The Wife He Sold

ith the low hum of polite conversation and the clinking of glasses. It was the kind of event Mark Stevens thrived in, a stage for his p

he guest of honor. He flashed his signature smile fo

ce smooth and practiced. "Helping those who are vulnerab

. Vulnerable. Protection. He used those

today without the support of the most wonderful, most delicate woman I know." He paused

adoring eyes, a perfect picture of innocence and fragility. She dabbed at her eyes with a h

around the stem of my glass. It was all a lie, a caref

t the front row, scannin

last week. But this time, it was followed by a flash of annoyance, a darkness that was much more fam

I kept locked away in the darkest corners of my mind, began to stir. The smell of st

g that threatened to shatter the glass I was holding. I quick

You are not there. You are here. You are safe. It was a

d, intending to slip out a side d

run away ag

is public smile gone, replaced by a contemptuous sneer. He

ing," I said, my voice steady de

w me on stage with Chloe and you couldn't stand i

sheer arrogance of the

I'm here for work," I said, my voice dripping with a c

with a dismissive air. "What kind of work

here he had sent me. Three years ago, it would have

want people to know about y

ou can threaten me? You're noth

t jealous. You see Chloe, you see how much I love her, how I

or anything in the world," I

ading across his face. He was enjoying this, en

propose to her. Tonight. Right here, on this stage. And you'll have a fr

-