tt's

t suffocated me. I had broken her so deeply after promising never to leave her side. The mem

r, 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 selfi

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

ay my father called me with

es in London, something I'd been denied for years. But there was a price-one cruel condition: I had to sever all ties in Ca

's why I couldn't tell Allison the real reason I broke up with her. What was the point? It wouldn't change anythi

chose ambition over love? Allison deserved better than me-better than a selfish man who was willi

Jenna, the woman I had introduced to Allison as my new girlfriend. I had been

y trip to London. Her family's influence was part of his grand plan for me, and he insisted I take her with

uch me, knowing that any resistance could lead to complications. One word fr

ted bitter on my tongue. Calling Allison "no one" felt li

her lips hovering dangerously close to mine. I turned my head just

s through her hair, a calculated move to distract

But as we talked, she threw herself at me again, and this time, I didn't resist. I gave in, n

fornia. 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

a, however, proved to be nothing more than a fleeting a

etached. "This is just a duty we're fulfilling for our parents.

as merely a means to an end-a ticket out of California and into the life I wan

rong. Love had no place in my life anymore. Nothing mattere

ayed, haunted me in quiet moments. I wondered if she had moved on, if she was happy, if o

father said I could never be. One step closer to proving him wrong, even if it meant