1 I wanted to buy my husband a Tang dynasty Sancai horse for our anniversary—his favorite. But out of nowhere, a mysterious bidder emerged, invoked the “Jade Gavel,” and snatched the porcelain horse right out from under me. As I was leaving, a notification popped up on my phone: a charge to my husband’s supplementary credit card, from this very auction house, for the exact price of the Sancai horse. In a panic, I called the bank and had the card frozen. At the collection counter, a stunningly beautiful woman was forced to flee in a storm of ridicule. Two weeks later, my husband, Ethan, and I were on vacation abroad. The moment we stepped off the plane, I was drugged. I woke up in an iron cage. The host, in broken English, announced to the crowd, “Today, we auction this woman. Highest bidder takes all!” And there, in the audience, sat Ethan, his eyes dark and vicious. “Wren, you love stealing the show, don’t you? You love snatching someone else’s moment. Well, tonight, you can have all the spotlight you want.” A wave of terror washed over me as I stared at the sea of faces below. My scalp prickled with fear. They were all holding copies of my full-body medical scan, appraising me like livestock. “Look at this one. Well-maintained. Every organ is in perfect health. She’d be a prime catch, whether you take her home whole or part her out for a sick relative.” “I have to say, I’m surprised. Ethan Vance, of all people. Willing to put a woman like this on the block. We can’t let an opportunity like this pass us by.” “I heard she’s his wife. He’s got a new piece, you know. Who wants old goods when you have something fresh?” I followed their knowing glances and saw him. Ethan. Sitting in the middle of the crowd. A chill, deeper than any I had ever known, seeped into my bones. My body, bound to the iron bars of the cage, thrashed against the metal, the clanging sound echoing my frantic heartbeat. My nails dug into my palms, drawing blood. Just yesterday, we were planning this trip, wrapped in each other’s arms, whispering sweet nothings. And now, the “friend” he said was bidding on the Sancai horse for him, a woman named Isla, was curled up in his lap, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips. “Ethan, why are you doing this to me?” My voice was a raw, broken thing, lost in a storm of sobs. He leaned back in his chair, a lazy, cruel smile on his face. “My wife is far too elegant, too magnificent, to be kept hidden away for my eyes only. Good things should be shared, don’t you think?” The crowd roared with approval, urging the host to begin. Powerful men from all over the world, a veritable rogue’s gallery, were here. They waved their black bidding paddles in the air, shouting out which parts of me they wanted—my heart, my kidneys. Ethan leaned over and kissed Isla, then rose and walked to the stage. He kicked the cage, the force of the blow splitting my lip. The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth. “Wren, as the organizer of this little event, I’m going to do you a special favor. I’m giving you the right to bid on yourself. You can have your moment in the spotlight. You can feel for yourself the humiliation you put my Isla through.” His handsome face was a mask of pure, mocking malice. The murderous glint in his eyes told me he had no intention of letting me leave this auction house alive. “Go on,” he taunted. “Invoke the Jade Gavel.” The room erupted in laughter. “The Jade Gavel? How? Didn’t Mr. Vance register all your joint assets under his name when he came in? Unless he’s willing to foot the bill, Mrs. Vance doesn’t have a penny to her name.” Ethan feigned surprise. “Oh, dear. I completely forgot. The same account can only be registered to one person. What a shame, darling. And I have to buy Isla a new necklace tonight. My hands are tied.” My eyes widened in disbelief. I couldn’t fathom that these words were coming from the man I had loved for eight years. “You tricked me into coming here, you drugged and kidnapped me, you organized this entire black market auction… just to sell me off?” “Why, Ethan? Because I froze the card when Isla invoked the Jade Gavel?” He stared at me, his eyes cold, savoring my pain. “Of course. Do you have any idea how helpless she felt that day? Humiliated in front of all those people. She endured it. And so can you.” He gave me no chance to reply. He turned and walked off the stage, tossing one last, chilling sentence over his shoulder. “Put her in shackles and seat her in the front row. The best way to break someone is to make them watch their own descent into hell, powerless to stop it.” From the audience, Isla blew me a mocking kiss. “Don’t worry, Wren. I won’t be bidding against you tonight.” 2 The auction hall was a cacophony of cruel cheers. Someone whistled. “Is Mr. Vance really going to let his beautiful wife get fucked to death by strangers? Hahaha…” Ethan simply raised an eyebrow, his expression indifferent. “If my wife doesn’t like it, she can always invoke the Jade Gavel. If she can’t, well, that’s her choice. I’m a very democratic man.” The crowd murmured in agreement. “That’s right. I heard she invoked it herself when she was bidding on that Sancai horse, but Mrs. Vance shut her down. She must have the resources. We’ll get to see her in action tonight.” Amid the noise, the auction bell rang. I was led from the cage like a dog on a chain and shackled to a chair in the front row, directly in front of a massive screen. My medical report and a series of intimate photos scrolled across the screen, and a wave of humiliation, so powerful it threatened to drown me, washed over me. My hands, bound together, trembled. My mind raced. Ethan had registered all our assets under his name. By the rules of this black market, an account couldn’t be used