My heart felt like a piece had been gouged out; the pain was so intense I could barely breathe.

There was a time when my dad forced me to perform on stage and I dreaded being the center of attention.

James had once cast aside his self-respect, going to great lengths to act goofy and ugly to draw everyone's attention away from me.

Now, the moment his voice fell, the atmosphere in the room exploded.

Every malicious gaze locked onto me.

"The starting price is one dollar? It's so worthless. I'm afraid she has been slept with by others after the Jarquíns went bankrupt. No wonder James doesn't want her. I think she's filthy."

"They're not asking for five million anymore. Five hundred bucks would make her kneel down and lick shoes now.

"Forget it, what's the use of this kind of beauty? I don't want it even if you pay me. Who knows what disease she has?"

The audience's atmosphere was heated and the malice continued, but no one raised a sign to bid.

Until this time, James raised the sign slowly.

"One dollar and five cents."

James' bid sparked another round of uproarious laughter.

"James, you're too generous! How is trash like that even worth fifty cents?"

Meanwhile, James leisurely observed my expression with amusement.

"I'm quite pleased with the look of despair on your face. If you behave yourself, I might just take you home as my pet."

Jordyn leaned against James, smiling as she asked.

"What if Jennie actually gets bought by someone else?"

James' expression was disdainful. "Who would want such a piece of junk?"

My whole body began to tremble uncontrollably. I curled up on the ground, trying to escape those malicious stares.

"Turn off the lights ... don't look at me."

The symptoms of somatization, like stomach cramps and difficulty breathing, began to surface. I gagged a few times but couldn't throw up anything.

Someone's voice hesitated.

"Jennie doesn't seem to be doing well. Should we call an ambulance first?"

James' smile faltered, his gaze falling on my face. He instinctively stood up but still complained.

"What a bummer."

Jordyn hugged his arm.

"I remember Jennie studied acting before. We were just letting everyone see her, not feeding her anything, so how could she be vomiting? Look, she's been gagging forever and hasn't thrown up a thing. Do you think she's faking it?"

Hearing that, James' expression slowly shifted from concern to disgust.

"Jennie, why didn't I see it before? You're such a good actress. Desperate to stay by my side like a dog, huh?"

He waved his hand. "Continue the auction."

Just then, someone in the back row raised a paddle.

"Ten dollars."

The smile on James' face froze.

Garrett Wade laughed loudly. "This woman, though cheap, is certainly beautiful. I'd like to taste what she's like. If you all aren't interested, please don't compete with me."

James' hand, which had been about to raise the paddle, ultimately stayed down.

He abruptly stood up, looking at me with a cold sneer.

"I really underestimated you. Even in this state, you can still seduce men. Seems you'll stop at nothing for money."

He turned and left without looking back.

With three strikes of the gavel, the auction finally ended.

Garrett's gaze lingered on me, making me sick. He spoke to the staff.

"Please tell your Mr. Jorgensen to keep his promise and send the person to the Wade Family as soon as possible."

I was carried backstage like a piece of merchandise.

James stared at me with a cold gaze.

"I didn't realize you had such nerve. You think you can use Garrett to get rid of me and live a life of luxury in the Wade Family? Don't even dream about it."

James lifted my chin.

"You can only stay by my side."

I should have been happy to hear that he wanted to keep me, but for some reason, I felt numb.

Maybe I gradually realized he was very different from the boy in my memory.

I would rather die to atone for my sins than stay by James' side.

Jordyn's voice froze when she heard James' words.

"James, what this woman wants most is to stay by your side. If you keep her, aren't you just granting her wish? Sending her away is the real torture for her."

James' grip on me loosened and his eyes were gradually covered with hatred again.

"You're right. She's like a dog, you can't get rid of her no matter how hard you try. Since she wants to stay by my side, I'll make sure she doesn't get her way."

"Put her in a box and send her to the Wades."

Only then did I struggle violently.

"No! Don't put me in a box, it's very dark in there. Please, no!"

The last time I ran away from home to elope with James, I got caught just a few hundred meters away from him.

My father locked me in a pitch-black basement and tortured me for half a month.

Ever since then, I have developed severe PTSD.

Whenever I got trapped in the dark, I couldn't breathe. Sometimes, I felt like I was going to die.

When Jordyn Nolan heard me, she laughed.

"Wow, Jennie. You really go all out to stay with James. You never run out of tricks, do you?"

James looked me over carefully, trying to see through my desperate lie.

"Jennie, do you think I'm stupid? You were never afraid of the dark before."

He looked at my desperate struggles and his mood inexplicably improved again.

"But your desperate expression today satisfies me. I can grant you one wish. Anything but marrying you, I can agree to."

Jordyn's expression changed, but James ignored her.

I stopped struggling, looked at the box and suddenly calmed down. Anyway, I was going to die soon; dying in a box might even be cleaner.

I looked up, meeting James' gaze.

"Aunt Zelda is ill. I hope you can find someone to help her with her treatment."

Zelda was one of the few people genuinely caring about me and now I couldn't look after her anymore.

James gritted his teeth, his expression somewhat distorted.

"You gave this opportunity to a maid? You could plead for a maid, yet you stood by and watched my mom being driven to her death! Jennie Jarquín, you hypocrite, why don't you just drop dead!"

He slammed the door and stormed out.

I watched his back disappear, then silently said goodbye in my heart.

Goodbye, James Jorgensen.

I will soon grant your wish and die.

Jordyn watched me with schadenfreude.

"Garrett is infamous for his games. I really hope you come back in one piece, Jennie."

Expressionless, I climbed into the box myself.

James drank one glass after another. The people around him thought he was celebrating sweet revenge and feeling great.

"Giving that woman to Garrett Wade is really letting her off easy. James, you should have kept her by your side and tormented her more."

James scoffed.

"No rush. She's like a dog, you can't drive her away even if you try. Just watch, in a day or two, she'll call me begging to be taken back."

The person holding the wine glass looked surprised.

"James, don't you know Garrett? No one who's been in that guy's bed has ever come out alive."

James froze mid-drink. The burning liquor slid down his throat, but all he felt was a bone-deep chill.

Jennie's phone had been left nearby. When it rang, James instinctively answered it.

"Jennie, if you're not coming back for treatment, does that mean you've already made up your mind to die?"