Chapter 1

Seven years of marriage, and I buried four babies.

Every single time I gave birth, Jerome Partrdge held me while I cried, kissed my forehead, and whispered that our babies had been stillborn. He stayed beside me through every nightmare, telling me none of it was my fault. I believed him. I believed every single lie.

Now I was pregnant again to our fifth baby.

My hands couldn't stop shaking as I held the pregnancy test. I was smiling through my tears because maybe... maybe this time God would finally let me keep my child.

I wanted to surprise Jerome.

I walked toward his office inside the Partridge estate, already imagining the look on his face when I told him. But before I could knock, I heard his voice from the other side of the door.

“Those four babies... did you get rid of them properly?” Jerome asked calmly. “Make sure they're buried somewhere decent. I don't ever want Lori finding out anything. She's already suffered enough, and I don't want her reliving all that pain.”

My heart warmed.

See? This was my husband. He always acted cold in front of everyone else, but he was gentle with me when no one was watching. I smiled to myself.

Then his right hand, Kael, spoke. “Boss... if you care about your wife that much, then why did you have her kidnapped seven years ago? Your men pretended to be kidnappers, tortured her for three days, and after she gave birth... you were the one who killed those babies with your own hands.”

What?

My body froze.

No. I had to be hearing things.

My breathing turned uneven. I covered my mouth before I could make a sound.

Kidnapped... Tortured... My babies...

No, no, no. That couldn't be true.

Tears blurred my vision before I even realized I was crying.

Inside the office, Jerome finally answered. “I've loved Vivienne since we were kids,” he said quietly. “But she only wanted Linux. The problem was Linux was engaged to Lori, so I had to make sure that engagement fell apart. If Lori came back ruined, Linux would've never married her. Just like I expected, he dumped her and chose Vivienne instead.”

Every word stabbed straight through my chest.

“So I married Lori afterward,” Jerome continued. “Not because I loved her. I just needed to keep her close. If she stayed with me, she wouldn't have the chance to get revenge or ruin Vivienne's happy life.”

I grabbed the wall before my legs completely gave out. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think.

Then Kael asked carefully, “But... those babies... why did they all have to die?”

Jerome didn't even hesitate. “Vivienne has always wanted to beat Lori at everything. She would've never accepted Lori becoming a mother before her. So those children couldn't be allowed to live.”

I almost screamed.

My babies weren't stillborn!

Jerome, my husband, murdered them with his own hands.

Why?

Why would you do that to me? What did I ever do to deserve this?

Jerome let out a long sigh. “I didn't expect things to end up like this. After seven years... I guess I've grown attached to Lori. It bothers me when she cries. Seeing her in pain isn't easy anymore.”

Attached?

Was that all I was? Something he'd gotten used to?

Kael lowered his voice. “Boss... Miss Vivienne already married the man she wanted. Everything worked out for her. Maybe it's time to stop. Your wife has suffered enough. Every time she loses a baby, it almost kills her too. I've watched her break over and over again.”

“No,” Jerome answered instantly. “I do care about Lori now. Maybe more than I should. But Vivienne will always come first.”

He paused before speaking again.

“Linux still hasn't gotten Vivienne pregnant. She'll lose her mind if Lori gives birth before she does.”

His voice turned cold again.

“So if Lori gets pregnant again...” He didn't even need a second to think. “…then this baby will die too.”

Everything around me started spinning.

Vivienne and I had been enemies since the day we were born.

We were cousins, born on the exact same day, and our mafia families lived right next to each other. Growing up, everyone knew our names because we never stopped competing. If I wore a new dress, she'd buy something more expensive. If I got an earrings, she'd show up wearing diamonds twice the size. She always had to beat me.

But the one thing she wanted more than anything... was Linux.

My fiancé. The future Don of another mafia family.

She chased him for years, but he never even looked at her. He loved me, and everyone knew we were getting married. People said Vivienne had finally lost.

I thought so too.

Until the night before my wedding I was kidnapped for three days.

Three days that destroyed my entire life.

They beat me, tortured me, and kept me locked away, but they never touched me the way everyone believed they did. When I finally came home, the rumors had already spread across every mafia family in the city.

They said I wasn't pure anymore and called me damaged, disgraced.

Linux's mother threatened to kill herself if he married me, so he had no choice but to call off our engagement. A few months later, he married Vivienne.

Back then, I wanted to die. My whole world had fallen apart, and I didn't think I'd ever smile again.

Then Jerome Partridge came into my life.

The heir of Partridge Consolidated.

The man every powerful family wanted on their side.

He arrived with a wedding procession so grand the entire city stopped to watch. Luxury cars stretched for miles, flowers covered the streets, and everyone said I'd become the luckiest woman alive.

On our wedding night, I couldn't stop crying.

He held my face so gently, wiped away every tear with his thumb, and kissed my forehead. "Lori," he whispered, "look at me. I don't care what anyone says. I know who you are, and to me, you'll always be the purest woman in this world. So please... don't cry anymore. You've been hurt enough."

I believed him.

Damn, I really believed him!

For seven years, he treated me like I was the center of his world. He spoiled me, protected me, loved me so well that every woman in the mafia world envied me. Little by little, I fell completely in love with him. And the only shadow in our marriage... was losing four babies.

I always blamed fate. I thought God simply hated me. But today, I found out their father murdered every single one of them for Vivienne.

...

I don't even remember leaving the mansion.

I just ran.

I ran until I reached the abandoned burial grounds outside the city. Hidden behind an empty hill, I saw them.

Four tiny graves.

No names. No flowers. No headstones. Just four small piles of dirt.

Like my babies had never existed.

My knees gave out, and I collapsed in front of them.

"My babies!" My voice broke. "My precious babies. Mommy's here! I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry..."