He left with nothing

For three years, I, Hollywood's unbreakable star Aliza Cabrera, chased the one man I couldn't have: the brilliant, cold surgeon Dr. Etienne McCarthy. My relentless pursuit was a public spectacle, met only with his icy indifference.

Then, a single phone call shattered my world. My mother, her voice dripping with smug triumph, announced his engagement. Not to me, but to my manipulative stepsister, Kaylee.

The betrayal cut deeper when I discovered the truth. His coldness wasn't for everyone; it was a calculated performance orchestrated by Kaylee. "I did what you asked, Kaylee," he'd whispered to her, his voice laced with a devotion he never showed me. "Anything for you."

When Kaylee's lies escalated to a fire that nearly killed me, Etienne saved me, only to believe her twisted story that I had set it myself. He chose her, again and again, even leaving me bleeding on an operating table because Kaylee feigned a panic attack. "My fiancée needs me," were his final words to me.

I was nothing to him. A nuisance. A convenient discard. The love I felt turned to ash.

So I vanished. I rebuilt my life, becoming a media mogul, powerful and untouchable. I found real love with a kind man named Collins. But just as I found my peace, a ghost from the past reappeared, his eyes filled with a desperate, belated regret. This time, he wouldn't break me. This time, I would be the one to walk away.

Chapter 1

"Pushing down" the popular female star Chloe went viral, leading to widespread online criticism and abuse. I, Aliza Cabrera, the celebrated Hollywood actress, was the subject of endless gossip. They called me ruthless, a diva, a force of nature. On screen, I was glamorous, witty, and unbreakable. Off screen, I was all those things, too. Or so they thought. Beneath that polished surface, I was just a woman aching for something real, something that hadn't been shattered by a family that never truly saw me.

Hollywood buzzed about my independence, my string of casual relationships, my refusal to settle. They said I was too ambitious, too free-spirited. The truth? I was terrified of genuine connection. I preferred chasing the impossible. And for three years, that impossible dream had a name: Dr. Etienne McCarthy.

It started with a stupid accident. A minor fall on set, a twisted ankle, nothing serious. But it sent me to the ER, and that's where I first saw him. He moved through the chaos of the emergency room like a phantom, calm and precise. His dark eyes, usually cold and analytical, held a flicker of something, a hint of deep, hidden fires. He was brilliant, everyone knew that. The heir to the secretive McCarthy dynasty, but he chose scalpels over boardrooms. He was a challenge, a fortress I felt compelled to breach. And I thought I could.

For three years, I pursued him with a single-minded intensity that would make a lesser man crumble. Dinners, gifts, invitations to premieres, even a public declaration or two. He always declined, politely, distantly. His indifference was a wall, smooth and impenetrable. It only made me want him more. My friends called me obsessed. I called it determined. No one had ever said no to Aliza Cabrera.

Today, another minor injury. A prop malfunction on set, a deep cut on my forearm. The studio rushed me to the nearest private clinic. It was no surprise when Etienne McCarthy walked into the examination room, his face a mask of professional neutrality. His presence was like a high-voltage current in the sterile air. He didn't even acknowledge my subtle wink.

"Aliza Cabrera," he stated, his voice a low, even rumble. He picked up my chart, eyes scanning, not lingering on me. "Injury report states a laceration to the right forearm. Let's see it."

His touch was cool, impersonal, as he cleaned and examined the wound. His movements were efficient, focused. He stitched me up with an almost surgical precision, his brow furrowed in concentration. My pain evaporated under his gaze.

I leaned in, my voice a husky whisper. "You know, Doctor, you're the only man who can touch me like this and not get a restraining order." I let my fingers brush his arm, a spark of playful defiance in my eyes.

He paused, a needle suspended mid-air. His eyes, dark as midnight, met mine. There was no warmth, no flicker of amusement. Just a flat, unwavering gaze. "Miss Cabrera, this is a medical procedure. I advise you to remain still." His voice was devoid of emotion, a clinical pronouncement.

I pulled back, a faint flush rising on my cheeks. "Oh. Right. Just trying to lighten the mood, Dr. McCarthy. It's not every day an A-list actress gets to flirt with a world-renowned surgeon."