Chapter 1

When I'm dragged onto the auction stage, my ex-boyfriend, Clifford Mitchell, is sitting among the audience. He has his arm around Selene Graham, the woman who framed my father and sent him to prison back then.

He leisurely raises his paddle. "A hundred million dollars. I want her to strip naked in public and play that video from back then."

The compromising photos he coaxed me into taking when I was 18 instantly appear on the massive screen, and the whole venue bursts into laughter.

I bite down hard on my lip and, with trembling hands, slowly undo my buttons to cover the cost of my son Brooke Sullivan's surgery tomorrow.

Just then, Brooke bursts in. His head's covered in blood as he throws his arms around Clifford's leg. "You big bully! Don't hurt my mommy! You can have my kidney, so please save my mommy!"

Staring at the face that is practically identical to his own, Clifford loses his composure for the very first time. "Kyra, this child—"

I slap him hard across the face, a bitter smile on my lips. "Don't you think I'm filthy, Mr. Mitchell? He's just a bastard child. I wouldn't want to sully your precious eyes."

Chapter 1

Clifford Mitchell abruptly reached out and clamped his hand around my chin. "Kyra Sullivan, do you really think you can fool me by finding some little mutt and having him get plastic surgery to look like me?"

I was forced to look up, meeting his sinister gaze. "You flatter yourself, Mr. Mitchell. I'd rather become a prostitute than give birth to your child!"

His pupils contracted, and the veins on the back of the hand that was gripping my chin bulged.

Five years ago, on his birthday, I'd clutched a pregnancy test, hoping to surprise him. Instead, what awaited me was news that Selene Graham had reported my father, Mason Sullivan, for sexually assaulting her.

Dad was sent to prison, while Clifford confronted me with footage from the hotel, demanding to know why I had betrayed him. He didn't believe me, nor would he believe that the child in my womb was his. Thus, no matter how difficult things became, I never dared to gamble Brooke's life on the chance that Clifford might still have a shred of conscience left.

"Don't hurt Kyra, Cliff." Selene's syrupy-sweet voice cooed from below the stage. Her eyes swept maliciously over my half-naked body. "She's been working in those kinds of places all these years. She's bound to have run into questionable men.

"Besides, if she was willing to sleep with someone for money back then, she's perfectly capable of grabbing some random kid and using him to make a false claim against you now. Have you forgotten what kind of scum her father was? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Clifford pushed my face away. Without any support, I collapsed onto the freezing display platform.

Brooke spread his thin, frail arms, standing in front of me. "Don't lay your hands on my mommy! You're all evil!"

He could barely stand on his own, yet he still stubbornly shielded me. My chest abruptly tightened, and I hurriedly reached out to pull him into my arms.

However, the very next second, Clifford raised his foot and kicked me away. Several security personnel rushed onto the stage and roughly seized Brooke by the arms.

"Let go of me! Let go of my mommy!" Brooke was frail to begin with. The blood instantly drained from his face from the rough handling.

"Unhand him!" As I clutched Clifford's pant leg, my voice trembled. "Clifford Mitchell, if you have a problem with me, come at me. Leave my son alone!"

Clifford looked down at me condescendingly before letting out a snort. "I'll let him go on one condition—strip until I'm satisfied."

The entire venue fell deathly silent.

Brooke was pinned to the ground by the security personnel as he wailed at the top of his lungs.

I knew I had no choice. If giving up my dignity meant I could save Brooke's life, so be it. All these years, I'd already trampled my pride into the dirt just to survive.

With trembling hands, I reached for the final button on my dress and undid it.

The rose tattooed across my chest was laid bare under the blinding spotlights. It was the tattoo I had gotten with Clifford on my 18th birthday. I had it inked over my chest, whereas he had his on his waist.

Back then, he was just an orphan Dad had picked up off the streets. He wasn't the untouchable elite.

Holding me in his arms, he had whispered in my ear, "No matter who I become, you'll always be the most important person in my life, Kyra."

