Chapter 1
All because the daughter of my father's first love got caught in a fire, my father, Vincenzo, flew into a rage and locked me in the underground punishment chamber reserved for family traitors.
Every two hours, he ordered the butler to pump scorching steam into the room.
The heat was unbearable. I could barely hold on until each round passed.
Ten days later, my father finally remembered he had a daughter and ordered them to let me out.
But he had no idea I was already dead.
I'd died alone in that chamber.
I would never wake up again.
"How's that rebellious Liliana doing? Has she finally learned her lesson?"
My father's voice carried through the Gallo Estate.
The family soldiers nearby immediately lowered their heads. No one dared meet his eyes.
Eduardo, the family butler, clasped his hands nervously.
"Sir, Miss Liliana is still locked in the punishment chamber."
Vincenzo tapped his fingers against the armrest.
"I spoiled her too much. That's why she thinks she can do whatever she wants. She even pulled a gun on Stella and nearly killed her. She needs to learn a lesson."
Eduardo hesitated before speaking again.
"But, sir, that chamber was built for traitors. The heat inside is deadly. No one could survive in there for long. What if something happens to Miss Liliana?"
"And if she suffers?" Vincenzo snapped, getting to his feet.
"Good. Maybe now she'll think twice before going after Stella again. A little punishment might finally teach her some manners."
His glare silenced the room.
"She's my daughter. It's my job to discipline her."
His tone left no room for argument. He seemed to have forgotten I'd already spent ten nights locked down there.
Eduardo opened his mouth again, but Vincenzo slammed his fist against the wall.
"Enough! Do you think I don't know someone's been secretly turning off the heat and bringing her medicine? She's fine. She's not going to die."
I almost laughed.
No one could hear me.
I was already dead. I'd been dead for five days.
And even in death, I was still stuck following my father around.
I'd seen exactly how little I meant to him.
"Thank you for caring, Uncle Vincenzo. Please don't be angry. Just let Liliana out. She must have suffered enough in there."
Stella stepped out of the bedroom I'd once called mine.
She wore an ivory dress, her blond hair falling neatly over her shoulders.
The moment Vincenzo saw her, his expression changed. The anger disappeared, replaced by a tenderness I'd never received from him.
"Sweet Stella," he said softly.
She came downstairs and sat beside him, then placed a hand over his.
He smiled at her.
"Don't worry about Liliana. You're too kindhearted. She deliberately tried to shoot you. You were badly hurt because of her. She deserves this punishment."
Stella lowered her eyes.
"Maybe it really was an accident..."
"Impossible." Vincenzo's expression hardened again. "I know my daughter. She's always been jealous of you."
Whenever he talked about me, he made me sound like his enemy.
Why?
I was his daughter. Had I really done so little to deserve his love?
In the kitchen, Eduardo quietly spoke to the cook.
"He'd sacrifice his own daughter for a girl who isn't even part of this family. It's like Liliana means nothing to him. It's just wrong."
Stella's eyes filled with tears.
"Thank you for being so good to me, Vincenzo. I wish you were my real father."
She leaned against his shoulder.
Vincenzo put an arm around her.
"Don't be silly. If you want me to be your father, then I am."
Just then, a woman appeared in the doorway.
It was Helena Russo, the woman Vincenzo had loved when he was young but had never married.
The setting sun fell across her face. The moment Vincenzo saw her, he froze.
"Vincenzo," Helena said gently. "I heard raised voices. Is everything all right?"
Before Helena and Stella came into our lives, I'd always thought my mother was the woman my father loved most.
I'd seen the way he treated her. He'd been gentle and respectful, but he'd never looked at her the way he looked at Helena.
Everything changed after my mother died.
Her funeral hadn't even ended before Helena started coming to the estate.
At first, she said she was there to pay her respects. Then she claimed she had family business to discuss.
Eventually, she stopped making excuses altogether.
Part of me was glad my mother had died before she could see what he'd become.
She'd spent her whole life believing she'd married a man who loved her. She never got to find out how wrong she was.
Maybe I'd see her again soon.
If I ever got another life, I wouldn't be Vincenzo's daughter.
"Vincenzo, I think you've punished her enough. Liliana is still your daughter," Helena said, putting on a concerned expression.
She walked over and rested a manicured hand on his arm.
His anger began to fade.
"She hurt Stella," he muttered.
"Stella will recover. Family matters, Vincenzo. You know that," Helena replied gently.
They made quite a pair, pretending to be so reasonable and kind.
If they cared so much about family, why hadn't either of them done anything while I was locked away for ten days?
They hadn't sent me water, medicine, or even food. Neither had asked Vincenzo to let me go.
They only acted concerned when other people were around.
What made it worse was that Vincenzo had ordered the punishment chamber renovated shortly before I was locked inside.
Back then, he'd insisted that even traitors deserved limits.
"A family needs rules, but it also needs limits," he'd said at the reopening ceremony.
I'd been proud of him that day.
Now, that same chamber was where I'd died.
I'd spent my final hours huddled in the farthest corner, trying to escape the heat.
There was nowhere to hide.
After ten days of it, I simply couldn't hold on anymore.
