Chapter 1

In our six years of marriage, Dante Moretti, betrayed me three times.

The first time, at an underground casino, he slept with a girl and swore he had to be responsible for her.

The second time, to make that girl happy, he locked me in a warehouse for three days while I was seven months pregnant. Then, our baby’s heartbeat stopped.

The third time, that girl fell ill and needed a kidney transplant from me. He strapped my mother, who was on a ventilator, into his sports car and sped wildly along a cliffside highway.

I knelt, begging, "I'll donate it. Just let my mom go. I'll do anything you ask..."

Dante smiled, his hand tightening on the remote control.

The next second, the car smashed through the guardrail, and I could only watch, as my mother plunged toward the lake.

"Remember this. This is the consequence of making Isabella suffer for even one more day."

"From now on, as long as you learn to be obedient, everything can go back to the way it was."

But I knew that was impossible.

Dante, there could never be a future for us.

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1

In the short distance of just a few yards, I fell countless times.

My knees were scraped raw by the gravel, but I couldn't feel an ounce of pain.

Not until I stumbled to the edge of the lake and watched as the silver sports car sank toward the bottom...

In that moment, my heart felt like it would explode. I dove frantically into the bone-chilling lake, swimming with all my might toward the sinking car, screaming my lungs out:

"Mom—"

The water was too deep, too cold. I couldn't even reach the car door.

By the time the rescue team arrived, the sports car had already completely sunk to the bottom.

Half an hour later, they retrieved the car from the water. The moment the door was pried open, a torrent of water and blood gushed out.

My mother was tied to the driver's seat, her face an ashen white. She had long since stopped breathing.

Shaking my head in tearful denial, I clutched my mother's frigid body.

"Mom, I'm begging you... please don't leave me... You're all I have left now..."

"To the hospital, let's go to the hospital right now! We'll find the best doctors, it's not too late!"

My mind was teetering on the edge of madness, consumed by a single thought: I had to save my mother.

When the ambulance arrived, a doctor examined my mother and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, she was submerged for too long. But if you insist, we can try resuscitation."

I ripped the million-dollar diamond ring from my finger and shoved it into the doctor’s hand:

"Please… I’m begging you, save her. Is this enough?"

The doctor gazed at the diamond, as large as a pigeon’s egg, and couldn't bring himself to refuse:

"We'll give it a try."