To help my "destitute" husband pay off his debts, I scavenged for scraps for five years. My son and I survived on expired canned food.

That changed on my son's birthday. I saw him in a bespoke suit, spending millions to celebrate the birthday of the woman he truly loved. That was the moment I realized he was actually the most powerful billionaire on Wall Street.

To please the love of his life, he let our child be injected with unknown drugs, leaving him on the brink of death. He even forced me to drain my own blood to save her son.

Later, I became someone he could no longer reach. I linked arms with a man far more powerful than him and walked away.

That once arrogant man ended up kneeling in the Arctic snow, clutching a photo I had burned, weeping like a stray dog.

On the day Caspian and I got our marriage certificate, he dropped a bombshell: as the illegitimate son of the Thorne family, he hadn't inherited a penny. Instead, he was saddled with a massive gambling debt left behind by the family.

I didn't despise him for it. For the past five years, I lived with him in a moldy basement, working three jobs to support him, while our son, Alaric, survived on discounted canned food that was nearing its expiration date.

Today was Alaric's fifth birthday.

To earn enough overtime pay to buy him a decent cake, we were braving the hundred-degree heat in New York City, stuffed inside heavy, filthy mascot costumes, handing out flyers in front of the Hilton.

However, just as I tried to adjust my helmet, my vision went black.

But as I fell backward, an extremely handsome man caught me: "Be careful."

It was Valerius Sterling.

The ruler of a media empire; I had seen him in financial magazines.

He looked at me intently, his gaze suddenly fixing on the necklace that had slipped out from under my collar—the only memento my mother had left me.

"If you want to leave, call me. I’ll help you." he said, handing me a business card.

I was a little confused. Leave? What did he mean?

But before I could ask, the hotel manager's voice interrupted me.

"Hey! You two in the ragged suits!" The manager walked over and kicked my knee in disgust. "You got lucky today. Mr. Thorne is throwing a birthday party for the young master here, and the kid loves these stupid dolls. Go in there, dance, make the little master laugh, and this hundred thousand dollars is yours."

One hundred thousand dollars?!

Alaric was thrilled; opportunities like this were rare.

That was, until I walked in and saw my "bankrupt" husband sitting in the luxurious seat of honor, wearing an expensive handmade suit.

He didn't look a thing like the shabby man who needed me to mend his torn shirts.

The guests around were gasping in awe: "Mr. Thorne is so generous! He actually gave his stepson a yacht worth tens of millions as a birthday gift!"

"Exactly. Not only is he the richest man on Wall Street, but he's also so devoted. He treats his lover's child like his own. Where can you find a good man like that?"

Richest man? A multi-million dollar yacht?

I stared dead at the woman next to Caspian—Isolde. Her red haute couture gown was worth more than my wages for the next ten years.

Caspian was looking down at Isolde's son, Julian, his eyes filled with the doting affection of a loving father. If he had given even a fraction of that tenderness to Alaric, my son wouldn't be crying out for his daddy in his sleep.

But now, he was giving all his love to someone else's child, a child who didn't even share his blood!

"Caspian..." Isolde giggled, pressing her body against his. "You threw such a grand party for Julian, but today is also your son's birthday. Don't you need to go see him?"

She pretended to be kind, but her eyes glinted with malice.

Caspian took a careless sip of his champagne, not even lifting his eyelids.

"There's no need," he said indifferently. "I told you, my wealth and my love are for you alone. Isolde, I never break my word."

I felt like I had been struck by lightning, like someone had slapped me hard across the face.

Beside me, Alaric froze. He was terrifyingly smart; even through the mascot head, he recognized that voice. It was the father he waited for every day and night.

"Mommy, look! These two beggars are so funny!"

Isolde's son, Julian, suddenly burst into laughter. He grabbed a handful of cash and smashed it into our faces like he was feeding dogs. "Catch! This is your reward!"

Green bills rained down on us like snow. Caspian and Isolde exchanged a smile, their eyes full of indulgence, as if we really were just two stray dogs there for their amusement.

In that moment, my heart shattered completely.

Five years. Five whole years.

So, he pretended to be poor, letting my son and me scavenge for scraps, just to keep his promise to the love of his life—that his money would only ever be spent on Isolde?

It turned out he had never forgotten her.

Memories cut through my heart like a rusty, dull knife.

