Chapter 1

"Mommy."

My daughter Lily tipped her head back to look at me, and her voice came out soft and small.

"Where's Daddy?"

"Daddy's at work."

"Why is Daddy always at work?"

I had no answer for her.

How could I tell her that her father had married me for the Corleone name and not for love?

There was no way to explain that the reason he never spent time with her was that he spent all of it with his mistress.

And I could never have told her that I had swallowed every bit of it so she could grow up with a whole family.

Then he chose another woman over our daughter's life.

Lily was gone.

And I was done swallowing any of it.

*****

Another weekend came around, and I took Lily to the mall by myself.

My little girl had on a fluffy white dress that day, and the nanny had put her hair up in two small pigtails with a white daisy pinned into each one.

She rubbed at her eyes because she was getting tired.

"Mommy."

She tilted her head up at me, her voice sweet and gentle.

"Where's Daddy?" she asked.

"Daddy's at work," I replied.

"Why is Daddy always working?" she pressed.

I had no idea how to answer her.

How could I tell her that her father had not married me for love, but because I was the Corleone Family's daughter and he needed my father's power to feed his hunger for money and control?

Every night he stayed out, he spent at Victoria's apartment.

But today, for once, I actually ran into him at the mall.

My husband, Damian Bellini, was across the atrium, walking Victoria through the shops.

Victoria's son, Connor, was right there with them. Honestly, the three of them looked more like a picture-perfect family than Lily and I ever did.

Lily said, "Daddy hasn't played with me in forever.

"I want Daddy to come with us."

Seeing all the other kids with both their parents, Lily started to fuss.

"Daddy will come home when he's finished," I told her gently.

I shifted to block Lily's line of sight, not letting her see her father out there playing family with another woman and her child.

Just then, a deep, rumbling explosion shook the ground beneath us.

The whole building started to tremble.

The crystal chandeliers swung wildly, then crashed to the floor, sending people screaming in every direction.

"It's the Marzo Family!" someone shouted.

Someone yelled.

"They hit the underground parking lot!" another voice cried out.

Then a second explosion thundered.

This one was even closer.

Chunks of concrete began falling from the ceiling, smashing into the crowd below.

I pulled Lily against my chest and ran for the nearest exit.

But it was already too late.

The entire mall was collapsing, and people were screaming and running for their lives.

Lily screamed in my arms, "Mommy, I'm scared!"

"Don't be afraid," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

I shielded her with my body, doing everything I could to protect her.

"Mommy's here," I whispered.

But the crowd surged like a tidal wave, and people knocked us over as they rushed past.

With a sickening thud, a wooden shard stabbed into my calf, and blood started pouring out.

I didn't even have time to cry out in pain. Lily was knocked from my arms.

"Lily!" I screamed, panic tearing through me.

I shouted with everything I had, desperation clawing at my chest.

Hopelessness was already swallowing me whole.

"Mommy!"

Just then, Lily's angelic voice rang out.

I turned and found her huddled in the corner of the hall, shaking.

"Don't be afraid," I called out, my voice shaking.

I limped toward her, every step a struggle.

"Mommy's coming," I called, my voice trembling.

But before I could finish, the wall collapsed, burying Lily under the rubble.

The dust-filled hall suddenly went dead silent.

"No!" I screamed, my voice breaking.

I tried to get to her, but someone knocked me down again.

And there she was, just like always, looking at me with those big, innocent eyes. But why was her little face covered in blood?

"Mommy, it hurts so much," Lily whispered, her voice barely audible.

Blood kept spilling from her mouth, unstoppable.

But as the collapse worsened, I was pinned beneath a fallen shelf, my legs trapped under the wreckage.

"Please, somebody help my daughter!"

I fought against the weight and called out to everyone around me, but not one person looked over. Then I saw a familiar figure heading toward me.

It was my husband, Damian.

"Damian!" I screamed, my voice raw and desperate.

He turned toward the sound and looked surprised to find me there, and then he started running over.

I yelled, "Save Lily!"

I pointed to the place where she was buried.

"Damian!" Victoria's voice cut in, and she ran over and grabbed my husband's arm with tears in her throat.

She said, "Connor's trapped. You have to get him out!"

"Damian!" I was practically screaming. "Our daughter needs you."

With Victoria and me both calling for him at once, Damian stood there and could not pick a direction.