Chapter 2

Aleida POV

The next morning, the sun rose with mocking indifference, shining as if the world hadn't shattered the night before.

I slid out of bed before Derek stirred.

I went to the kitchen and started the coffee maker. The routine was pure muscle memory. Grind the beans. Pour the water. Retrieve the blue mug he preferred.

But inside my head, I was building a war room.

I pulled out my phone and opened the notes app. I typed three words.

Lawyer. Evidence. Escape.

I heard his footsteps on the stairs and shoved the phone into my pocket.

"Morning," he mumbled, walking into the kitchen.

He reached for the mug I offered. His fingers brushed mine. I didn't flinch. I didn't pull away.

I watched him drink the coffee I made. I watched the throat that had spoken those words last night. *She goes to the highest bidder.*

"You're quiet today," he said, glancing at me over the rim of the cup.

"Just tired," I said. "The baby kept me up."

He nodded, uninterested. He checked his watch. "I have to go. Big meeting."

He kissed my cheek. It felt like the cold trail of a slug crawling across my skin.

"Love you," he said automatically.

"Drive safe," I replied.

The moment the front door clicked shut, I moved.

I didn't cry. I didn't collapse. I didn't have time for that.

I went to the closet.

I pulled out every dress he had ever bought me. Every pair of shoes he said made my legs look long. Every handbag he used to mark his territory.

I grabbed a roll of black trash bags from the pantry.

I stuffed the Chanel into the plastic. I threw the Louboutins on top of the Gucci.

It wasn't cleaning. It was an exorcism.

I dragged the bags to the garage. I didn't care about the money. I didn't care about the status. Those things were shackles, and I was cutting them off.

I went to the smart home panel in the hallway.

I changed the master code. I deleted his admin access to the security cameras.

It was a small act of rebellion, but it felt like taking a breath of air after being underwater for years.

I was just finishing in the living room when I heard a car in the driveway.

It wasn't Derek's car.

I looked out the window. A red convertible.

Derek stepped out. And then, he walked around to the passenger side and opened the door.

A woman stepped out.

She was blonde. Tall. Wearing a white dress that cost more than my college tuition.

Else.

She linked her arm through Derek's. She looked at the house-my house-like she was measuring it for drapes.

My stomach twisted, but I forced my feet to stay planted.

The front door opened.

Derek walked in, Else clinging to him like a poisonous vine.

"Oh," Else said, feigning shock when she saw me standing there in my sweatpants. "I didn't think you'd still be here."

Her voice was high and sweet, like saccharine laced with arsenic.

I looked at Derek. He didn't look ashamed. He looked bored.

"Aleida," he said. "Else is going to stay with us for a few days. Her apartment is being renovated."

He didn't ask. He told.

"Is that so?" I asked. My voice was steady.

Else smirked. She let go of Derek and walked toward me. She looked me up and down, her eyes lingering on my stomach with undisguised disgust.

"You've gotten... big," she said.

"I'm pregnant, Else. That's how it works."

She laughed. A tinkling, empty sound. "Right. The baby."

Derek walked past me to the kitchen. He poured water for her. He knew exactly how she liked it. Room temperature. No ice.

He handed her the glass. She smiled at him, a secret, intimate smile that excluded me entirely.

I remembered the surprise trip he planned for us last month. He cancelled it last minute. He said it was work.

Now I knew. He was with her.

"Did you forget to tell her, Derek?" I asked, my voice loud enough to cut through their silent communion. "Did you forget to tell your sister that I'm your wife?"

Else's smile faltered.

Suddenly, the front door opened again.

Edison walked in.

He didn't knock. He walked in like he owned the place.

He saw the tension in the room and grinned. It was a wolf's grin.

He walked straight up to me. He invaded my personal space, standing too close. I could smell his expensive cologne mixed with the stale scent of cigarettes.

"Derek says you're going to be on the market soon," he whispered. His voice was low, meant only for me.

I froze.

"Maybe you should get used to it," he continued, his eyes raking over my body. "Practice makes perfect."

He leaned in closer, his lips brushing my ear.

"The auction terms are strict, Aleida. No crying. No fighting. Just submission."

I felt my skin crawl.

"Without Derek, you're nothing," he hissed. "Just a stray we picked up."

I looked over at Derek. He was watching us. He saw Edison whispering to me. He saw the fear in my eyes.

He did nothing.

He took a sip of his water and looked away.

That was the moment. The final crack in the foundation.

I looked back at Edison. I didn't step back.

I clenched my hands into fists so tight my nails cut into my palms. The pain grounded me.

I looked him dead in the eye.

"Get out of my face," I said.

Edison blinked, surprised. He stepped back, laughing nervously. "Feisty. I like that."

Derek looked up, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. He expected tears. He expected begging.

He didn't expect ice.

I turned and walked toward the stairs. I didn't run. I walked.

"I'm going to my room," I said. "Don't disturb me."

I walked up the stairs, feeling their eyes on my back.

I closed the bedroom door and leaned against it.

My legs gave out. I slid down to the floor.

But I didn't cry.

I looked at the empty closet where his clothes used to be.

Let them play their games. Let them think they won.

They had no idea what I was capable of.