I grew up in an orphanage. I knew from a young age that Caspian was a star far out of my reach, while I was just a shadow hiding in the dark corners, peeking at him.

I never asked for anything. I just watched as he put his childhood sweetheart, Isolde, on a pedestal.

When she was eighteen, Isolde mentioned she wanted to see a meteor shower. He rented a private island and set off fireworks all night to simulate it.

Isolde, wrapped in fur, threw herself into his arms and pouted, "That was so expensive!"

He hugged her tight, his voice dripping with tenderness. "You deserve the best of everything in this world. I have money, and from now on, my money is only for my little princess."

Later, they fought. Isolde broke up with him in a fit of pique and went to Paris. He chased her to the airport like a madman, only to be crushed by her words: "Stop pestering me. I’m marrying a duke."

He married me only to use me to forget Isolde. While I was working myself to death just to survive, he was throwing away millions for another woman.

The moment the party ended, I tremblingly pulled off Alaric’s headgear. My son’s face was covered in tears, flushed red from the heat and crying.

"Mommy, Daddy lied to us, didn’t he?" he sobbed. "He isn't poor. He just doesn't love us."

The pain was suffocating. I hugged my son tight and finally made up my mind. "Alaric, we don't want this Daddy anymore. Mommy will take you away, okay?"

"Okay!" Alaric clutched my collar tightly. "Let's go far away!"

I took Alaric straight to a roadside law firm and printed a divorce agreement.

Late that night, Caspian returned to our moldy basement.

He had already taken off the expensive haute couture suit and changed back into his cheap clothes with frayed cuffs. He massaged his temples, putting on an act of exhaustion. "Work at the construction site was crazy today. I'm dead tired. Is there anything to eat?"

Looking at his hypocritical face, I felt nothing but disgust.

I didn't say a word. I just slammed the document onto the table.

"Sign this."

Caspian paused, confused. "What is this?"

Just then, the phone in his pocket rang. Isolde’s charming voice drifted out clearly. "Caspian, Julian is crying and won't sleep until you tell him a bedtime story. Come over, please?"

Caspian’s expression instantly turned as soft as water. "Okay, I'll be right there."

He didn't even glance at the document. He scribbled his signature in a rush, grabbed his coat, and headed for the door. "I can't breathe in this house. I'm going out for some air."

As the door clicked shut, I looked at the signed divorce agreement and laughed coldly into the empty room.

"Caspian, those were the divorce papers."

For the entire following week, Caspian didn't step foot in our home, nor did he offer a single explanation.

"Mommy, with this paper, do we not have to live like this anymore?"

Alaric sat atop a pile of old newspapers, clutching the photocopy of the divorce papers tightly.

I crouched down, looking into his longing eyes. "Yes, baby. We’re going to leave this place and go somewhere with no lies and no deception."

Alaric nodded vigorously.

I watched their lives unfold through Isolde’s Instagram.

In the photos, Caspian was rowing a boat with Julian in Central Park, cutting Isolde’s steak at a Michelin-starred restaurant, and swiping his black card without hesitation at luxury boutiques on Fifth Avenue.

That fatherly smile he showed Julian... if he had given even a fraction of it to Alaric, my son wouldn't be crying out for his daddy in his sleep.

But now, he was giving all his love and money to someone else!

I scrolled through the screen, my heart bleeding.

Five years ago, we didn't even have a decent wedding; we just ate hot dogs at a roadside stand for our reception.

To help pay off his so-called "gambling debts," I worked three jobs a day, too afraid to go to the hospital even when I fainted from exhaustion.

Five-year-old Alaric had to walk to school every day because we couldn't afford the bus fare, and he was constantly bullied there.

We gave everything for this family, while he was busy pleasing another woman!

How ironic.

Caspian finally returned early in the morning on the tenth day.

The rusty iron gate was pushed open. He stood in the doorway, ordering self-righteously, "Get Alaric changed into something decent. I’m taking him out."

I froze, my hand pausing mid-scrub over the dishes.

He had never taken Alaric out before.

Why the sudden change of heart?

"No need," I refused coldly without thinking. "We don't need your fake charity."

Caspian’s face darkened, filled with impatience. "What do you know? I pulled strings to get him an interview spot at a top-tier private boarding school. It comes with a scholarship, so we don't have to pay tuition. Don't let your ignorance ruin our son's future!"

I was about to argue when a heavy knock sounded at the door.

