In the Valentino family, the rules were absolute—the title of Don passed only to the eldest son of the eldest line.

On the day I was due to give birth, my water broke. The contractions came faster and harder, each wave of pain stronger than the last, until my consciousness began to drift.

The baby's head was already crowning. Renato knelt beside the bed, gripping my hand, his eyes filled with what looked like heartbreak.

I thought he would be my strength—my anchor.

But through the haze, I heard him speaking to the midwife.

"Control the dosage. Just delay Ellen's delivery for three hours."

"But she is already fully dilated. Forcibly delaying it could be dangerous…" The midwife's voice trembled.

"It's fine. She wasn't due yet anyway. She only went into labor because she secretly used induction drugs. Delaying the birth will only benefit her."

Disbelief crashed over me. I tried with everything I had to speak—to explain.

But then I saw him glance at his watch, murmuring to himself, "My sister-in-law is only five centimeters dilated. If we stall for three hours, my brother's child will be the eldest grandson. This is a promise I made to my brother."

Terror seized me. I tried to struggle, but the needle had already pierced my skin.

In an instant, the child that had been about to emerge was forced violently back into my body.

The pain doubled, twisting through me like a storm. Darkness swallowed my vision, and I lost consciousness.

When I came to, I had been dragged into an underground storage room.

Only after his sister-in-law's son had been safely born did Renato remember me.

When he returned—holding the toy he had personally made for our soon-to-be-born child—and ordered his assistant to bring me back to the operating room…

All he found were two cold, lifeless bodies.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself locked in the underground storage room of the Valentino family hospital. Renato's sister stood at the door.

Gritting my teeth against the pain, I crawled toward it and called for help.

Sophia Valentino turned around. There was no trace of urgency on her face—only something strange in her gaze.

"Ellen, don't blame Renato," she said. "He was afraid you'd go out and cause trouble, so he asked me to watch you."

I stared at her in disbelief, unable to understand a single word.

"Lina is carrying my eldest brother's posthumous child—the eldest grandson of the Valentino family. The position of Don is destined to be his!

"Besides, you're carrying a girl. Why put yourself through all this suffering?"

Sophia spoke as if to herself.

Clutching my stomach, I felt another wave of contractions battling against the drugs in my system. The pain blurred my vision.

"Sophia, please… call the midwife for me. I'm really about to give birth. The baby can't wait!"

She laughed.

Through the door, her voice dripped with mockery. "Give birth? To what?"

"The medication will last another three hours. Lina is already in the delivery room. Just stay here and behave. Once her son is safely born, you can give birth however you like."

Pain tore through me, over and over again. No matter how I begged, Sophia never looked at me again.

Just as despair set in, the phone in her hand suddenly rang.

It was Renato.

Hope flared inside me once more.

"Renato! Please, come save me and the baby—I really can't hold on any longer! The baby… the baby is coming!"

I clung to that fragile hope like a lifeline, shouting into the phone.

Renato's steady voice came through the receiver.

"Ellen, calm down. This is not the time to make trouble."

"Lina has already entered the delivery room. As soon as she gives birth, I'll have you brought out immediately."

The moment he finished speaking, a sudden rush of warm liquid surged from my body.

The baby was being forced out, inch by inch.

Agonizing pain struck, stealing my voice.

Watching from the side, Sophia suddenly panicked.

"Renato, she's bleeding a lot—could she really be going into labor?"

There was a brief pause on the other end.

For a second, I thought he would send someone to take me out.

But then he let out a cold laugh.

"Stop pretending, Ellen. Lina already told me—your due date is still more than ten days away."

Not due yet? That was impossible! The examination report had stated it clearly—Renato couldn't possibly not know!

I tried to explain that today was my due date, but before I could say a word, the call was cut off.

My heart sank halfway into despair. I could only pin my last hope on Sophia.

"Please… save me and my baby! Sophia!" I begged desperately.

But having just been reprimanded, she had no patience left for me.

"Didn't you hear Renato? Your due date hasn't arrived yet!

"Lina studied medicine. She already saw through your fake checkup report and the fact that you secretly used induction drugs… and told us everything."

My heart clenched.

So the real mastermind behind the lies—that my due date hadn't arrived, that I was carrying a girl—was my sister-in-law, Lina Caruso.

Half a year ago, the eldest son of the Valentino family, Ricardo, had died in a violent shootout, leaving behind his pregnant widow, Lina.

