During a turf war, I took a bullet for Daniel Wilson.

When I woke up in the family hospital after three years in a coma, I discovered that Eva, the showgirl I'd saved from a black market auction, had usurped my place in the Wilson family.

My husband Daniel, the family's Underboss, saw that I was awake, and his first words to me were:

"The entire underworld recognizes Eva as the woman by my side now. Why did you have to wake up at a time like this?"

"Alice and I both love her. She's the one who's been by our side these past three years. And you? You've just been a body in a hospital bed, absent from our lives."

"We're through, Sarah."

Watching the man I once loved so deeply speak such heartless words, I didn't put up a fight. I simply nodded and gave him what he wanted.

But he had no idea the Wilson family was about to burn to the ground.

The man I had nearly died to save had, in just three years, allowed a showgirl to take my place.

If my sacrifice meant so little, then they had no right to blame me for turning my back on them.

Daniel froze for a second, clearly not expecting me to agree to a divorce so easily.

After all, three years ago, I was the one who had followed him like a shadow.

Even when we argued, I was always the first to back down.

My decisiveness was so out of character that it clearly threw him.

"We were married, after all. For old times' sake, you can still come to me if you run into trouble."

He handed me the keys to a townhouse.

"The settlement papers will be here shortly. This is your compensation. Move in, and stay out of family business for a while."

I said nothing and obediently took the keys.

"And one more thing, Sarah. Be smart about this. Don't cause any trouble for me, especially when it comes to Eva."

Eva. The showgirl I had rescued from a black market human auction.

I gave her a new identity. I gave her a new lease on life.

I pulled her from that life, brought her under the family's protection, gave her a safe haven, and even planned a future for her.

She thanked me a thousand times, vowing to repay me for saving her life.

And this was how she repaid me: by climbing into my husband's bed.

Less than an hour later, the family's consigliere arrived with the asset division agreement.

They couldn't wait to make Eva the official Mrs. Wilson.

Daniel and I were childhood sweethearts, forged in blood and fire.

Though it was an arranged marriage for the sake of our families, our bond had been sealed in the heat of countless shootouts. We were, by all accounts, a loving couple.

I almost bled to death giving birth to Alice.

Daniel, this cold, ruthless Mafia Underboss, had held my blood-soaked hand and wept, his voice cracking.

"Baby, we're not having any more kids. The only thing I'm afraid of is losing you. Nothing else matters…"

The street war three years ago… I was shot and fell into a coma protecting him and our daughter.

I just never imagined that three years could change everything. Now, Eva had completely captured his heart.

And I'd been demoted from his beloved wife to an unwanted relic collecting dust, an object of his disdain, a roadblock on their path to happiness.

I examined the separation agreement carefully. While the assets I was given were a fraction of the Wilson family's wealth, it was still a substantial amount.

I had no objections to that.

I picked up the pen but paused just before the ink hit the paper.

"I want one other thing. I want custody of Alice."

Daniel scoffed.

"Setting aside whether you can even support her, do you really think she'd choose to go with a stranger?"

"Sarah, you've been in a coma for three years, so maybe you don't understand the situation. The Rossi family has lost its footing in the underworld. You're in no position to fight me for her."

He looked at me like I was an ant he could crush without a second thought.

I met his gaze, my own eyes cold and unflinching.

"I gave birth to her. Why wouldn't I be qualified to fight for her? So, I'm not fit to be her mother, but that showgirl is?"

Daniel's eyes turned icy, his voice laced with a threat.

"Are you sure you want to go against me?"

"Sarah, your Rossi family is in bad enough shape after that business deal went south. Don't push your luck and burn the last bridge you have."

"Otherwise, I might still throw you a bone from time to time."

He spoke as if tossing a coin to a beggar. I raised my hand and slapped him across the face.

Daniel was stunned, staring at me in disbelief.

It was the first time I had ever laid a hand on him. He surely never saw it coming.

Yes, before the coma, I had always been the graceful, devoted wife of the Underboss.

I understood the wars he fought on the streets and in business, so I always spoke softly and kept the family affairs in perfect order.