Mocking whistles echoed from below the stage. Clifford's eyes were glued to the rose tattoo on my chest, and his expression darkened inch by inch.

The very next second, he abruptly raised his foot and kicked over the display stand beside him. The deafening crash stunned the entire venue.

He yanked off his suit jacket and hurled it against me. "Take her back to my villa!"

Brooke's anguished cries became increasingly frantic. My heart twisted in agony as I pleaded, "Give my son back to me, Clifford!"

…

He dragged me back to the familiar master bedroom, tossed me onto the bed, and pinned me down under his body. Yet he froze when he noticed the cigarette burn marring my tattoo.

I let out a derisive chuckle. "You actually desire a body that's been used by countless men like mine? Mr. Mitchell, you really are beyond saving."

Rage churned in his eyes. "Kyra, you're just as cheap as you were five years ago. You'll sell anything for money."

Those memories cut into my heart like blades.

Five years ago, I had desperately tried to prove my innocence, presenting all kinds of evidence to show that the person in the footage wasn't me, but he hadn't believed a single word I said.

This time, I couldn't be bothered to defend myself. "You're right. I love money."

He scowled and ordered his men to lock me in the basement.

As soon as the iron door slammed shut behind me, I demanded, "Where's my son? Where have you taken Brooke?"

Chapter 2

Selene stood on the other side of the bars, smiling as she looked at my wretched state.

I shot daggers at her. "Selene, you set us up back then, didn't you? Dad never laid a finger on you! You stripped naked and staged the whole thing!"

Selene smiled nonchalantly. "Initially, your father insisted he never laid a hand on me. But after they beat him until he was crawling on the floor, he grabbed someone's leg and begged them to stop.

"He said he'd confess to anything as long as they stopped beating him. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for refusing to break up with Cliff and step aside for me, his fiancee!"

My eyes were bloodshot as I lunged at her like a madwoman, causing the iron bars to rattle loudly. "I'm going to kill you, Selene!"

To my surprise, she took half a step back and let out a startled cry before falling to the ground. "Why did you push me, Kyra?"

Clifford strode over. The moment he saw Selene on the floor, his expression darkened to the extreme. Without the slightest hesitation, he grabbed me by the neck and pinned me against the wall.

As the sense of suffocation overwhelmed me, I instinctively thrashed wildly. Yet no matter how hard I clawed at his hands, I couldn't pry his fingers open.

"Let her go, Cliff. I'm just a little anemic, so I lost my footing earlier…" Selene said weakly.

Clifford finally released his grip.

I doubled over, coughing till my lungs burned, the raw taste of blood filling my mouth. "Where's my son?"

I braced myself against the floor, tears trickling down my face. "Give me back my son. He's supposed to go into surgery at 9:00 am tomorrow. He can't afford to wait any longer…"

Clifford looked down at me condescendingly. "He's just a bastard, yet you're so protective of him. Since you know you're in the wrong, get on your knees and apologize to Selene. I'll let you and your son go when she's satisfied."

I gaped at him. The man in front of me clearly still had the same face. Yet, the Clifford from five years ago—the one who had made chamomile tea for me when my period came early and had driven two hours in the middle of the night just to buy me a slice of cake—was already dead.

Brooke was scheduled to go into surgery at 9:00 am the next day. I had no time left.

Gritting my teeth, I slowly bent my knees and dropped to the floor. "I'm terribly sorry, Ms. Graham."

My forehead struck the floor with a dull thud. When I raised my head again, a bruise had already formed. "Please… give my son back to me."

Without warning, a powerful grip closed around my wrist.

Clifford was caught off guard. Moments later, he yanked me up from the floor. His eyes were frighteningly red as he practically gritted out, "I had no idea you were such a spineless whore, Kyra! For money, for some bastard child, you'll do anything, won't you?"

I froze for a moment before bursting into laughter. For five whole years, I had endured all sorts of humiliation in nightclubs.

I had gone from loathing myself to smiling sweetly while greasy hands slipped beneath my clothes and pawed at me, all so I could coax customers into buying another drink. I'd lost my backbone and my pride a long time ago.

