Chapter 01

Luna held the pregnancy test with trembling hands. The damp plastic chilled her fingers, and she could barely breathe.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked, her voice hoarse, almost a whisper.

The doctor smiled, as if announcing a miracle.

"Absolutely. We ran the test twice," his voice, filled with surprise, sounded sharp.

She left the office with automatic steps, trying to ignore the sensation that the ground was shifting beneath her feet. The sun burned, but all she could feel was the weight of uncertainty on her shoulders. She drove home with her mind spinning with questions that had no answers.

How would she tell her husband?

They had been married for three years, but there was little intimacy between them. Though they shared the same bed, there was no love, no lingering touches, and no promises. Just a contract. And the shadow of a man who was now dead.

Samuel Salvatore had been the only one to see any worth in her, even though she was a young orphan raised by an abusive uncle who treated her like a burden. When Samuel proposed marriage, he promised she’d have a chance to build something new. He said Ethan needed stability and that she could provide it.

Maybe Luna believed it for a while. She tried to convince herself that, with patience, the relationship would blossom. And she fought for that marriage all those years, enduring constant humiliation and suspicions of betrayal. But Ethan had never lied to her: he married her only to fulfill his father’s will and secure the family inheritance.

The marriage functioned like a silent truce—distant, empty.

But now Samuel was dead. He had been buried just a week ago, with all the honors of a generous man. And with him, Luna knew, the only bridge connecting the two of them was buried too.

She looked at the test once more, her stomach turning.

A pregnancy. Not planned. Not wanted. But real.

And now, with a baby growing inside her, Luna wondered how much longer it would be before her marriage was buried alongside Samuel.

"Back early, filthy orphan?" Nataniel’s voice cut through the silence as soon as Luna stepped through the door. "Hurry, Ethan is waiting for you in the office."

"Ethan is home?" she asked, hiding the pregnancy test in her bag with an automatic motion.

"Are you deaf or what?" he growled, showing his yellowed teeth. "Useless bitch. Don’t make the most powerful heir in this city waste his time on you."

Luna didn’t respond. She was used to it. But each word seemed to chip away a piece of her. She walked slowly into the house, trying to ignore the tightness in her chest.

Nataniel was Ethan’s business partner. Also his best friend. And he made a point of reminding her daily that she didn’t belong in that world. He lived in that house more than he should, and whenever he could, he mistreated her. And Ethan… Ethan never defended her.

She took a deep breath, trying to gather strength to face what was coming.

She stopped in front of the office door when she heard voices. A woman’s laugh cut through the air, and her stomach churned. She would recognize that voice anywhere. Amara, the woman her husband had always loved, was back. Luna could endure many things, but she felt she wouldn’t be able to endure seeing her husband beside the woman he had always wanted to marry.

"My son will ask for a divorce as soon as the will is read," said Genevive, Ethan’s mother, appearing suddenly, making Luna even more nervous. "Be prepared. He’ll do whatever it takes to get rid of you."

Luna didn’t reply. She never knew how to answer that woman. Genevieve had always treated her like a mistake to be corrected. And now, she smiled as she announced her sentence.

Her mother-in-law turned her back and walked away as if fulfilling a duty, satisfied. If it weren’t for Samuel’s constant protection, who had always defended her with determination, Luna surely would have already been cast aside—but Samuel was no longer there to protect her.

Luna faced the door. The muffled sound of laughter continued. She felt a stab in her chest every time he laughed at the jokes of the woman he truly loved.

It was as if they hadn’t buried Samuel Salvatore just a week ago.

She turned the doorknob with icy hands. Since she got married, she had only entered there twice. Ethan stressed that space was his. Just like the house, the name, and everything she would never truly have. It was as if nothing there belonged to her. Not even her husband’s love.

When she opened the door, the world seemed to stop for a second.

Ethan was smiling. Smiling at Amara. Luna looked at her body, her black hair that swayed every time she moved, and the grace in every gesture. Amara looked at her, smiling, as if even happier to see her stepping into the place she had always wanted to take.

The smile vanished the moment Ethan's eyes met hers.

"Let’s get this over with."

Ethan looked away, as if he couldn’t even bear to face her.

He walked to the desk, Amara glued to his side, happy as if she already owned everything in the room. He called the lawyer, and within minutes the office was full.

Luna could barely breathe. She wanted it to end quickly, but deep down, she knew she wouldn’t walk out of there whole. Everything had been orchestrated.

She placed a hand on her belly, feeling a sharp pain. That should have been the moment to tell Ethan they were having a child. But now she felt like a cornered animal, surrounded by wolves.

Sitting face to face, Luna stared at Ethan with searing pain, while the lawyer read the will like a thin line separating the past from the future. Luna was truly surprised to find out that Samuel had left nothing for her. 

"Do we agree, Miss Lens?" The lawyer’s sharp voice cut through her thoughts. She hadn’t heard anything he said, except the words stating she was not included in the will.

"Miss Lens doesn’t need to agree to anything." Ethan took the document from the lawyer’s hand, finally breaking the silence, his voice firm and devoid of emotion. "Just sign the divorce."

Luna stood up suddenly, startled and surprised. She truly hadn’t expected this. They were closer to her than they had ever been before.

"I didn’t even know I’d be here for the reading of the will," her voice came out trembling, her eyes filled with tears. "And now you want me to sign the divorce?"

"My father died… and with him, this marriage." His tone was so cold it hurt more than any scream. "You would rather not stay married to someone who doesn’t love you."

Everyone watched in silence. Amara smiled like someone witnessing the end of a performance.

Ethan continued holding the papers out to her. She looked into his eyes and saw a deep indifference between them. Luna meant nothing to him—and she would mean even less once he knew she was carrying his child. She knew in that moment the pregnancy wouldn’t change his plans. Ethan was determined to get rid of her at any cost.

"I, Luna… accept the divorce." She took the papers, her fingers sliding along the edges, and signed.

It felt like a knife tearing her body into a thousand pieces. It was a rushed decision, but one she couldn’t bear to delay any longer.

Ethan observed her signature, surprised by how quickly she agreed. Luna, her face wet with tears, watched his reaction.

Nothing. No emotion. No hesitation. There was no regret, only an urgency to be rid of her as quickly as possible.

That was when Nataniel’s rough hands grabbed her violently.

"Did you really think a woman like you could be with a man like him?" he growled, shoving her out of the house.

Horror filled her heart as she realized no one would help her. After years of dedicating herself to that marriage and loving Ethan, she was being thrown out of the house like an unwanted intruder.

"At least let me grab my clothes," Luna pleaded, tears in her eyes.

"You came here with nothing." Genevieve appeared behind him, like a shadow. "And you’ll leave with nothing. Disappear. We never want to hear your name again."

Bills were thrown in her face just as her body hit the ground. It was so humiliating, Luna didn’t know if she could endure it. She feared for her child’s life. Ethan looked at her one last time, his face hardening, his eyes narrowing into a dangerous expression. He wouldn’t lift a finger to defend her—on the contrary, he was part of her humiliation. Then he turned toward the door, unable to bear one more second in her presence. Ethan held Amara’s hand tightly and stepped into the house, just before she looked back and mocked her suffering.

As soon as the door closed, Luna stifled her cry of pain and ran, aimlessly.

With Ethan’s child in her womb.

She promised he would never know of the child’s existence.