Chapter 1: The Night She Left
"I never loved you."
Sophia's words didn't come with anger or guilt. They came calmly, almost politely, as if she were discussing the weather. Yet every syllable felt like a blade pressed slowly into my chest.
The city lights behind her glittered through the glass walls of the café. Outside, people laughed, cars moved, life continued. Inside, my world collapsed in silence.
"What do you mean… never?" I asked, my voice barely steady. "Sophia, we've been together for three years."
She avoided my eyes. That alone hurt more than her words.
"Ethan, you were there when I needed support," she said. "But feelings change. I'm moving forward now. And you…" She paused, finally looking at me with something close to pity. "You don't fit in my future."
I laughed softly, not because it was funny, but because my mind refused to accept the truth.
"Is this about the promotion?" I asked. "The new job? We can manage. I'll work harder—"
"It's not about money," she interrupted, though we both knew it was a lie. "It's about status. About ambition."
I remembered all the nights I stayed awake helping her prepare presentations. The weekends I skipped my own dreams to support hers. The way I believed love was enough.
She stood up, picked up her designer handbag—the one I bought with six months of savings—and placed some cash on the table.
"This should cover the coffee," she said.
That was it. Three years reduced to a receipt.
As she walked away, I didn't chase her. Not because I didn't want to—but because something inside me had frozen. Pride, maybe. Or shock.
The door closed behind her with a soft chime.
That sound echoed louder than a scream.
---
That night, rain poured relentlessly as I walked home. Each step felt heavier than the last. My small apartment welcomed me with darkness and silence.
I sat on the floor, back against the wall, staring at the ceiling.
Love, I realized, had made me blind.
I had given her my loyalty, my time, my heart—everything. And in return, I was left with emptiness.
My phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
Congratulations to Sophia Miller on joining Blackwood Corporation.
I stared at the screen until it dimmed.
Blackwood Corporation.
One of the most powerful companies in the city.
I smiled for the first time that night—but there was no warmth in it.
"So this is how it ends," I whispered.
I stood up slowly, wiping the tears I didn't remember falling.
"No," I corrected myself. "This is how it begins."
I didn't know how long it would take. I didn't know how painful the journey would be.
But I made a promise to myself in that silent room—
I would rise.
I would become powerful.
And one day, when she looked at me again…
She would regret ever saying those words.
I never loved you.
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