The Surrogate He Discarded

Charlotte had been cooped up in her villa at The Horizon for days, barely leaving her bedroom.

Usually, the breathtaking view would have been enough to lift her spirits. Tonight, however, even the sunset failed to hold her attention. The sky was painted in brilliant shades of orange and crimson, the last rays of sunlight spilling across the glass walls of the villa, but Charlotte barely noticed.

She sat motionless on the sofa, staring at nothing.

The villa had once been her happiest place.

Kristoff had given it to her as an engagement gift. The deed was in her name, making it impossible for anyone to take it away from her.

At that time, she thought it was the beginning of their forever.

It had only been a few months ago.

Back then, she was so happy. She could still remember the way her heart had raced whenever she looked at the ring on her finger.

She spent countless nights imagining her future as Mrs. Dalton—walking beside Kristoff at charity events, waking up beside him, building a family together.

She believed she had finally found the man she would spend the rest of her life with.

Now, all those dreams felt like a cruel joke.

How did it come to this?

How could Kristoff simply leave me?

Charlotte closed her eyes, but memories of him only made the ache in her chest worse.

She had tried to see him countless times after their breakup.

She had gone to his office.

She had waited outside places she knew he frequented.

She had called.

She had sent messages.

Every attempt had ended in humiliation.

Kristoff refused to see her.

Since news of their broken engagement began circulating, several of her endorsement deals had been canceled. Her image had taken a hit, and the whispers surrounding her had become impossible to ignore.

Thankfully, Kristoff had never made a formal announcement about their breakup. He had simply maintained a discreet silence.

But whenever someone close to him asked what happened, his answer remained the same.

They had broken up because of irreconcilable differences.

As if the years they had spent together could be reduced to a polite phrase.

As if their love had simply expired.

At first, Charlotte had been heartbroken.

Then came the anger.

Then the bitterness.

And eventually, something inside her changed.

The pain remained, but it no longer made her want Kristoff back.

It made her want him to suffer.

She slowly opened her eyes.

The woman who had once cried herself to sleep over Kristoff Dalton was gone.

In her place was someone colder.

Someone who no longer wanted his love.

She wanted revenge.

”Kristoff,” she whispered, her fingers tightening around the armrest. ”If I can’t have you, then I’ll ruin you.”

The words sounded almost foreign coming from her lips.

But she didn’t take them back.

Instead, she began thinking.

Who could help her bring down a man as powerful as Kristoff Dalton?

One name immediately rose above the rest.

Marco Pollus.

The heir to the Pollus business empire.

Kristoff’s biggest rival in the real estate industry.

Marco had the money, influence, and resources to make Kristoff’s business empire crumble.

Charlotte picked up her phone and made the call.

By the time the conversation ended, she had secured an appointment with Marco for the following morning.

Still, a tiny part of her hesitated.

The part of her that had loved Kristoff was not completely dead yet.

She would give him one final chance.

If he answered her call tonight, she would cancel her meeting with Marco.

She stared at Kristoff’s number for several seconds before pressing call.

One ring. Two. Three.

Then a mechanical voice answered.

”The person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable.”

Charlotte frowned. She called again. The same message.

A third time.

Nothing.

A fourth.

Still nothing.

Her jaw tightened. She tried again.

And again. Six more times.

Each unanswered call chipped away at the last fragile piece of hope she had been desperately holding onto.

Just answer me. Charlotte whispered.

Just once.

She was about to call again when her phone suddenly dinged.

A message from her manager, Rica Blanca.

Check this out. The photo is trending.

Check this link.

Charlotte frowned and tapped the link.

The page loaded.

Then she froze.

Her fingers went cold.

For several seconds, she simply stared at the screen, unable to process what she was seeing.

It was a photograph of Kristoff.

He was carrying a woman in his arms.

His expression was worried. Protective.

Intimate.

The kind of expression Charlotte had once believed belonged only to her.

The woman’s face was partially buried against Kristoff’s chest, but Charlotte didn’t need to see it clearly.

She knew her by heart.

Isobel.

The phone nearly slipped from Charlotte’s trembling fingers.

”No...”

Her heart slammed against her ribs.

She zoomed in on the photograph, as though somehow doing so would change what she was seeing.

It didn’t.

Kristoff was holding Isobel as if she were precious to him.

As if she were someone worth protecting.

Someone worth showing up for.

Charlotte’s eyes burned.

All those unanswered calls. All those nights she had cried.

All those humiliating attempts to see him.

And while she had been desperately begging him for one final conversation, he had been with her.

Something inside Charlotte finally snapped.

The heartbreak disappeared first. Then the longing.

Then the last remnants of love.

What remained was cold, absolute hatred.

She slowly lowered the phone.

A bitter smile touched her lips.

”Kristoff,” she whispered.

Her voice no longer trembled.

”I gave you a chance.”

She looked at the photograph one last time.

”You chose to ignore me.”

Her eyes hardened.

”And you chose her.”

Charlotte picked up her phone and opened the message containing Marco Pollus’s appointment details.

She stared at the date and time.

Tomorrow morning.

She smiled.

”I hope you’ll remain happy, Kristoff.”

Her thumb hovered over the screen before she confirmed the appointment.

”Because after tomorrow, I’m going to make sure you regret ever breaking my heart.”

For the first time since their breakup, Charlotte no longer wanted Kristoff back.

She wanted to destroy everything he loved.

And if Isobel was the woman standing between them, then Charlotte would make sure she regretted it too.

Don’t blame me for what happens next, Kristoff.

I gave you a chance to save us.

You chose not to.