Chapter 1
Cordelia's POV
Thirty-three days in the dark. When the dungeon door finally opened, I, Cordelia, walked out with absolutely nothing.
My adopted sister, Romina, forged the evidence that locked me away. My parents bought her lies and disowned me. My husband, Silvano, sent divorce papers to my cell and immediately dumped our three-year-old son, Lior, at an orphanage, registering him as an orphan.
Then came the diagnosis: a severe blood disorder. To bring my little boy home, I had to formally adopt him, which meant I needed a million dollars to my name.
Driven into a corner, I returned to the Ferrara Manor—the place I once called home—and accepted every humiliating transaction Silvano offered, trading my dignity for the money to save my son.
I thought if I just endured it long enough, I could take my boy and leave.
But overnight, my private photos were splashed across the city.
My adoption eligibility was instantly revoked. And Lior’s life was quietly bleeding out, day by day.
The iron gate slammed shut behind me. For the first time in thirty-three days, I saw daylight.
The rain in Kestrel City was coming down in thick, relentless sheets. I stood at the end of the driveway, staring at the empty road, waiting. My father, Salvatore. My mother, Beatrix. My three-year-old son, Lior. Even Silvano, the man who had just severed all ties with me. Anyone. I just wanted someone to come.
The guard threw me a sideways glance. "Cordelia Vassaro, you're free to go."
But I had nowhere to go.
Thirty-three days ago, Kaelo DeLuca’s mistress was murdered. All the evidence pointed to me, and the star witness was Romina Caruso. She told everyone I was a fake heiress, that I was insanely jealous of her, that I wanted to steal everything the Vassaro family had. My parents believed her and disowned me on the spot. For thirty-three days, not a single soul came to visit me.
DeLuca’s men made sure I suffered. Freezing water, iron chains, a pitch-black basement. They starved me until I was on the brink of passing out, giving me just enough scraps to ensure I’d wake up for the next round of torment. On the thirty-third mark, the iron door opened.
Before all this, I was Silvano Ferrara’s wife. I was Lior’s mother. I lived in an estate with grand fireplaces and sprawling gardens. On the fifth day of my confinement, a lawyer brought divorce papers down to the dungeon. Silvano demanded I walk away with nothing, weaponizing the very lies Romina spun to accuse me. Now, all I had left was a worn handbag, a few coins, and a name no one was waiting for.
My phone rang.
"Is this Cordelia Vassaro?" The woman’s voice was cautious but gentle. "I’m Giulia Gallo, the director of the St. Giulia Children's Home. Your son, Lior, has been with us for a month."
I gripped the phone tightly. "How did he end up there?"
"Mr. Silvano dropped him off." She paused. "He registered him as an orphan."
I hung up before she could finish the sentence.
St. Giulia was on the west side of the city. I walked the entire way, the soles of my shoes soaked through.
Through the glass partition of the office, I saw Lior. My three-year-old boy was sitting at the far end of a long table. In just a month, he had shrunk. His face was as pale as paper.
"I'm taking him with me right now."
Giulia pushed a stack of forms across the desk. "I'm sorry, but you don't have legal custody. He's formally registered as an orphan. If you want to take him, you have to go through the adoption process—submit a new application, undergo social worker evaluations, and prove financial stability. You need at least a million dollars in assets."
"I am his mother."
"Legally, not anymore." She lowered her voice. "And he hasn’t been well lately. We’ve already scheduled a medical workup."
"A million dollars." I let out a dry laugh. "Right now, I don't even have a hundred."
"I am truly sorry."
"I'll get it."
It was pitch black by the time I walked out. A neon sign on the corner flashed: High Pay. Cash Daily. Start Immediately. I pushed the door open to a blast of loud music and the heavy stench of alcohol. Scantily clad women danced on stage while men roared from the floor below.
"I can clean, wash dishes, move boxes. Whatever you need," I told the manager.
He looked me up and down, grimacing. "Look at yourself. You look like you just walked out of a hospital ward, too skinny to even fill out a dress. I need women who make men open their wallets, not janitors."
"Please. Just give me a chance."
A cold scoff echoed from behind me.
"Cordelia Vassaro."
I turned. Silvano stood in the doorway. He wore a custom black suit, silver flashing at his cuffs, flanked by two bodyguards. Romina was clinging to his arm, leaning against him like she owned the place.
"Fresh out of DeLuca's dungeon and you're already desperate for your next gig?"
"I need money." I stared straight at him. "Lior is sick. He needs treatment."
Romina’s eyes instantly welled with tears. "Silvano, don't forget. She’ll say anything for a dollar."
The manager looked nervous. "Mr. Ferrara, should I have her thrown out?"
Silvano raised a hand to stop him and pulled a checkbook from his inner pocket.
"No need. She wants to make money, doesn't she? Have her come to the Ferrara estate to serve Romina and Soraya. A hundred thousand a month."
To get Lior back, I nodded.
The day I returned to the estate, the staff huddled by the doors, whispering.
"She used to be the lady of the house."
"Now she’s a maid for Miss Caruso."
Romina walked into the grand hall holding Soraya’s hand, offering a sickeningly sweet smile. "Cordelia, try not to scare the child."
Silvano pointed to the carpet outside the master bedroom. "Get on your knees."
"You said I was hired as a nanny."
"I changed my mind. Who knows if you’d try to hurt Soraya?" He began loosening his tie. "You wait right here. Every time I call you to bring something in, it’s two hundred thousand."
That night, I knelt outside the bedroom I once shared with him. Over the course of the night, I walked in five times to hand him condoms.
Just before dawn, he tossed his car keys at my feet. "Go buy emergency contraceptives. We didn't use one the last time."
I wrapped a thin coat around my shoulders and rushed out into the dark. By daybreak, holding the cash, I hurried back to St. Giulia.
But Giulia blocked the door to the ward.
"Let me see Lior."
Her face was chalk-white. "He slipped into a coma last night."
I pushed the door open. The monitors were blaring a shrill alarm.
"What is happening?"
"The test results came back." She handed me a file. "A severe blood disorder. He needs immediate treatment, and the cost will be astronomical."