He had only ever seen my gentle elegance. Even when he took his anger over territory disputes out on me, I was always patient.

In his mind, I was a woman without claws.

But that was because I loved him.

Three years in a coma, and he finds a new love.

The first thing he does when I wake up is tell me to get lost.

After such cruelty, why should I still show him any grace?

Before Daniel could react, the alluring Eva sauntered in, holding my daughter Alice by the hand.

Seeing that I was truly awake, the corner of her lips curved into a subtle, provocative smile.

Who would have thought that the timid, desperate showgirl who had begged me for protection three years ago would now dare to be so brazen in front of me, his actual wife?

Around her neck was the blood diamond necklace that Daniel had commissioned from a Parisian designer specifically for me.

My daughter, Alice, glanced at me with the eyes of a stranger before hiding behind Eva, glaring.

Her gaze was filled with unfamiliarity and fear, as if she were looking at a monster.

Eva's smile was sickeningly sweet, her concern a complete facade.

"Sarah, dear, I knew you'd want to see Alice first thing, so I brought her right over."

"But she's not a little girl anymore, not the same Alice from three years ago. You should respect her wishes."

"Legally, she has the right to choose which parent she lives with."

She then bent down, stroking Alice's hair gently and whispering in her ear.

"Alice, sweetheart, your birth mother is awake, and she wants to take you away from us. Will you choose to stay with Daddy and me, or go with this stranger?"

Alice's whole body tensed. She threw herself into Eva's arms, her voice trembling. "No! I don't know her! You're my mommy!"

"I don't want to go with her! Mommy, please don't leave me…" Alice kept backing away, tears streaming down her face as she spoke, as if I were some kind of monster about to devour her.

Three years. I had missed my chance to raise her, to watch her grow, but she was still the child I had risked my life to bring into this world.

Now she saw me as an intruder trying to tear her family apart.

Her every word was a knife in my heart, the pain so sharp I could barely breathe.

In her eyes, beyond the fear, I could even see a trace of hatred.

That look cut deeper than any blade. It terrified me more than the most brutal gunfights I had ever witnessed.

Eva and Daniel watched my humiliation, a flicker of triumph in their eyes.

My voice came out raspy. "Alice, I'm your mommy. Don't you remember me? I was shot in that street war because I was protecting you and your father. Have you forgotten?"

"Mommy held you in her arms right before the bad men came. Do you remember that?"

I knew, deep down, that a child so young wouldn't have any clear memories, but I still clung to a sliver of hope.

Because three years ago, I had gambled my life to ensure their safety.

"Shut up! You're not my mommy! I only have one mommy, and that's Eva."

"You can't take me away, because my mommy and daddy will protect me. I don't know you!"

My last hope was shattered.

Eva feigned a scolding tone. "Alice, how can you speak to your birth mother like that? She did give birth to you, after all."

"I said she's not! Mommy, why are you trying to send me away with a stranger? Did I do something wrong?"

Alice wrapped her arms around Eva's waist, pleading sweetly, "Mommy, I only want you. Just tell me what you want me to do."

Daniel stood beside them, wrapping his arm around Eva's slender waist and stroking Alice's hair fondly.

The three of them, clinging to each other, formed a perfect family portrait.

I was the intruder, the one who didn't belong.

The sight of their perfect happiness stung my eyes.

I took a deep breath, forcing down the torrent of pain in my chest.

"I'm asking you one last time. Are you sure you don't want to come with me?"

Alice turned and stuck her tongue out at me, her face full of contempt. "My mommy and daddy are right here. Why would I go with you?"

She was right. The bonds of blood were no match for three years of constant companionship.

And no matter how much pain I was in, I had to face the cruel reality.

The three years I sacrificed had completely destroyed the happy family I once had.

Or rather, what I had thought was a happy family.

Eva had completely replaced me in Daniel's and Alice's hearts.

Now, I was the outsider.

After a long moment, I spoke, my voice calm.

"Very well, Daniel Wilson. I'll sign. But on one condition."

