Luca crouched down and took her freezing hands in his. "Don't talk nonsense."

"I don't deserve you." She kept her head lowered. Tears fell onto the back of his hand. "I'm dirty. I'm pregnant with another man's child. I can't give you children. I can't give you anything—"

"Then have the baby." Luca cut her off and reached up to wipe away her tears.

"As long as it comes from your body, it's my child."

Serena shook her head. "That's not fair to you."

"Serena." Luca cupped her face and forced her to look at him.

"I only want you. I don't care about anything else."

After Mattia Romano was born, Luca truly treated the baby as his own. He would feed Mattia, change his diapers, and pace the floor at midnight to soothe the baby to sleep. He did it all more skillfully than she did.

The first time the little one called him 'Papa', Luca froze for a long moment. Then, his eyes went red.

At that moment, Serena thought that even if the whole world betrayed her, at least she still had Luca.

That was until today.

Mattia suddenly spiked a high fever at preschool. The diagnosis came back as leukemia. They needed to find a bone marrow match as soon as possible.

Serena was not a match. She called Luca three times, but it was not picked up. Frantic, she asked his Underboss, Tommaso Marino, and learned he was entertaining clients at The Monarch.

She took a cab there, praying the entire way. "Pick up the phone, Luca. Mattia's sick. Please come back."

Upon arriving, she took the elevator to the third floor. She found the private room and had just touched the door handle when she heard the voices inside.

"Luca, you're ruthless, you know that?"

The voice from inside made her freeze.

"Back in college, your business was thriving and you had the old Don backing you up. Adriano wouldn't have dared touch you, but you still sent Serena to his bed, then accused him of attacking you so that you could blackmail the old man into kicking Adriano out of the family.

"Those photos of Serena in bed… You had those leaked too, didn't you? All so she'd turn against Adriano and hate him for the rest of her life. Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant."

Serena's hand froze on the door handle. She could hear her own heartbeat pounding so hard her eardrums ached.

What did he mean? Luca sent her to Adriano's bed?

She did not believe it and wanted to push the door open. She wanted to hear Luca say it was not true, but she could not move. Her entire body felt nailed in place.

"Luca, your wedding with your fiancée is next month, right? You'd better hide it well. Don't let Serena find out."

"What does it matter if she finds out?"

That voice was Luca's. Serena heard the click of a lighter, then the sound of him exhaling smoke.

"Serena knows better than anyone how filthy she was during the time Adriano kept her locked up. Without me, she has nowhere to go. But Ginevra's different..."

When he said Ginevra's name, Luca's tone suddenly softened.

"She reminds me of Serena back at the orphanage—clean and dependent on me. I put in a lot of effort to win her over. I never missed a meal with her, showed up whenever she needed me, proposed with all the grand displays she wanted, and filled the street outside her apartment with flowers and candles.

"We've been together a year, and the most intimate thing we've done is kiss. She's clean. She's the perfect person to bear the Don's bloodline.

"Serena and I have been together so many years that she's become part of my life. I can't give her up. But because she's dirty now, I can't love her the way I used to.

"When she gave birth to Adriano's child, I had the doctor remove her uterus as revenge. But as compensation, I'll let Serena stay by my side as a mistress for the rest of her life. It's not a bad arrangement!"

Serena's nails dug into the gap around the door handle until they broke, but she could not feel the pain. Had her uterus removed? Stay by his side as a mistress?

She remembered that after giving birth, Luca had held her hand and said, "Serena, the doctor said your body was too weak. They did a repair surgery while they were at it. We won't have any more children, but having Mattia is enough."

She had believed him. She had believed everything. From the very beginning, she had been living inside a lie Luca wove with his own hands.

Serena stumbled away from the door. She did not know how she made it down the stairs.

On the last step down, she missed her footing and fell. Her knee slammed into the edge of the step. Pain shot through her and she gasped, but she did not dare stop.

She scrambled up and limped toward the exit, breaking into a run. She kept running until she left that street and ducked into a narrow alley. Only then did all her strength drain away and she slid down against the wall.

She covered her mouth, not daring to make a sound, but tears fell onto the back of her hand and onto the ground.

She thought about those days locked away. She thought about all the things Adriano had used on her. She thought about the photograph she had clutched every time she could not bear it anymore.

She had thought that photograph was her light, but Luca was the very one who had shoved her into the abyss.

Serena looked up at the sky. The world was so vast, and she had plenty of places to go besides staying at Luca's side. Since their pure love had turned rotten, there was no need for her to stay.

By the time Serena returned to the hospital, Mattia had finished his examination. The small figure lay on the hospital bed, his face flushed with fever. When he saw her, he reached out his arms. "Mamma, hold me."