At the funeral, the old Don wept uncontrollably and declared that Ricardo's child would become the heir to the family.

I had thought it strange at the time.

Now, I understood—Lina had already begun spreading rumors about me back then. The child in my womb had been abandoned by the family long ago.

But I had no time to think about any of that now. All I wanted was for my baby to be born safely.

"Sophia, I swear to you—my child will never compete for the position of heir. I won't take a single cent from your family!"

My desperate promise made her hesitate.

Just as she wavered, one of Lina's subordinates hurried in.

"Miss, Madam Lina asked you to come at once!"

Noticing her hesitation, he quickly added, "Don't forget—the Don ordered that no one is to let Madre out to cause trouble. Otherwise, you'll bear the consequences."

At once, realization dawned on Sophia.

Without another word, she followed the servant out and slammed the iron door shut behind her.

The contractions surged in relentless waves, each one more violent than the last—only to be abruptly cut off by the drugs.

The inhuman torment left my body limp.

Lying in the dim storage room, the world spun around me, my consciousness slipping further and further away.

An overwhelming sense of helplessness and fear closed in.

I could feel death drawing nearer.

And then—

The storage room door was suddenly thrown open from the outside.

It was my personal physician, Rossi.

The moment she saw me, she froze in shock.

"Madre, what happened to you? Why are you here? Don Renato said you were resting in a premium care room. I couldn't find you, so I came looking…"

I wanted to tell her everything, but no sound would come out. All I could do was stare at my stomach, tears streaming down my face.

She understood immediately and bent down to examine me.

The moment she lifted my nightgown, her face went deathly pale.

"Your cervix is fully dilated—the baby's head is stuck at the opening! We need surgery immediately!"

As she spoke, she glanced around and quickly realized this place was completely unfit for delivery.

"We have to get out of here. To the delivery room—now!"

But the instant her hand reached my thigh, it came away soaked in blood.

Rossi stared at her blood-covered hand, her voice trembling.

"Help! Madre is hemorrhaging—this is critical! Go get the Don! Hurry!"

But outside, there was nothing—no footsteps, no voices. Her cries for help echoed into emptiness.

This was an old storage room in the family hospital. No one ever came here, and there wasn't even any signal.

Looking at me, barely clinging to life, Rossi panicked.

"Madre, don't be afraid. I'll carry you out!"

The storage room wasn't far from the elevator, but every step felt like an eternity.

"Doctor Rossi… for the sake of our friendship… please save my baby. If it comes to it… save the baby. Let me go."

I forced out the words with every ounce of strength I had left.

Her eyes reddened instantly.

"Madre, don't worry. Both you and the baby will be safe."

As the elevator slowly rose, hope flickered inside me once more.

But the moment the doors opened on the delivery floor, my heart plunged into despair again.

A line of bodyguards blocked the entrance, refusing to let us pass.

Even when Rossi declared my identity as Madre, they stood firm, sealing the entrance completely.

In the private obstetrics ward of the Valentino Family hospital… they dared to bar even the Madre.

Rossi was furious. I could feel her heart pounding wildly.

"What is going on?!"

Before she could make sense of it, Sophia walked over with two nurses. The moment she saw us, disdain filled her face.

"Doctor Rossi, who told you to bring her here?"

Thinking she had found a lifeline, Rossi rushed forward.

"Miss Sophia, Madre is about to give birth. Please tell them to let us in—I need to get her into the delivery room!"

Sophia didn't even glance at her. She simply let out a cold snort.

"Lina is in the special care delivery suite. All other floors are sealed off. If outsiders come and go freely, who will take responsibility if the newborn gets infected?

"That child is the future heir of the Valentino family. This is my sister-in-law's order—and the Don's arrangement. Do you dare object?"

"But Madre can't wait! If this continues, both she and the baby will be in danger!"

Rossi's voice nearly broke.

Sophia only spared me a single glance—without the slightest trace of pity.

"What danger could there be? It's not even her due date yet. She can endure a little longer. My brother said Lina hasn't given birth yet. Once she does, Ellen can deliver too.

"And besides, even if something happens, so what if the child dies? It's just a girl anyway."

I looked into Sophia's cold, indifferent eyes, and felt my heart freeze piece by piece.

I never imagined she could say something so cruel.

A year ago, she had been kidnapped by the Gambino Family. At the time, Renato was out of the country—it was I who secretly used my maternal family's influence to rescue her.

