All Chapters of Ashes of the Valentino: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

When I opened my eyes, I found myself locked in the underground storage room of the Valentino family hospital. Renato's sister stood at the door.Gritting my teeth against the pain, I crawled toward it and called for help.Sophia Valentino turned around. There was no trace of urgency on her face—only something strange in her gaze."Ellen, don't blame Renato," she said. "He was afraid you'd go out and cause trouble, so he asked me to watch you."I stared at her in disbelief, unable to understand a single word."Lina is carrying my eldest brother's posthumous child—the eldest grandson of the Valentino family. The position of Don is destined to be his!"Besides, you're carrying a girl. Why put yourself through all this suffering?"Sophia spoke as if to herself.Clutching my stomach, I felt another wave of contractions battling against the drugs in my system. The pain blurred my vision."Sophia, please… call the midwife for me. I'm really about to give birth. The baby can't wait!"

Chapter 2

It was my personal physician, Rossi.The moment she saw me, she froze in shock."Madre, what happened to you? Why are you here? Don Renato said you were resting in a premium care room. I couldn't find you, so I came looking…"I wanted to tell her everything, but no sound would come out. All I could do was stare at my stomach, tears streaming down my face.She understood immediately and bent down to examine me.The moment she lifted my nightgown, her face went deathly pale."Your cervix is fully dilated—the baby's head is stuck at the opening! We need surgery immediately!"As she spoke, she glanced around and quickly realized this place was completely unfit for delivery."We have to get out of here. To the delivery room—now!"But the instant her hand reached my thigh, it came away soaked in blood.Rossi stared at her blood-covered hand, her voice trembling."Help! Madre is hemorrhaging—this is critical! Go get the Don! Hurry!"But outside, there was nothing—no footsteps, no

Chapter 3

When Mark saw me, his eyes widened in shock.I was so disheveled that he looked at me several times, as if unsure whether it was really me.I tried to call out, but not a single sound came from my throat. All I could do was wave my hands, desperately begging for help.He hesitated for a moment, then quickly turned and walked away—only to stop not far around the corner of the hallway.Faintly, I heard his voice."Don Renato, there's a woman covered in blood by the elevator. She looks a lot like Madre…"Renato. It was him. He was nearby.Before I could even confirm it, his familiar voice came through."That's impossible! I already had her settled in the underground storage and gave her a sedative. She should be resting. How could she be here?"The moment I recognized his voice, I tried to scream, but a bodyguard clamped a hand over my mouth.My throat, already unable to produce sound, was completely silenced.All I could do was listen."Don Renato, maybe you should come take

Chapter 4

With a soft click, the gemstone turned. I knew the signal had gone out.I closed my eyes and began to pray, hoping my child would survive this ordeal.Sophia, who had witnessed everything, only sneered in disdain.She had no idea about the hidden mechanism. She thought I was clinging to the ring out of greed for wealth and jewels."Ellen, you married my brother for our family's money and power, didn't you?"If it weren't for the fact that you got pregnant, my brother would never have married a woman from such an ordinary, mismatched family!"I couldn't be bothered to argue. All I did was pray silently for my child.But Sophia kept talking."If you want to blame someone, blame your useless womb!"We thought you'd give the family a boy, but who knew it'd be a girl?"Luckily, Lina is carrying a son. At least our family has an heir now."Renato hasn't said anything about divorcing you yet, but if you're smart, you should leave on your own. It'll be better for everyone."Isn't i

Chapter 5

My father nodded.He quickly arranged for specialists to create the fake bodies. They were so lifelike that almost no one could tell the difference.To let me witness everything firsthand, my father sent his men to infiltrate various locations, equipping them with miniature devices to stream live footage back to me.The first feed came from the hospital.Renato stood there, holding a swaddled newborn in his arms, his face lit with joy.Lina reclined on the delivery bed, her eyes filled with triumph.The old Don of the Valentino Family gripped his cane, smiling wider than ever before. His voice rang out louder than usual."The Valentino family has an heir! I hereby declare that he will become the successor of our family!"He pointed proudly at the newborn.Everyone cheered, celebrating with delight, yet not a single person mentioned me.Watching it all, I dug my nails into my palm.Then suddenly, Renato's assistant rushed in, panting."Don… Madre… she's still in the storage

Chapter 6

Hearing the medical staff's account, Renato's body trembled again and again.He sat alone on the floor, clutching my "corpse," tears streaming endlessly down his face.Watching him now, consumed by grief, my thoughts were dragged back three years.That was when I first met him.He had been injured in an accident. I brought him to a small estate outside my family's grounds to recover.He didn't know my true identity. To him, I was nothing more than someone who listened."Ellen, our family's docks have been taken. Without weapons, we're all as good as dead."Back then, he was despondent—his suit stained with blood, his blue eyes filled with panic.I kept it from my father and diverted half a warehouse of newly developed explosives, having my men transfer them to him under another name.I watched as he used those flames to reclaim the docks, lighting up the night, smiling as he said, "Once I've secured my position, I'll marry you in grand style."I thought we would last a lifeti

Chapter 7

"No… no, that's impossible…" Renato muttered as he lunged forward, clawing at the name carved into the headstone. Blood seeped instantly from beneath his fingernails."This isn't real… Ellen, come out! Stop playing!"The gravestone shook under his grip, nearly toppling—but the name etched into it would never change.Suddenly, something seemed to occur to him. Like a madman, he dug through his pockets and pulled out half of a photograph, pressing it against the stone.Tears splattered onto it, blurring the image."Look… we promised we would—"Before he could finish, his body gave out. He collapsed to the ground, sliding down against the gravestone, all strength drained from him.Then his phone rang. It was his assistant, Mark."Don Renato, something's wrong! Madam Lina… she's gone!""What?" Renato's eyes widened."All the cash in the accounts is gone. The safe is empty. She took everything!" Mark's voice trembled."She also took the baby… and… and the gold bars you hid in the

Chapter 8

News of the downfall of the Valentino Family spread quickly.Renato's father collapsed from the shock and never rose again.What angered him wasn't just the fall of the family. More devastating was what he learned from his men—that the child Lina had given birth to was not his biological grandson at all, but an illegitimate child she had conceived with her lover.He refused to believe it at first. Secretly, he took the child's belongings for testing.The truth proved undeniable. The heir he had been so proud of… was someone else's bastard.And his real bloodline—my child—had been indirectly killed by his own hand.How absurd. How tragic.As for Sophia, she had accumulated a massive debt.Back when Renato was still around—and with my quiet support—she had managed to live comfortably. But after I left, the Valentino family declined rapidly. There was no longer any money to help her repay what she owed.Later, after learning the truth, she would tell her creditors, "My sister-in-

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP