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."

Chapter 1

"What did you just say?"

The question hung in the air of our minimalist apartment, the one I had designed. My voice was barely a whisper.

Ignatz Turner, my boyfriend of five years, didn't even look up from his phone. He just repeated it, calm and matter-of-fact.

"I said Everleigh needs you to take the blame. It was a hit-and-run, Gen. A minor one, nobody was seriously hurt, but her career can't handle a scandal right now."

I stared at him, at the handsome face I had loved for so long. Now, it looked like a stranger's.

"You want me to say I was driving her car? That I hit someone and fled the scene?"

"It makes sense," he said, finally lifting his eyes. They were cool, rational. "You're a private person, an architect. You don't have a public image to protect. You can handle the heat. Everleigh... she's fragile."

My hands started to shake. "Fragile? Ignatz, she broke the law. What about my record? My career?"

"It won't affect your career," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "Our lawyers will handle it. A fine, maybe some community service. It's nothing."

I felt a cold anger rise in my chest. "Nothing? Ignatz, do you have any idea what you're asking? I left my family for you. I gave up my name, my inheritance, everything, so we could have a normal life away from their influence. I did that for you."

"And I appreciate that, Gen, I really do," he said, his voice softening. He stood up and came toward me, trying to take my hands. "That's why I know you're strong enough to do this one more thing for us. For me."

He was close now, his familiar scent filling my senses. It used to comfort me. Now it made me sick.

"There's something else," I said, my voice trembling as I backed away from his touch.

He stopped, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. "What now?"

"I'm pregnant."

The words came out, quiet but heavy. I had just found out this morning. I had been planning a romantic dinner to tell him, to celebrate.

Ignatz froze. His charming expression vanished, replaced by a look I had never seen before-a cold, hard panic.

"No," he said.

"Yes. I took a test. I'm six weeks along."

He ran a hand through his perfectly styled hair, pacing the room. "This is a disaster. An absolute disaster."

I laughed, a broken, hollow sound. Tears I didn't know were there started streaming down my face. "A disaster? It's your baby, Ignatz."

"Everleigh can't handle this right now!" he snapped, turning on me. "The stress of the accident, her anxiety... finding out you're pregnant with my child would destroy her. She's not strong like you, Gen. She needs my full support."

"So I'm the one who gets sacrificed? Again?" The words were squeezed out from between my teeth. "My life, my reputation, and now... our baby?"

He stopped pacing and looked at me, his eyes now holding a chilling sort of pity. "We can't have this baby. Not now."

My world tilted. The floor felt like it was dropping out from under me. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you need to terminate it," he said, his voice dropping to a low, persuasive tone. "It's for the best. For everyone. Once this all blows over with Everleigh, we can try again. It's just... bad timing."

The air left my lungs. He was talking about our child like it was an inconvenient appointment to be rescheduled.

"It's your child, Ignatz," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "Your blood."

"And Everleigh is the woman I love!" he yelled, his composure finally cracking. "She's sensitive! This would break her! Can't you understand that?"

I just stared at him, my mind a blank wall of pain. After a long, silent moment, a sad, twisted smile formed on my lips.

"Okay," I said. "Okay, Ignatz."

Relief washed over his face. He didn't see the emptiness behind my eyes.

Just then, his phone rang, a cheerful pop song I recognized as one of Everleigh's hits. He answered it immediately.

"Leigh? Hey, baby, what's wrong? Don't cry, I'm on my way. I'm coming right now."

His voice was a gentle, loving caress. A voice he hadn't used with me in years.

He hung up and grabbed his keys, not even glancing at me as he rushed to the door.

"I'll have my assistant schedule the appointment for you," he said over his shoulder. "Just do it quickly."

Then he was gone. The door clicked shut, leaving me in a silence that was louder than his shouting.

The next day, I was at the clinic. The air smelled of antiseptic and quiet despair. The nurse who took my information looked at me with pity in her eyes. It made my skin crawl.

She handed me a clipboard with a consent form. His signature was already there at the bottom: Ignatz Turner. He had signed it this morning, before he even knew if I'd agree. He was so sure of me.

"The doctor wants you to know," the nurse said softly, avoiding my gaze, "that due to a minor complication, this procedure carries a high risk of future infertility. There's a chance you might not be able to conceive again."

The clipboard slipped from my numb fingers and clattered to the floor.

He knew. He must have known. The doctor would have told his assistant, and his assistant would have told him. He knew this could leave me barren, and he still signed the form. He still sent me here to erase our child and my future.

I bit down on my lip, hard. The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth, but I felt nothing. Just a vast, cold emptiness.

I was ready to go through with it. To just get it over with, to cut out the last piece of him inside me. I stood up to follow the nurse.

And then I felt it.

A tiny, unmistakable flutter deep in my womb. It was too early for a real kick, the doctor had said. But I felt it. A flicker of life, a silent protest.

Don't let me go.

"No," I said, my voice loud and clear in the quiet room.

The nurse turned, surprised.

"I'm not doing it," I said, pulling my arm away. "I'm keeping my baby."

I walked out of that clinic, leaving the consent form on the floor. The afternoon sun was blindingly bright, and for a moment, I felt a surge of strength. I had my baby. That's all that mattered.

Then I pulled out my phone. The screen lit up with a breaking news alert from a celebrity gossip site.

The headline was a punch to the gut: "Everleigh Hooper and Boyfriend Ignatz Turner Expecting First Child! Sources say Hooper is overjoyed after a recent health scare."

The article was filled with pictures of them from last night, leaving a fancy restaurant. Ignatz was holding her, his hand placed protectively on her flat stomach. They were both smiling, glowing for the cameras.

Below the article, the comments section was a sewer.

"Who is that Genevieve Ball person? The one who did the hit-and-run in Everleigh's car? Probably some obsessed fan Ignatz felt sorry for."

"I heard she's been stalking him for years. Good thing he's finally with someone on his level."

"She looks so plain. Of course he chose a star like Everleigh. And now they're starting a family! So happy for them!"

I bit my lip again, harder this time. I felt the skin break, the warm trickle of blood down my chin. But I still couldn't feel the pain. I was completely numb.

I looked down at my own stomach, and a single tear rolled down my cheek and fell onto my hand.

"It's okay," I whispered to the tiny life inside me. "I'll protect you. I promise."

I wiped my face, my expression hardening. I opened my contacts and found my lawyer's number.

"I need you to draw up divorce papers," I said, my voice steady and cold. "And I want everything I'm entitled to."