Chapter 1

On the third day after my daughter was born, I asked my husband, Don Lucas Ferrara, for money to buy formula.

He tossed a pile of mystery bags at me.

“Pick one.”

For three years of marriage, my living expenses had always been decided by those bags.

Whatever amount I drew was what I got.

The most I had ever drawn was thirteen dollars.

It all went back to the day of our engagement. The Ferrara family had agreed to pay my family, the Rossis, a sum of money to seal the alliance.

But my father suddenly brought out a row of mystery bags and said with a smile, “Let’s skip all that empty ceremony. Let Lucas draw. Whatever he gets, that’s what he pays.”

I froze on the spot.

I never expected Lucas to draw $3.8 million.

He paid every penny.

He even gave me a wedding that had the whole city talking.

Family bosses whose names alone made people tremble kissed his ring, then bowed their heads to me in greeting.

Everyone said he loved me to death.

But the day after the wedding, he threw an entire box of mystery bags in front of me.

“At the engagement, weren’t you the one who had your father use mystery bags to squeeze money out of me? From now on, your living expenses will be decided by mystery bags.”

For the past three years, my monthly allowance had sometimes been two dollars.

Sometimes thirteen.

After I got pregnant, I thought things would change once the baby was born.

But now, all I wanted was to buy a can of formula for my daughter.

As usual, the mystery bags were placed in front of me.

Inside was still two dollars.

The next second, my younger sister, Sophia Rossi, who had also just given birth, posted an update.

It was a screenshot of a one-million-dollar transfer.

“Thank you, Lucas, for the baby’s welcome gift.”

I stared at that picture for a long time.

Then I called Salvatore De Luca.

“Didn’t you once say you were willing to be my child’s father?”

“Come get me in seven days.”

* * *

When I opened the mystery bag, the nurse leaned over curiously.

“Wow, a gift from Don Ferrara? That’s so thoughtful.”

She looked at the pile of bags with envy.

Then she saw the slip of paper inside.

Two dollars for living expenses.

Suddenly, everything went quiet.

Lucas expressionlessly ordered his second-in-command to take the rest of the bags away.

His voice was cold.

“Rules don’t change just because she had a baby.”

The nurse opened her mouth, her expression turning strange.

She probably wanted to ask what kind of rule made a woman who had just given birth draw a mystery bag for two dollars.

But how was I supposed to explain?

Explain that, to get more money and help Sophia marry into a more powerful family as I had, my parents had gone behind my back on the day of my engagement, sharply increased the agreed payment for the alliance, and hidden the amount in those mystery bags.

Explain that when I confronted them, my mother only said, “If you dare tell Lucas, this family is finished.”

Explain that Lucas had long since put out the word that no one was allowed to hire me.

And from then on, I never found another job.

My living expenses depended entirely on those mystery bags.

I lowered my head and looked at my daughter beside me.

She slept peacefully, her little face scrunched up.

“Lucas, can I buy a temperature-regulating sleep sack? Newborns can’t regulate their body temperature very well…”

“You want to use the baby to ask for money?” he cut me off. “The hospital has blankets.”

The door closed.

His leather shoes clicked down the hallway, each step farther away.

The nurse suddenly turned and left.

A while later, she came back holding a small blanket.

“It’s a spare from the nurses’ station. It’s clean. You can wrap the baby in it for now.”

She carefully wrapped the blanket around my daughter.

A stranger cared more about her than her own father did.

I thanked her.

That night, I saw Sophia’s update.

A VIP nursery.

A custom crib.

A full set of designer baby supplies.

The caption read, “He said nothing for the baby should ever be second best.”

Under it was a row of likes.

Lucas.

My mother.

My father.

They were all there.

I stared at the words second best for a long time.

Then I suddenly remembered something Lucas had said years ago.

“If we ever have a daughter, I’ll spoil her and make her the happiest little princess in the world.”

Back then, there had been light in his eyes.

Now that light seemed to be shining on someone else’s child.

I folded the slip marked “$2” and tucked it into my wallet.

Inside was last month’s slip marked “$3.”

And the one marked “$4” from the month before.

Lucas was standing in the doorway.

I didn’t know when he had come back.

He saw me folding the slips and paused.

In the end, he only said, “Take care of the baby. Stop trying to squeeze money out of me.”

Out in the hallway, he made a phone call.

Through the door, I heard him clearly.

“You lost. She didn’t make a scene.”

He laughed once.

“She would never give up being Mrs. Ferrara. Especially now that she’s had a child.”

I leaned against the headboard and closed my eyes.

My phone rang.

After a second of silence, the voice on the other end said, “The ticket is booked. Seven days from now, I’ll come get you.”

I said nothing.

Then he said, “Elena, wait for me.”

I looked at my daughter beside me.

She was still sleeping, her tiny hand wrapped tightly around my finger.

“Okay.”