Scars To Gold: A Queen's Rise

I gave up my twenty-billion-dollar inheritance and cut ties with my family, all for my boyfriend of five years, Ignatz.

But just as I was about to tell him I was pregnant with our child, he dropped a bombshell.

He needed me to take the fall for his childhood sweetheart, Everleigh. She'd been in a hit-and-run, and her career couldn't handle the scandal.

When I refused and told him about our baby, his face went cold. He told me to terminate the pregnancy immediately.

"Everleigh is the woman I love," he said. "Finding out you're pregnant with my child would destroy her."

He had his assistant schedule the appointment and sent me to the clinic alone. There, the nurse told me the procedure carried a high risk of permanent infertility.

He knew. And he still sent me.

I walked out of that clinic, choosing to keep my child. At that exact moment, a news alert lit up my phone. It was a glowing article announcing that Ignatz and Everleigh were expecting their first child, complete with a photo of his hand resting protectively on her stomach.

My world shattered. Wiping away a tear, I found the number I hadn't called in five years.

"Dad," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I'm ready to come home."