Chapter 1

I was nine months pregnant when a sudden, agonizing cramp twisted through my abdomen.

But my husband, Nathaniel Voss, the Don of the Voss mafia family, had ordered his men to lock me inside the estate's underground holding cell.

All because he wanted to make sure I wouldn't give birth before another woman.

That woman was Isabella, the widow of his late brother.

And she was due to deliver her baby today, too.

According to the will left by the founder of the Voss family, the firstborn son would inherit the family empire.

Nathaniel firmly believed that his late brother's child was the one who deserved it all.

"The position of heir should have belonged to my brother's son in the first place."

He stood outside the iron bars, looking down at me with cold indifference.

"Isabella has already lost her husband. This child is all she has left. I won't let her lose anything else."

"As for you, Camille, I've given you more than enough. All you have to do is stay put until she delivers. I'll deal with your situation afterward."

I clutched my belly, trembling from the unbearable pain.

"Nathaniel, please. Take me to the hospital. I'm really in labor."

He grabbed my chin roughly.

"Stop putting on an act."

"You never married me because you loved me. All you ever wanted was the Voss family's money and power."

"You deliberately want to give birth before Isabella so your child can inherit the family."

My face turned deathly pale as I desperately shook my head.

"That's not true!"

"I'll sign whatever documents you want. I'll give up my right to the inheritance. I don't want any of it. Just please, save our baby!"

Nathaniel let out a cold laugh.

"If you really didn't care about the inheritance, you wouldn't have pressured Isabella into signing that renunciation agreement."

"Once she delivers safely, I'll come back for you. After all, the child you're carrying is my son, too."

With that, he turned and walked away.

He didn't even bother looking back.

...

Camille's POV

Summoning every last bit of strength, I dragged myself toward the iron door.

Just as the cell door was about to close, I reached out to stop it.

The heavy iron door slammed down on my fingers.

I screamed in agony, my body curling into a ball.

But Nathaniel's thoughts were entirely occupied with Isabella.

I had no choice but to grit my teeth and scream for help.

No one answered.

The baby inside me kept moving restlessly.

Sweat soaked through my clothes, and blood began trickling down my legs.

My water had broken.

I knew I wouldn't last much longer.

Finally, I heard footsteps approaching from outside.

"Help! Please, someone let me out!"

I pounded desperately against the iron bars.

"My stomach hurts so much! The baby's coming! I'm about to give birth!"

But the person who walked in wasn't there to rescue me.

It was Bianca, Nathaniel's younger sister.

She stood at the entrance, taking in my miserable state with a mocking smile.

"Camille, how did you manage to make such a mess of yourself?"

I clutched the bars with both hands.

"Bianca, please. I need your help. The baby's coming. Can you please open the door?"

She stepped closer, then suddenly kicked the iron bars.

The deafening clang sent a sharp ringing through my ears.

"Let you out? So you can rush off and steal Isabella's baby's inheritance?"

"Nathaniel knew you'd try something like this. That's why he specifically sent me to keep an eye on you."

"Can't you think about him for once? He's already drowning in family business. Why do you have to make things even harder for him?"

Another wave of excruciating pain tore through me.

My entire body shook as tears streamed down my cheeks.

"I don't want anything anymore! Just ask Nathaniel to take me to the hospital. I swear I'll never show my face in front of any of you again!"

Bianca frowned in disgust.

"You're pathetic."

She pulled out her phone and made a call.

When I heard Nathaniel's voice on the other end, a glimmer of hope finally returned.

"Nathaniel!"

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"I'm really in labor! Please, save our baby!"

Bianca was about to say something else, but when she heard my screams, she hesitated.

"I think she's actually going into labor."

"Maybe we should take her to the hospital? It's your child, after all. What if something happens..."

There was a brief silence on the other end.

At last, Nathaniel relented.

"Fine. Take her to the hospital and—"

"Darling, I'd love some fresh coconut water."

A soft, sweet voice suddenly interrupted him.

It was Isabella.

"The doctor said childbirth takes a lot out of me, so I need to replenish my strength."

"Oh, by the way, isn't Camille due around now, too?"

She gave a light laugh.

"Don't worry. Giving birth isn't nearly as frightening as people make it sound. I feel perfectly fine. I can even get out of bed and walk around on my own."

"Camille has always been in good health. I'm sure she'll be fine."

Of course, she didn't think childbirth was painful.

The best doctors, nurses, and medical equipment at the entire private hospital were all at her disposal.

Meanwhile, I couldn't even get a single shot of pain medication.

Nathaniel's attitude changed once again.

"You heard her. She's putting on an act."

"Don't let her fool you. That woman is always using the baby to manipulate me."

"Keep a close eye on her. Don't let her out without my permission."

The call ended.