Introduction

He always called me his little bird.

For six years, since my parents died in that tragic fire, my uncle Michael Davies was my world.

He promised to protect me, to give me a gilded cage where I could feel safe.

But on the eve of my 18th birthday, that gilded cage became a prison.

I overheard him in his study, a phone call that shattered my entire existence.

He was talking to Emily White, his ex-fiancée, the woman he truly loved.

And in that chilling conversation, I learned the truth.

My "savior" had orchestrated a monstrous plan: he was going to auction me off at my own birthday party.

And Emily, the woman he swore he loved, revealed she was the one who set the fire that killed my parents.

My uncle knew.

He' d known all along.

Every sweet word, every gentle touch, every act of supposed kindness was a lie designed to keep me a pawn in his twisted game of revenge.

I was just a substitute, a cheap copy of the woman he truly desired.

The pain was unbearable, a betrayal so profound it left me gasping for air.

But the girl who loved Michael Davies died in that hallway.

A new Sarah was born, cold, hard, and desperate to escape.

I would not be his victim.

I would not be their entertainment.

I would survive this.

My only escape was a desperate plea to his grandfather: arranging a marriage to a comatose man, miles away.

It felt like a desolate choice, a sacrifice for freedom.

But it was my only hope.

I had to get out.