Serena pulled him into her arms and pressed her cheek against his.

Mattia asked softly, "Mamma, where's Papa?"

"Papa's busy."

"Will he come see me when he's done?"

"He will."

The doctor called her to his office to talk. He said the best option for now was to wait for a match from the bone marrow registry or find a close blood relative to test.

A close blood relative. That would be Adriano.

Serena clenched her fingers.

That period of her life was the deepest nightmare she would ever know. She thought she would never have to face that man again, but now…

She had not yet figured out what to do when her phone buzzed. It was a message from Luca.

[In a meeting. I'll stop by the hospital later.]

She did not reply. When she took Mattia for a follow-up exam, they passed by the maternity ward. That was where she saw Luca. He was supporting a young woman, treating her carefully and cautiously like she might shatter at any moment.

The woman's belly was slightly rounded. The way Luca looked at her was so tender it was almost absurd.

When Serena was pregnant, he had been careful too. However, now that she thought about it, it was more like a performance for her benefit.

She was about to turn and leave when Mattia broke free from her hand and ran over.

"Papa!"

Ginevra Bianchi's eyes went wide. "Who's this child? Why is he calling you 'Papa'?"

Her expression shifted. "Luca, you put on such a show chasing after me, but you have a child with another woman behind my back?"

She raised her hand and swung it at her own stomach. "Then I'll get rid of this one right now!"

Luca's expression changed. He grabbed her wrist with one hand and, with the other, shoved Mattia hard.

Mattia fell to the ground. The back of his head hit the tile floor with a dull thud.

"It's a stray kid running around calling strangers his father!"

Serena rushed over and pulled Mattia up. He clutched the back of his head, tears welling in his eyes, but he did not dare cry out loud. He just stared at Luca and asked quietly, "Papa, why did you push me?"

Serena moved Mattia behind her and stood up. She looked directly at Luca. Her heart was pounding wildly. She told herself that as long as he explained, as long as he said those things were not true, she would believe him.

Serena wanted so badly to believe him.

"Luca, tell me. What's going on?" Ginevra stared at him too.

Luca looked at her, then at Ginevra. He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, all that remained was impatience.

"Did I say something wrong? I'm not the child's biological father. Who his father is and how this child came to be… Serena, you know that better than I do."

He looked at Ginevra, and his tone softened. "Ginevra, you know how I treat you. I do have a past with her, but that's over. How could I possibly like someone who's been..."

He paused, then said each word deliberately, "... used and thrown away."

Serena heard something shatter. It was not her heart but all the beliefs she had desperately built up over the years.

She remembered that after being rescued from Adriano's hands, she had nightmares every night. Luca would hold her and say, "Serena, it wasn't your fault. You're a victim. Don't ever think of yourself as dirty."

Yet now, to prove his loyalty to another woman, he tore open her wounds himself.

Ginevra stared at Serena for a long moment, then suddenly laughed. "Oh, I remember now. You're Serena Vitale, who climbed into bed with the Romano family's eldest son for money and mafia connections. The one who got filmed in those videos, right?

"Tsk, how do you even have the nerve? You dumped Luca back then because he was illegitimate, and now that he's made something of himself, you come crawling back. You're even trying to play the sympathy card, making some bastard from who knows where call him 'Papa'?"

Serena's body trembled. Images from that dark time surfaced in her mind.

Adriano was a monster. During the time he kept her locked up, he had used wax, whips, and chains on her. Memories she buried deepest were dragged back to the surface.

Her face went pale, and her breathing became labored. She clutched her chest and crouched down.

"Mamma, what's wrong?" Mattia cried out in terror, "Papa, you have to save Mamma!"

"Stop putting on an act. Luca, let's go," Ginevra sneered.

Luca did not even glance at her. He helped Ginevra turn around and walked away.

The world spun, and Serena's vision blurred. The sound of Mattia's sobbing drifted in and out, but Luca's cold, retreating figure remained painfully clear.

During those dark days when she was locked away, she cried every single day. However, every plea for mercy only brought more vicious torment from Adriano.

In those agonizing moments, all she thought about was Luca. Now, she could never rely on him again.

When Serena woke up again, she was in a hospital room. Luca sat at the edge of the bed, wearing the gentle smile she knew so well.

"Serena, you have to understand my position. After you gave birth to Adriano's child, you lost the ability to have more children. The Romano family is vast, and I need an heir to solidify my position as Don."

He sighed. "Ginevra and I, it's not what I wanted. But don't worry, the person I love has always been you and only you. Once she gives birth, we'll go back to how things were before. Okay?"

Serena looked at him and suddenly felt like she was staring at a stranger.

She had listened to this voice, seen this face, and heard these gentle words for over ten years. Now, however, hearing them only made her feel cold all over.