Back then, she had clung to my arm, sobbing with gratitude.

"Ellen, you saved me. From now on, my life is yours!"

Thinking back now… it was laughable.

Rossi stared at Sophia in disbelief, but she still refused to give up.

"Then I'll take Madre to a regular delivery room. She really can't wait any longer!"

She reached for the elevator button, but Sophia grabbed her wrist.

"Lina has planned everything in advance. The regular delivery rooms have already been cleared out. All the equipment is in the special care suite. It's useless for you to go."

Rossi could no longer hold back.

"Miss Sophia, if anything happens to Madre and the child—if Don Renato finds out—"

She tried to use Renato as leverage, not realizing it no longer mattered.

"How dare you? You're nothing more than a lowly doctor in our family, and you think you can threaten me?"

Sophia shot a look to the bodyguards. They immediately seized Rossi and dragged her away.

At the same time, I slipped from her arms and hit the ground.

"Madre, I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do to save you…"

As I watched Rossi being dragged away, the fragile hope I had just regained shattered instantly.

Fearing Rossi might come back and cause trouble with me, Sophia personally followed the guards to ensure she was taken away.

By the elevator, I collapsed onto the floor. I could feel the movements in my abdomen growing weaker and weaker.

I knew… the baby was beginning to suffocate.

If I didn't deliver soon, even if the child survived, the brain would be damaged.

And just then, a familiar figure suddenly appeared before me.

It was Mark Ricci, Renato's assistant.

When Mark saw me, his eyes widened in shock.

I was so disheveled that he looked at me several times, as if unsure whether it was really me.

I tried to call out, but not a single sound came from my throat. All I could do was wave my hands, desperately begging for help.

He hesitated for a moment, then quickly turned and walked away—only to stop not far around the corner of the hallway.

Faintly, I heard his voice.

"Don Renato, there's a woman covered in blood by the elevator. She looks a lot like Madre…"

Renato. It was him. He was nearby.

Before I could even confirm it, his familiar voice came through.

"That's impossible! I already had her settled in the underground storage and gave her a sedative. She should be resting. How could she be here?"

The moment I recognized his voice, I tried to scream, but a bodyguard clamped a hand over my mouth.

My throat, already unable to produce sound, was completely silenced.

All I could do was listen.

"Don Renato, maybe you should come take a look. She doesn't seem to be in good condition. If it really is Madre, then both she and the baby could be in danger…"

Mark still sounded uneasy. He had followed Renato for years and was deeply trusted by him.

After Mark finished speaking, there was a tense silence. I knew Renato was hesitating.

Hope surged again, my heart leaping into my throat.

"Alright, I'll go take a look. If it's Ellen—"

Just as he was about to come, I finally let out a breath of relief.

But before he could finish his sentence, a doctor's voice rang out, calling for Renato.

"Don Renato! Madam Lina is having abdominal pain. It looks like the baby may be in distress!"

"And Madam Lina says she doesn't want you to leave her side. She hopes you won't go far."

"Understood. I'm coming right away."

Renato answered without hesitation.

"Mark, my sister-in-law needs me right now. That woman can't possibly be Ellen. If it were her, she'd have already come here, making a scene, demanding money and status for her child. How could she be this quiet?"

"But… what if—"

Mark tried to persuade him further, but Renato's footsteps were already fading away.

The bodyguard's hand still clamped over my mouth. I could only let my tears fall in silence.

Soon, the hallway fell completely quiet.

Renato—the man I once believed I could rely on for the rest of my life—chose to believe others over his own wife. In that moment, every trace of my love for him vanished.

Sophia returned shortly after, looking at me with smug satisfaction.

"Ellen, turns out Renato doesn't care about you that much after all. The only thing he cares about is the heir to our family. To him, you're nothing more than a breeding machine."

I closed my eyes and didn't look at her again.

My consciousness was sinking. My body, once heavy, now felt strangely light.

Aside from the constant pain, the baby's movements were growing weaker and weaker.

If this continued, both my child and I would die.

I let out a faint breath and slowly reached for the ring on my right index finger.

My father had commissioned it, a custom piece designed with a hidden mechanism.

As long as I pressed the gemstone, he would know I was in danger—and within twenty minutes, he would be able to locate me and come to my rescue.

I used to think I would never need it.

After all, Renato had once loved me with his life.

Now, thinking back on it… I had been unbelievably foolish.

Groping for the ring, I pressed the gemstone with all the strength I had left.