She wiped her tears and smiled bitterly. Pain? She had forgotten what it meant not to hurt.
If death came, it might almost feel like mercy.
She had just stepped out of the bathroom when one of Soren’s bodyguards blocked her path, pressing a gun to her waist.
“Tonight’s auction is important,” he said flatly. “Don’t try anything—unless you want your mother in the asylum to suffer something… unimaginable.”
Her heart clenched.
Five years ago, he had spent 200 million dollars on their wedding, the city awash with rumors of his devotion. No one knew that behind closed doors, it had been the start of her nightmare.
Remembering her father’s broken body, Linnea’s fists curled, nails biting into her palms.
The bodyguards escorted her to a dim private room—where Elowen Vale, her closest friend and her parents’ beloved goddaughter, straddled Soren’s lap. One manicured hand rested low on his waist, and her soft moan filled the air.
Soren had once seemed untouchable, aloof from the women who chased him. On the day of his proposal, he had sworn on live broadcast: “Linnea, I will love you for life. A lifetime.”