"Mattia's sick. Can you get tested for a bone marrow match?"

Luca paused, then smiled again, though it did not appear sincere. "Of course. After all, Mattia is my son too. Right?"

Serena did not answer. She got up and went to Mattia's room. She asked the doctor and learned that Mattia's condition had worsened because of emotional distress. He needed surgery as soon as possible.

Lying in the hospital bed, Mattia finally asked the question weighing on his mind, "Mamma, why didn't Papa acknowledge me?"

Serena forced a smile. "He was just joking."

"But Mamma, they all call me a bastard." Mattia's tears fell, guilt written across his face. "They said I'm a rapist's child and that you don't love me either."

Only then did Serena realize that while she was unconscious, her past had been dragged into the open again. Her body trembled. She could feel her depression threatening to resurface, but for her child's sake, she dug her nails into her palms and held herself together.

"That's not true. My Mattia is so wonderful. How could I not love you?"

Over the next few days, she did not go anywhere. She stayed in Mattia's room. She heard plenty of cruel gossip. If this were before, Serena would have collapsed already. However, she had to hold on.

One day, she received a call from the hospital saying a match had been found, but they needed to convince the donor's family. She rushed to the hospital and pushed open the door.

Ginevra sat inside.

The doctor gave them both a meaningful look, then stood and left.

Serena understood. This was Ginevra's way of cornering her, but she had nowhere else to turn.

"Ms. Bianchi, please. I'm begging you to save Mattia. Name your terms. I'll agree to anything."

Ginevra folded her arms, her gaze full of contempt. "You really are shameless. After everything Adriano did to you, you still gave birth to his child. What, did you fall in love with him?

"If you ask me, that kid getting sick is karma. He's better off dead. Why are you even trying so hard?"

Serena grabbed her hand. "No, Mattia can't die. Please!"

Ginevra shook her off. Serena stumbled into the desk but did not cry out in pain.

"You want me to save that bastard? Fine." Ginevra smiled.

"Get on your knees and beg me. Show me you're sincere enough, and I'll agree."

Serena dropped to her knees without hesitation. Ginevra froze for a moment, then her smile widened.

"Hahahaha... Serena Vitale, look at yourself. You look just like a dog right now! How about this? If I tell you to leave Luca, would you agree to that too?"

"I would." Serena looked straight at her. "As long as you save Mattia, even if you ask for my life, I'd agree."

Ginevra sneered, "You think I'm an idiot? A vain woman like you could never give up Luca. Here's the deal. Agree to one last request and I'll save that bastard."

Serena's heart pounded. "What is it?"

"Keep my cousin satisfied."

As soon as the words left her mouth, the door opened. A brutal-looking man walked in while holding a phone. A shrill female voice came from the phone. Serena thought it sounded familiar.

The next second, the phone was tossed in front of her. When she saw what was on the screen, her body began to tremble uncontrollably. It was a video from when Adriano had kept her locked up.

"It's very simple. Just do everything in the video again."

"No... Please, no..." Serena scrambled to her feet to leave, but the man grabbed her.

"Don't touch me! If Luca finds out, he'll kill you!"

Ginevra laughed coldly. "You don't know yet, do you? Luca's the match. He said you and that bastard disrespected me, and he told me to teach you a lesson so that I could vent my anger. Watching you suffer makes him happy. Why would he come save you?"

Serena's expression crumbled piece by piece. She shook her head as tears fell silently. "No... It's not like that... Luca said he wouldn't let me get hurt again..."

"Yeah, right." Ginevra rolled her eyes. "Gabriele, I'm leaving. Enjoy yourself."

"You got it."

The man's foul breath hit Serena's nose. She almost gagged.

"Come here, sweetheart. Let me take real good care of you."

"Don't touch me!" She struggled violently, but she could not budge him. His rough hands roamed over her body, making her stomach churn. In desperation, she bit down on Gabriele Esposito's hand. He threw her against the wall, and the world spun.

Gabriele grabbed her by the hair and slapped her across the face several times.

"Goddamn bitch, who are you trying to fool? You did all kinds of shit in that video, and now, you're playing innocent with me?"

Serena was pinned down and violated. No matter how hard she fought, she could not escape. When the brutal assault finally ended, Serena was thrown to the floor, discarded and broken. After a long time, she gathered her clothes and barely covered herself before leaving.

She could not see Mattia right now as she was afraid he would worry, so she went home.

In the shower, she broke down and sobbed. She stood in front of the mirror and looked at her ruined reflection. She used to think the dark period of her life was over. She never imagined it would happen again.

It turned out no one would ever be her salvation. She could only rely on herself.

She gave herself one month. If Luca would not help, she would go to Adriano and make him save Mattia.