Chapter 4

He didn't know how long he stood there, numb and exposed.

The shame was a physical ache.

Downstairs, he heard voices. Seraphina and Julian.

Her laughter, light and cruel, drifted up.

"He's so predictable, Julian. Utterly broken. He'll do anything I say."

Then, the distinct hiss of an aerosol can. Disinfectant.

She was spraying disinfectant, even as she planned to sell him.

The door opened. Seraphina stood there, feigning surprise.

"Oh, Ethan, there you are! I completely forgot I left you in here. Silly me."

Her eyes were cold, calculating.

As she turned, her phone, clutched in her hand, lit up with a new message.

He caught a glimpse of the screen before she angled it away.

A text from one of her friends: "The candid shots are a HIT! Old Mrs. Astor is already bidding $500k for the 'Ethan Experience'!"

Candid shots.

They had filmed him. Naked. In this room.

The realization hit him like a physical blow.

"Get dressed," Seraphina said, her voice brisk. "We're going to a charity auction. For art, darling. You need to make an appearance."

She threw a simple, dark suit at him.

"And you need another cleansing. Can't have you smelling... like yourself."

The familiar dread washed over him, but this time, it was mixed with a cold, hard anger.

He had no choice but to comply. Not yet.

Eleanor had said she would handle things. He had to trust her.

He endured the ritual scrubbing, the demeaning affirmations, his mind a turmoil of fear and a desperate, flickering hope.

The "art auction" was being held at a private, exclusive club in the Hamptons.

The drive was silent, Seraphina humming to herself, occasionally glancing at him with a look of triumph.