It was Mrs. Moretti, the landlady from upstairs, here to discuss the move-out inspection.

Caspian frowned, glancing at the door. "Don't let petty trivialities get in the way of the child's future."

I didn't want him to know about my plan to leave for good with our son, so I just brushed it off. "It's just a routine check."

Caspian checked his watch and urged, "You go deal with her. I'll fix Alaric's bowtie."

I hesitated for a moment, watching him squat down and clumsily adjust our son’s collar. He was still Alaric’s biological father, after all. Leaving him alone with the child for a few minutes surely couldn't lead to any disaster.

So, I dried my hands and walked out.

I wasn't in the mood to chat with the landlady, so after rushing through a few pleasantries, I pushed open the door and returned to the basement.

However, I was greeted by a deathly silence.

Caspian and Alaric were gone.

An ominous feeling instantly gripped my throat. I rushed out of the basement and ran down the street like a madwoman.

Someone at the corner told me they saw a black luxury car pick them up, saying something about going to a "genius school."

A school?

I didn't believe for a second that Caspian would be that kind.

Trembling, I opened the GPS app on my phone—I had saved up three months of bonuses to buy Alaric a smartwatch with a tracker to prevent him from getting lost.

The red dot on the screen was moving toward the wealthy neighborhoods of Long Island's North Shore, finally coming to a stop at a remote private villa.

That wasn't a school at all!

I hailed a taxi, practically screaming at the driver to floor it.

An hour later, I stumbled into the high-walled villa.

I followed the sound up to the second floor. Outside a room that had been converted into a laboratory, I heard Caspian on the phone.

"Is this the entrance IQ test you were talking about? Why are you injecting him with that stuff?"

Then came Isolde's voice from the phone, "Caspian, I had to pull so many strings to get this brain development serum from the lab. But I heard it's incredibly potent and still in clinical trials... Alaric grew up in the slums, so he's tough. Why don't we let him try it first?"

Isolde paused for a moment before continuing, "After all, Alaric is your son. I can't bear to see him remain so mediocre."

Caspian hesitated, his voice laced with doubt. "Still in trials? Is it dangerous?"

"Oh, honey, don't you trust me?" Isolde's voice was sugary sweet, dripping with manipulation. "This single shot is worth five million dollars! I see how dull and slow Alaric is; he's simply unfit to be your heir. This is the only way his IQ can catch up to Julian's, the only way he'll get into that elite school. I'm doing this to help you save face with your family. If... and I mean *if*... there are any side effects, well, it's all in the name of science. Besides, what could possibly go wrong?"

Caspian fell silent for a moment. He glanced at Alaric, who was strapped to the bed, eyes wide with terror. In the end, he agreed to the injection.

His voice was low as he spoke. "Okay. Isolde, you always think of everything. I'll transfer you double the five million. If it makes him smarter, it's worth the risk. I'm his father; I'm making this decision for him."

The needle, thick as a finger, was about to plunge into Alaric's body.

I finally saw the truth. Caspian didn't come home for me or Alaric.

It was Isolde, that venomous snake! She was too terrified of the side effects to use it on her own son, Julian, so she snatched my Alaric to be her damned lab rat!

And Caspian, his own biological father, just to make him "smarter" and not to let down his "true love's" kindness, actually condoned this potentially lethal human experiment!

I charged forward, shoving the doctor aside as he prepared to inject another dose. "Caspian! Are you insane? Isolde is using Alaric to test poison! I don't consent to this! What gives you the right to use it on him?!"

Caspian turned around. Seeing it was me, his brow furrowed, his eyes filled with nothing but impatience at the interruption. "Ivy? What kind of fit are you throwing now? Control yourself! Isolde pulled every string she had and spent millions to get this 'smart drug.' People beg for this and can't get it, so stop being so ungrateful!"

He continued, sneering, "If you hadn't raised Alaric to be so mediocre and clumsy, we wouldn't have to trouble Isolde. You should be thanking her. When did you become so unreasonable?"

"Beg for it?" I pointed at my son, whose face was pale as he convulsed in pain, tears streaming down my face. "Open your eyes and look! She explicitly said on the phone that it’s a trial drug! She was afraid something would happen to Julian, so she used Alaric as a shield! In five years, you never took him to a theme park or bought him a single toy. Now, the moment you show up, you’re using his life to pave the way for that woman’s son?!"