"I am severing all maternal ties to Alice Wilson. From this day forward, her life and death are no longer my concern."

If father and daughter were both so ungrateful, so devoted to that cheap showgirl, then I would grant them their wish.

Hearing this, a smile spread across Alice's small face, likely relieved that I would no longer try to take her away.

In her eyes, having a mother like me was probably a burden, a source of shame.

"Sarah, dear, you can't just say that out of anger…" Eva feigned shock, but then a smirk played on her painted lips, one that didn't reach her eyes.

Her defiant gaze screamed: So what if you were the real Mrs. Wilson? Your own daughter disowns you and only recognizes me. I took everything that was yours without even lifting a finger.

"Get the family lawyer," I cut her off. "Now."

I didn't waste any more words on them. The Wilson family lawyer rushed over, and in front of everyone, I signed the divorce papers and the legal documents severing my maternal ties.

I slid the ring off my finger. It was the family heirloom, the symbol of the Wilson matriarch.

The diamond glittered under the light. It was once my most treasured possession. Now, I didn't want it.

I tossed the ring onto the table. It landed with a sharp clink.

"From this moment on, I have nothing more to do with the Wilson family."

Daniel stared blankly at the ring, as if he never expected me to be so final.

The moment the divorce papers were in my hand, a wave of relief washed over me.

In just three years, Daniel had become a completely different person.

It only proved that I had misjudged him three years ago.

His feelings for me were shallow. Otherwise, how could a common showgirl so easily usurp my place and steal everything that was mine?

I got my divorce papers. Daniel and Eva got what they wanted: the ring that symbolized the family matriarch.

Eva's joy was so immense she couldn't hide it. She immediately slipped the ring onto her finger and threw herself into Daniel's arms. "We did it, Daniel! I can finally be your wife, openly."

Daniel let her wrap herself around him, but his gaze drifted toward me, his mind clearly elsewhere. "Yes, baby. This is good."

Alice danced around them, chanting, "Now you're my only mommy!"

I had no interest in watching their disgusting family drama. I turned and left without a backward glance.

The Wilson family mansion was no longer my concern. I went straight back to the Rossi family estate.

The moment I stepped into our estate, I felt like I had finally returned to my own world. This was my true home.

Seeing me, our butler, Marco, hurried to greet me. "Principessa, you're finally home."

I scanned the familiar grand hall, a mix of emotions swirling inside me.

"Tell me everything that's happened these past three years."

From Marco, I learned the truth of the last three years.

Three years ago, I took a bullet for Daniel and Alice in a street war and fell into a coma.

Within a month, Daniel and Eva had started a secret affair.

At first, they were cautious, wary of the Rossi family's power. But then they began to sabotage our family's operations, stabbing us in the back while we were still weakened from the war.

They covertly seized the docks, bars, and underground casinos that were supposed to be joint operations between our families, causing the Rossi family to suffer devastating losses.

Only then did Daniel drop the facade and begin appearing publicly at all sorts of family gatherings with Eva.

His betrayal was shameless, flaunting their love for all to see.

At first, some in our circle questioned Eva's status.

To legitimize her, Daniel claimed that I had fallen into a permanent vegetative state and could no longer fulfill my duties as the Wilson family's matriarch.

And everyone knew that a man in Daniel's position could not be without a woman by his side.

So, to the rest of the underworld, Eva wasn't a home-wrecker. She was the savior who had pulled him from his grief, his one true love.

To play the part of the devoted husband, he had arranged for the best medical care available, providing me with a level of treatment few in the country could afford.

Perhaps all that care actually worked, or perhaps fate decided I wasn't meant to die. Three years later, I woke up.

That was likely Daniel's biggest miscalculation.

His obsession with his reputation and saving face had saved my life. I almost had him to thank for that.

But this time, I was going to destroy everything he cared about.

I took out my phone and snapped a picture of the freshly signed divorce agreement and the document severing my maternal ties.

Then I sent it to everyone in our circle with a simple caption: "The ink is dry. Happy divorce to me."

As I expected, it didn't take long for the gossip mills of the major families to start churning.