Chapter 1

The wooden box hidden in the back of my husband's desk wasn't a gift for me. Inside sat a diamond ring far more expensive than my own, engraved with a single name: *Else*.

Else was the woman Derek swore was just his sister.

That night, feigning sleep, I heard him laughing on the phone with his best friend.

"Don't worry," Derek said, his voice cold and bored. "The bet is almost over. She was just a placeholder until Else came back. Once the assets are transferred, we auction her off to the highest bidder."

My world shattered in a heartbeat. I wasn't his wife; I was an asset. A warm body he planned to sell like used furniture.

But the betrayal didn't stop at infidelity. When Else returned, she caused a car crash that left me bleeding out on a gurney. I grabbed Derek's hand, screaming for him to save our unborn baby.

He didn't even look at me. He looked at the doctor and pointed at Else.

"Save her," he commanded. "I don't care about the baby."

I woke up in a sterile room, childless and hollow, only to discover the final horror: they were dosing me with an "Obedience Serum" to ensure I wouldn't fight back during the sale.

Derek thought I was broken. He thought I was stupid enough to board the plane he booked, straight into the hands of his buyers.

But when his security team stormed the aircraft, my seat was empty.

By the time he realized I was gone, I was already thousands of miles away in Paris, watching his empire burn to the ground from a safe distance.

He wanted to sell a victim. Instead, he unleashed a survivor.

Chapter 1

Aleida POV

The wooden box tucked away in the back of Derek's desk drawer wasn't meant for me, but the diamond ring inside-engraved with the name of the woman he swore was just a sister-shattered my entire world in a heartbeat.

I stood there in his study, my hand trembling as I held the cold metal.

*Else.*

That was the name carved into the platinum band.

It wasn't my name.

My name is Aleida. I am his wife. I am the woman carrying his child.

I stared at the ring. It was vintage, intricate, and far more expensive than the simple band he had placed on my finger two years ago.

I felt a kick in my stomach. The baby.

My hand went to my belly instinctively. A wave of nausea hit me, not from the pregnancy, but from the sudden, violent realization that my life was a lie.

I heard the front door open downstairs.

Derek was home.

I shoved the box back into the drawer, burying it deep under the files where I found it. I forced my breathing to slow down.

I had to be smart. I couldn't scream. Not yet.

I walked out of the study and met him in the hallway.

He looked perfect. He always did. Tall, broad-shouldered, with eyes that used to make me feel safe.

"Hey, beautiful," he said.

He kissed my forehead. His lips felt like a brand. A lie.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, his hand brushing my stomach.

"Fine," I lied. My voice sounded hollow to my own ears, but he didn't notice. He never noticed anymore.

"I'm going to take a shower," he said, loosening his tie. "Long day."

I watched him walk up the stairs. I waited until I heard the water running before I let myself lean against the wall for support.

I needed to know. I needed to be absolutely sure before I burned everything to the ground.

That night, I lay in bed with my back to him. I pretended to be asleep. My breathing was shallow, controlled.

Derek shifted. He reached for his phone on the nightstand.

He didn't text. He dialed.

I strained my ears against the silence of the room.

"Hey," he whispered.

It wasn't a woman's voice on the other end. It was Edison. His best friend.

I could hear the tinny sound of Edison's voice through the receiver.

"Is she asleep?" Edison asked.

"Yeah," Derek said. "Out like a light."

"Good. Because the auction is coming up, Derek. You know the terms."

My heart stopped. *Auction?*

"Don't worry," Derek said. His voice was casual. Bored, almost. "The bet is almost over. The paternity test will be ready soon. Once I confirm the kid isn't mine, or even if it is... it doesn't matter. Else is back."

I bit my lip so hard I tasted copper.

*The kid isn't mine.*

He thought our child, the baby we made, was part of a bet?

"You're cruel, Derek," Edison laughed. "That woman actually thinks you love her. She gave up everything for you. Her design career, her scholarship."

"She's stupid," Derek said. He chuckled. A low, dark sound. "That's why it was so easy. She was just a placeholder. A warm body until Else was ready to come home."

Tears leaked from my eyes, soaking the pillowcase.

I remembered how he pursued me. He was relentless. He saved me from a car accident, paid my bills, charmed my parents. He made me feel like I was the only woman in the world.

He built a fortress around me and called it love.

Now I knew it was a cage.

"And now that Else is back?" Edison asked. "What happens to Aleida?"

"We proceed with the plan," Derek said. "Once the assets are transferred, she goes to the highest bidder. You know the clients. They like them broken."

I felt bile rise in my throat. I clamped a hand over my mouth to stifle a gag.

Outside, thunder cracked. The sky lit up with a flash of lightning, illuminating the room for a split second.

I saw his reflection in the window. He was smiling.

He hung up the phone and lay back down. He draped an arm over my waist.

The weight of his arm felt like a chain.

I waited until his breathing deepened into sleep. Then I moved.

I slipped out of bed and went to the bathroom. I locked the door.

I gripped the porcelain sink, staring at myself in the mirror.

My face was pale. My eyes were red.

I looked down at my neck. The necklace he gave me on our wedding day. A silver chain with a small heart.

It felt heavy. Choking.

I pulled at it.

It didn't unclasp. I pulled harder.

*Snap.*

The chain broke. The silver heart fell into the sink with a tinny clatter.

It sat there near the drain, broken and useless. Just like my marriage. Just like me.

I looked back at the mirror.

I remembered the girl I was before him. Bright. Ambitious.

He had taken that girl and buried her under lies and false promises.

He wanted to auction me off. He wanted to give me away like used furniture.

He thought I was stupid. He thought I was weak.

I placed a hand on my stomach. The baby kicked again. Strong. Alive.

"I won't let them take you," I whispered.

The nausea faded. The tears stopped.

Something cold and hard settled in my chest. It replaced the love that had been there only hours ago.

I looked at my reflection. The fear was gone.

In its place was something else.

Hate.

Pure, unadulterated hate.

I picked up the broken necklace and dropped it into the trash can.

I opened the bathroom door and looked back at the bed where my husband slept.

*Sleep well, Derek,* I thought.

*Because when you wake up, the wife you knew will be dead.*

*And the woman who takes her place is going to burn your world to ash.*