I tried to stop them again, but Caspian shoved me aside violently. "Stop it! You ignorant shrew!"

His eyes were cold, looking at me like I was garbage. "Isolde said the drug is intense, but the results are miraculous! She gave this incredible opportunity to Alaric! The Thorne family heir must be exceptional. Why can't you get that through your thick skull?"

"I don't want your 'exceptional'!" I screamed hysterically, lunging forward to undo the restraints. "We're going home! Don't touch my son!"

Just then, the monitoring equipment nearby let out a piercing alarm.

The doctor operating it turned pale and shouted in panic, "Mr. Thorne! Something's wrong! The reaction is too violent! The subject's nervous system is collapsing! This is a severe toxic rejection reaction!"

Foam began to spill from the corners of Alaric's mouth. His small face, already twisted in pain, instantly turned a deathly grey, and his body began to convulse violently.

Only then did panic finally seize Caspian. He snatched up the phone and dialed. "Isolde! What's going on? Alaric is having a seizure!"

After a quick diagnosis, the doctor said anxiously, "The drug is too potent; a child's body can't handle it. We must perform blood purification immediately, or the toxins will attack his heart! We need to transfuse a large amount of O-negative blood to neutralize it! But this is a private lab; we don't have enough in stock..."

Caspian's gaze instantly locked onto me. He knew. I had the rare O-negative blood type.

"Ivy," he strode over, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Save our son. Now."

I didn't even think. To save Alaric, I rolled up my sleeve without a second thought. "Hurry! Take mine! Take as much as you need, just save him!"

The blood bag slowly filled up. It was Alaric's lifeline.

However, before the blood could even be transfused into Alaric, a shrill scream from Isolde pierced the air from the VIP suite next door. "Help! Caspian! Someone help! Julian fainted!"

Caspian's face changed instantly. He abandoned us and rushed out.

Seconds later, he returned, his expression terrifyingly dark.

"Take the blood." He pointed at the bag of warm blood that had just been drained from my body, his voice cold and hard. "Send it next door for Julian."

I felt like I'd been struck by lightning. I couldn't believe my ears.

"What did you say?" I clutched the blood bag tightly, dizzy from blood loss. "This is for Alaric! He's going into shock!"

"Julian's congenital heart condition acted up; he needs a transfusion too!" Caspian avoided my eyes, gritting his teeth. "His condition is more critical; one second later and his heart will stop. Alaric is just having a rejection reaction. Isolde said a shot of adrenaline will be enough for him!"

I screamed like a madwoman, "Caspian, Alaric is your own flesh and blood! You're going to kill him!"

"Isn't that kid a life too?! I can't just watch him die! When did you become so cold-blooded?" Caspian roared at the bodyguards. "What are you waiting for? Grab it!"

"No! Caspian! You bastard!"

I struggled desperately, but the bodyguards roughly pinned me to the chair. I watched helplessly as the blood was taken away.

After the blood draw, everyone left, and only my Alaric remained, alone on the cold machine, trembling as his vital signs faded little by little.

Just when I was utterly desperate, I suddenly remembered Valerius, the man I'd seen at the hotel entrance that day.

He was so rich; he was probably the only one who could bring the best doctors to save Alaric.

I didn't know why he was helping me, but I couldn't care less.

I pulled out his business card and typed a text message to the number on it: I need your help.

But before I could send the message, "Mommy..." a weak, raspy voice interrupted me.

It was Alaric.

His small body was curled up under the blanket, his face pale as paper. There was no one else around to care for him, but he was alive.

Ignoring the IV drip still in my arm, I stumbled over and hugged him, tears bursting forth instantly. "I'm sorry... Alaric, I'm sorry... Mommy is useless. Mommy couldn't protect you..."

Alaric lifted his small hand with great effort and wiped away my tears. Even though he was in pain, he tried to be strong and comfort me. "Mommy, it doesn't hurt anymore. Really."

The more sensible he was, the more it felt like my heart was being sliced into pieces.

"Once this IV is done, we're leaving." I gritted my teeth. "We're leaving immediately."

Alaric nodded vigorously, burying his face in my chest, his voice muffled. "Okay. Mommy, I don't want Daddy anymore."

"In three days," my eyes were filled with a resolve like never before, "as long as we can leave this place, anywhere is fine."

Before I could finish, the door was shoved open.

Caspian stood in the doorway, his face full of impatience. "Leave? Where do you think you're going?"