It was there. A life. Our life. My baby.
In that quiet moment, I heard a voice, not with my ears, but deep in my soul. It was a silent plea, a promise of unconditional love. My baby needed me.
"No," I said, my voice trembling but firm. I looked at the nurse, my eyes filled with a newfound resolve. "I can't do it."
I walked out of that clinic, my steps unsteady but resolute. The cold night air hit my face, a stark contrast to the sterile warmth of the clinic. As I pulled out my phone to call a taxi, a notification flashed across the screen.
It was a news alert: "Rising Political Star Bella Rivera and Campaign Manager Hoyt Myers: The New Power Couple to Watch!"
Beneath the headline was a glossy photo of Hoyt and Bella, their heads close, their smiles radiant, their eyes locked in what appeared to be genuine affection. My stomach churned. This was the "huge something" he spoke of. This was the future he chose.
I scrolled down, past the fawning praise, to the comments section. "Obsessed ex can't let go," one read. "Gold-digger trying to trap him," another sneered. "Glad Hoyt finally found someone worthy."
The venomous words were a physical assault. My vision blurred again, but this time, no tears came. I bit down on my lip, so hard I tasted blood, but felt nothing. The pain was just a dull throb in the vast emptiness inside me.
I looked down at my stomach, placing both hands protectively over it. "They can say whatever they want," I whispered to the tiny life within me. "But you and I, we're going to be just fine. We're going to fight."
My resolve hardened into something cold and unyielding. They wanted a fight? They would get one. And they wouldn't even see it coming.
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