"What good is having a backbone?"

Could it bring Dad back to life? Could it stop Brooke from dying in the ICU?

I was poor. I had knelt before others, and I had been slapped across the face and had my head forced into drinks.

"So long as Brooke can live, I'm willing to do anything!"

Clifford's grip abruptly tightened, and his expression turned unbearably grim.

Just then, a small voice drifted from outside the door. "Mommy…"

I whipped my head around.

Brooke was brought in, clutching the doorframe for support, his face as pale as a sheet of paper.

I rushed over and pulled him into my arms. "Hush now, Brooke. I'm here. I'm here…"

Brooke, however, stared at Clifford and timidly called out, "Daddy…"

My mind went completely blank, and my entire body went rigid.

When he was little, he had always pestered me, asking where his dad was. I had no choice but to pull out an old photo of Clifford and me and lie that his dad had gone somewhere far away.

Clifford stared intently at Brooke, his brows knit tightly together. The very next second, Selene stepped forward and said gently, "Kyra really will stop at nothing, Cliff. To con you out of your money, she's even using her son."

As if afraid Clifford wouldn't believe him, Brooke hurriedly pulled out a silver necklace from his collar, holding it up as high as he could. "Daddy gave me this…"

My expression changed drastically in an instant.

That necklace was a birthday present Clifford had personally given me. I had always worn it close to my heart. After Brooke was born and plagued by one illness after another, I put it on him, hoping it would protect him.

Clifford's gaze darkened. He marched forward, seized the necklace, and yanked it off, snapping the chain. "Kyra Sullivan," he spat out. "To scam me out of money, you're even willing to use the gift I gave you."

The necklace clattered to the floor. Much like the last glimmer of hope I'd clung to all these years, it was crushed into dust under his boot.

Clifford took Selene's hand and turned to leave.

I held Brooke as tightly as I could. Noticing that Clifford was about to leave, I finally broke down and screamed, "You bought me at the auction for a hundred million dollars! Where's my money?"

He came to an abrupt halt.

A moment later, he pulled a black card out of his wallet and hurled it at my face without turning around. "The password is the date you betrayed me. Take it and get the hell out here!"

Chapter 3

Holding Brooke and that black card, I rushed straight to the hospital.

After completing the admission procedures, I practically threw myself at the payment window and handed over the card. "I'm here to pay for Brooke Sullivan's surgery!"

The nurse checked her computer, and she suddenly appeared troubled. "You're his family, right? I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news… but the donor kidney that was allocated to him has already been reassigned to another patient."

My brain short-circuited.

Clutching the window bars in a vice grip, I fretted, "We've been on the waiting list for three whole years! It was clearly our turn today!"

The nurse looked at me, her eyes filled with sympathy. "Word is, a patient named Sam Graham was in critical condition. The hospital director personally approved the transfer."

Sam Graham was Selene's cousin who spent his days street-racing, brawling, and indulging in every vice imaginable. Yet, he was going to steal the lifesaving opportunity my son had waited three years for just because he had wrecked his kidneys?

The last thread holding my sanity together snapped at that moment. Like a madwoman, I rushed toward the hospital director's office. Yet, as I rounded the corridor, I suddenly stopped in my tracks.

Clifford was in the center of a crowd a short distance away, listening to the attending physician's report. "Rest assured, Mr. Mitchell. Mr. Graham's surgery was a complete success. The donor kidney is highly compatible with him, so the risk of rejection is extremely low."

All the blood in my body ran cold, and a deafening ringing filled my ears.

So, the hospital hadn't changed the list at the last minute. Clifford had personally given the kidney to the Grahams.

I glared at him, hatred blazing through me like fire rising from the depths of my soul. "Give Brooke his kidney back, Clifford Mitchell! That's his lifeline. How dare you give it to Sam?"

Clifford's eyes widened with disbelief. "Because my word is law here, and that little bastard was never meant to live. He should be thanking his lucky stars that kidney could save Selene's cousin."