by two people. I didn’t have a hundred dollars to my name, let alone enough to invoke the Jade Gavel. He had planned this perfectly. He knew my financial situation down to the last cent. If even one part of my body was sold, my life would be over. I was a lamb led to the slaughter, bound and helpless. We had been married for eight years. I had been with him when he was a nobody, and I had stood by him as he clawed his way to the top of the corporate world. I had never complained about the hardships. When he finally made it, I had happily stepped back, content to be the supportive wife behind the successful man. And now, to appease his mistress, he was going to send me to hell. The chatter around me was a relentless assault of lewd, disgusting comments. “A woman trained in bed by a man like Vance… she must be incredible. I’m going to buy her whole and find out for myself.” “No way. I’ve had my eye on her feet. I’m going to have them cut off and preserved as a work of art. The thought of it… it’s enough to make me come right now. You can’t have them.” I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood, using every ounce of my willpower to remain upright. Finally, the auctioneer took the stage and announced the start of the bidding. I shot to my feet, the chains rattling. “Wait. I need to wash my face.” Ethan turned to me slowly, his eyes filled with a dark, unreadable mockery. “Wren, don’t even think about escaping. The security here is airtight. Not even a fly can get out. Save your energy.” I ignored the searing pain in my body and stared into his cold, black eyes. “If not even a fly can get out, then what’s the harm in letting me wash my face? Or are you too stingy to even grant me that small mercy?” The room fell silent, all eyes on us. It was a silent, bitter war. A few of the men he knew well grew impatient. “Don’t waste our time, Vance. We’re all waiting. Let’s just get on with it.” “Yeah, what’s the hold-up? I’ve got a hot tub waiting for me and the missus back home.” Finally, under the expectant gaze of the crowd, Ethan’s face hardened, his eyes turning a deep, stormy black. “All of you, shut your mouths.” 3 The host had spoken. The room fell silent. An attendant unlocked my shackles and replaced them with handcuffs. I walked, head held high, to a washbasin outside the main hall. The moment the cold water touched my wounded hands, the tension that had held me together snapped. I collapsed beside the basin, the tears I had held back for so long finally falling. My phone was still in my pocket, but my account had been completely emptied. Balance: $0.00. If I was sold tonight, I couldn’t even imagine the horrors that awaited me. I could be passed from man to man, used and abused, and then, when they were done with me, dismembered and sold for parts, never finding peace even in death. And my mother, who was in a coma in a hospital back in the States after a car accident, would be left to die a slow, hopeless death as her medical bills went unpaid. I had no way out. Finally, I made my decision. Gritting my teeth, I opened the encrypted email on my phone and found the contact I had buried so long ago. The sound of rushing water was the only thing that broke the terrifying silence. The dilapidated building felt like a lair, hiding some great beast ready to pounce and tear me to shreds. I sent the coded message. My hand fell, limp, to my side. Five minutes later, I dragged myself back into the auction hall. As I pushed open the doors, all eyes turned to me. There was shock, mockery, and a cruel, eager anticipation. Ethan was holding a cigarette, the smoke curling around his inscrutable face. He wrapped his arm around Isla and, with a glance in my direction, said, his voice dripping with false sincerity, “Darling, I love you. And anyone who dares to hurt you will pay the price.” I walked back to my seat without a word, leaving a trail of bloody footprints on the floor. “You can start now,” I said, my voice a raw, shredded whisper. A murmur went through the crowd. The auctioneer looked at Ethan for confirmation. He just sneered and nodded. “Since Wren is so eager, let’s officially begin.” The lights in the hall dimmed. The first item for auction appeared on the screen. My hands. Every inch, from my wrists to my fingertips, was displayed in high-definition, my pores visible. On my right hand, my ten-carat wedding ring was a cruel, mocking joke. It was a Shakespearean tragedy, and I was the star, my pathetic fate on display for all to see. I felt like I was already dead. Just then, Ethan, with Isla still in his arms, moved to the seat beside me. He leaned in close, his voice a low whisper in my ear. “I’m your husband, after all. And Isla is a generous woman. If you apologize to her and agree to a divorce where you get nothing, I’ll help you out. This one time.” A cold smile touched my lips. So, he didn’t just want my life. He wanted to swallow our shared assets whole, then play the victim of a cheating wife as he paraded his mistress down the aisle. I said nothing. My silence was my answer. The bidding began. “For the hands of Ms. Wren Davis, we’ll start at five hundred thousand dollars. Bidding increments of one hundred thousand.” The paddles shot up instantly. In seconds, the price had soared to two million. Ethan’s voice was a persistent poison in my ear. “Think about it, darling. Soon it will be too late.” The bidders were now crowding around me, their eyes greedy, fixed on my clenched fists, waiting for the final gavel. And then, I, who had been silent for so long, slowly raised my hand. My eyes were filled with a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve. “I invoke the Jade Gavel,” I said, my voice ringing with a newfound strength.
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