Chapter 1

I risked my life to bring his child into this world, thinking it would be the start of a beautiful life with Killian Sterling.

I was wrong. It was actually the beginning of my descent into a bottomless abyss.

For eight long years, he kept me and our son locked away in that house like prisoners.

Everything changed the day his first love, Melody Reed, won a prestigious award for her painting.

Killian stood in front of that painting, staring at the figure in the background and smiling for a long time.

He told everyone that the silhouette was him, claiming Melody had never truly forgotten him.

My son, Leo, looked up at me with wide, hopeful eyes and asked, "Mommy, Daddy looks so happy. Does this mean I can finally go outside and play with the other kids?"

I stroked his hair, my heart aching. "Yes, baby. No one will keep us locked up anymore. You can play outside every single day from now on."

Leo's face lit up with a brilliant smile.

But inside, my soul was weeping.

It turned out that his precious first love was the only key that could unlock the doors of this golden cage.

1

After I finally managed to coax Leo into a deep sleep, I called the Matriarch of the Sterling family.

"Matriarch, Melody is back," I said, my voice steady. "It's time for you to let us go."

For eight years of marriage, my son and I had been confined to that mansion.

Except for the occasional forced dinners at the family estate, we were never allowed to step a foot past the front gate.

Now, this prison was finally about to crumble.

As soon as I hung up, Leo rushed out of his room and threw his small arms around my waist.

He was trembling with excitement. "Mommy, is it true? Can I really go to school like the other kids? Can I really go to the park?"

A sharp pang of guilt sliced through my heart, and tears began to blur my vision.

Looking back, the person I had failed most wasn't myself―it was my son.

Since the moment he was born, he had been forced to endure a loneliness that no child should ever know.

I brushed his hair back and nodded, forcing a smile. "Yes, Leo. We're leaving."

"What about Daddy? Is he coming with us to the amusement park?"

I went silent, the words caught in my throat.

I didn't know how to tell him that from this day forward, he wouldn't have a home here anymore―and he wouldn't have a father.

I pulled him into a tight embrace and whispered, "If you never saw Daddy again, would you be sad?"

Leo tilted his head. "Would you be sad, Mommy?"

I shook my head. I had spent eight years mourning this pathetic excuse for a marriage; I had no tears left for him.

"Then I won't be sad either," Leo said firmly. "I'll grow up fast and protect you, Mommy."

That night, Killian was hosting a massive gala for Melody. Earlier that evening, I had watched him get dressed in a custom suit, looking more handsome than I'd seen him in years.

He had a rare, gentle smile on his face as he walked out the door.

They were childhood sweethearts, the perfect match in every way―until Melody's family went bankrupt. The Matriarch had done everything in her power to stop them from being together.

Killian had even threatened to end his life until the Matriarch finally relented.

But when he proposed, Melody rejected him, choosing to fly to London to chase her dreams of becoming a world-class artist.

Killian had spent a year in a drunken stupor, rotting away in his villa.

Eventually, the Matriarch found me―a girl who looked about sixty percent like Melody.

One night, when Killian was blind drunk, we had a physical encounter that resulted in Leo.

He was forced to marry me, but he never breathed a word about his wife or son to the outside world.

I fell in love with him at first sight, foolishly believing that a child would eventually make him accept me.

I spent eight years realizing that I had only built a cage for myself and my son.

A little later, Killian called. He told me the Matriarch wanted us at the family estate for dinner.

"Can you really get away from the party?" I asked, surprised.

"My business is none of your concern," he snapped coldly before hanging up.

An hour later, I was sitting at the massive dining table at the Sterling estate with Leo.

Killian hadn't arrived yet.

The Matriarch called me into her private study. "Are you certain you want to leave, Jade? Why not wait a bit longer? I know my grandson. He'll come around eventually."

I shook my head with absolute certainty.

She sighed deeply, realizing my mind was made up.

When we returned to the dining room, Killian's aunt and uncle were scrutinizing Leo.

"The older he gets, the more he looks like Killian," the aunt remarked. "Are you sure he's someone else's kid?"

In the entire family, only the Matriarch knew the truth.

But because she felt guilty about the way things started, she had never corrected the rumors. To everyone else, I was just a friend Killian had taken in after I was knocked up and abandoned by some random man.

Suddenly, Killian's icy voice rang out from the hallway.

"That brat isn't mine. Don't go insulting the Sterling bloodline by claiming him."