My whole body trembled. "You'll pay for this, Clifford…"

His gaze turned ice-cold, and he kicked me in the shoulder. "Kyra, your father was a filthy sex offender, and you're a shameless slut. The fact that your whole family has ended up like this is the punishment you deserve!"

He leaned down, driving his words into my heart like knives. "Don't you love money? When that little bastard dies, I'll give you a million dollars. How does that sound?"

Looking into his eyes, I suddenly found it deeply ironic. It dawned on me that a person's heart could rot to such a degree.

Just then, my phone vibrated frantically. I answered with trembling hands. "Ms. Sullivan, you need to get over here right now! Your son has suddenly gone into acute kidney failure. The doctors are trying to save him!"

Chapter 4

I couldn't remember how many times Brooke had been rushed into the emergency room.

At five years old, he hadn't lived a single decent day since the day he was born. Hospital beds, dialysis, needles, and disinfectant made up his entire childhood.

When the doctor handed me the critical condition notice, my hands were shaking so badly that I couldn't even hold the pen. "If we can't find a suitable kidney donor soon, I'm afraid the child won't make it through the night."

My hands trembled, unable to grasp the pen no matter how hard I tried. "Doctor, please take my blood—take one of my kidneys. As long as you can save him, I'll do anything!"

The doctor sighed and shook his head helplessly.

I stumbled into the VIP ward and crawled on all fours toward Clifford. Clutching his pant leg, I pleaded, "Clifford, I'm begging you, please find a kidney donor and save Brooke…

"I know you despise me. If you save him, I'll give you my life. I'll get down on my knees and beg you. I'll even die if that's what it takes…"

Clifford looked down at me, his eyes bloodshot. "Do you care about that bastard this much? Or is it actually his biological father you care about?"

I shook my head frantically, my tears mingling with the blood streaking down my face. "No… that's not it… I'm begging you, Clifford… For the sake of me bringing you home from that alley all those years ago and begging Dad to adopt you, save my son..."

The moment he heard the word "adopt", his expression hardened.

That was the past he least wanted anyone to bring up. It was also the starting point between us that we could never return to.

Selene immediately leaned over, gently adding fuel to the fire. "You and your rapist father have deceived Cliff for years, and you still have the nerve to bring up what you've done for him? How can you be so sickening, Kyra?"

Right then, an anxious nurse's voice rang out from the end of the corridor. "Ms. Sullivan! The patient's in critical condition! Hurry up!"

The last thread of my sanity finally snapped.

Drawing strength from god knows where, I grabbed a fruit knife from the nurses' station and pressed it straight against Selene's neck.

"Find me a kidney donor, Clifford. Now! Or I'll kill her!"

The entire corridor fell dead silent.

Selene let out a terrified scream, her legs giving way beneath her.

Clifford's gaze turned colder by the second. "Kyra Sullivan, do you really think I don't have the gall to lay a hand on you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, one of his bodyguards charged forward and kicked me hard behind the knee. I yelped and dropped to my knees, the fruit knife flying out of my grasp.

The very next second, Clifford bent down and picked up the knife. Then, right in front of everyone, he slowly drove it inch by inch into my shoulder.

Excruciating pain exploded through me, and blood began streaming down my sleeve. I trembled uncontrollably from the pain, unable to make even a sound.

He clamped his hand around my chin, forcing me to look up at him. There wasn't a single trace of sympathy in his eyes. "I'm warning you, Kyra Sullivan—if you ever show your face in front of me with that bastard again, I'll make sure neither of you has a grave to be buried in!"

I slumped to the floor, blood pouring from my shoulder, but the only sound left in my head was the nurse's grim verdict.

"He won't make it through the night."

…

Standing in the underground parking garage, Clifford couldn't shake the memory of Kyra's gut-wrenching sobs or the way Brooke had timidly called him "Daddy". An inexplicable restlessness stirred in his chest, and he reached up to loosen his tie.

The very next second, his assistant, Theodore James, called. "Mr. Mitchell, it's been confirmed! The DNA test shows that the child is yours!"