Chapter 1

I was the illegitimate daughter of the Walter family.

But I ended up having a child with Rodney Greer, the prince of Elderville.

Later, he said I was to be his mistress forever.

I sneered, turned away, and faked our deaths to escape with my son.

I was done putting up with this crap.

"Rodney's not gonna marry Scarlett?"

"Marry her? Come on, she's just the Walter family's bastard. She doesn't deserve Rodney."

My hand froze just as I was about to push the door open.

Just like always, Rodney's assistant texted me to come pick him up at this bar.

But I never expected to walk in on them badmouthing me.

The bar's music thundered in my ears.

"Man, Scarlett's really down bad, huh? She went through all that trouble to snag Rodney, even had his kid, and now she's lost it all. Bet even a regular trust fund kid wouldn't want her now."

Rodney, lounging in the corner, lazily swirled his drink.

"She's nobody. Don't bring her up. Ruins the vibe," he said.

The guys all burst out laughing.

Everyone just shrugged, like, "See? Knew it. So what if Scarlett Walter is pretty? Rodney is the prince of Elderville. He could have any gorgeous woman he wanted."

Then one guy got way too cocky and said, "Hey, when Rodney gets tired of her, maybe he'll let us have some fun with her."

The room instantly froze. The guy realized he'd just shot himself in the foot and started shaking.

After all, who would dare even think about Rodney's woman?

They must have gotten a death wish.

"Suit yourself," Rodney said with a smirk, tossing back his drink.

My fingers clenched tighter around my bag.

My heart sank into an icy pit.

So that was all I was to him.

Stone-faced, I turned and walked away. Scumbags like him belong in the trash; time to take out the garbage.

By the time I picked Michael up from the old house and got us back to the apartment, it was already late.

Michael rubbed his sleepy eyes and snuggled into my arms.

He mumbled in his soft, sleepy voice, "Mommy, is Daddy not coming home tonight?"

He was so tired, but he still forced himself to stay awake, waiting for my answer.

I didn't know what to say. I just gently patted his back, hesitating for a long moment.

"Michael, if I have to leave your father, will you come with me?" I finally asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Michael didn't really get what 'leave' really meant.

"Okay! Wherever you go, I go too!" he replied, his voice soft and sweet.

I pulled him into my arms, my heart aching. After everything tonight, his words were the only thing that soothed my battered heart.

To everyone else, Rodney was the top dog in Elderville, untouchable, out of reach. But for me and Michael, he was nothing but a walking disaster.

The Walter family sent me to his bed just to win his favor, and he despised me for being a calculating illegitimate daughter.

Even with Michael, his own son, he never once showed a shred of warmth.

So what was the point of holding on?

If neither of us was wanted, maybe leaving was the best thing for everyone.

Rodney hardly ever showed up at the apartment.

So when I opened the door, wrapped in my robe, and saw him standing there, I was totally thrown off.

He gave me a quick once-over, reeking of alcohol and frowning. "You didn't come back to the villa tonight."

What he really meant was, I was supposed to be at the villa, just waiting around to cater to him.

Now that I'd decided to leave, I was so done with this, but I just put on my best good-girl act and smiled sweetly.

Only a fool would try to make waves with him right now.

Maybe I was just slipping back into how I always acted around him.

His face relaxed a bit.

"From now on, you're staying at the villa. Don't go out and make me look bad," he said.

I was pissed. I'd never seen anyone with such thick skin.

He was just talking about passing me around to his buddies for fun, and now he was telling me not to embarrass him?

Seriously, who really had no shame here?

But I just kept my head down, nodded, and gestured for him to sit on the couch.

I handed him a cup of honey water.

I said, "I never really got used to living in that huge villa. The apartment's cozy, and it's way closer to Michael's school."

When I brought up Michael, Rodney stopped rubbing his temples for a second.

Looked like he'd only just remembered he had a kid at all.

He blinked. "He's in school?"

Shows how much he cared. He didn't even know Michael started kindergarten this year.

"Yeah, so tonight's probably not a good time. I have to take Michael to kindergarten in the morning. Rodney, maybe you should head home?" I said, keeping my tone polite but distant.

"Scarlett, are you trying to kick me out?" Rodney shot back, his voice sharp.

Rodney was sharp as a tack. He could see right through me.