Without further ado, I picked a quiet corner and sat myself down while watched as the auction began. One by one, the treasures were displayed. From sapphire necklaces, famous paintings, to rare antiques. None of those interested me. I was waiting for something special.

At some point, I surely had dozed off because a flash of light startled me when I opened my eyes. Under the soft golden glow, a golden wrist watch sparkled beautifully.

“Starting price, fifty thousand,” the auctioneer announced.

I lifted my bidding board as I responded, “Sixty thousand.”

Almost immediately, another bidder called out, “Eighty thousand.”

The wristwatch was made for a man. It was finely made with its surface smooth and clear for a well-maintained 18th century wristwatch. It looked perfect. Something my baby could wear when he had grown up.

“One hundred fifty thousand,” I said calmly, raising my board again.

The room fell silent. No one else raised a bid.

“Sold!” the auctioneer declared, striking the hammer.

I took a steady breath and stayed seated, still hoping to find more things suitable for my child. Then, a large man suddenly rose from his seat.

He mockingly asked, “One hundred fifty thousand, you say? One hundred fifty thousand? I’ve been in business for years and never seen you before. Who are you … some mistress pretending to be rich?”

Andrew, who had been sitting beside me, looked ready to argue, but I stopped him with a gesture. There was no need to make a scene. For my baby’s sake, I had to stay calm.

A voice from the crowd shouted, “Verify her funds! Let’s see if she’s real!”

The auctioneer signaled for two staffs to come forward. Without hesitation, I handed them another card. This card held all the savings I had built up since I was young. It was money I had planned to give only to someone truly precious. And that person was my unborn child.

When the auctioneer announced the verified amount, which had billions in assets, the entire room went quiet. The event continued and I ended up buying a few more items. The Hutton-Mdivani necklace, a Van Ceef & Arpels Paris twisted hoop earrings and the Theseus Ring.

Finally, the auctioneer raised his voice as he shouted, “And now, our final piece!”

He continued, “This item may look simple, but it’s a true treasure.”

“It was ordered by King Louis XIV of France for his beloved great-grandson, King Louis XV of France. This was made by the finest jewellery in Paris at the time.”

The auctioneer lifted a small gold pendant. It glowed faintly under the lights. For something so old, it looked surprisingly well-preserved.

“This is the Jesus and Mother Mary’s pendant,” the auctioneer continued.

“It symbolizes the love and blessings for future generations.”

“Starting price, ten million.”

My heart leaped as I shouted, “Twenty million.”

“Fifty million!” another voice called.

I hesitated. Fifty million was already a lot for me. Before I could decide, the auctioneer raised his hammer.

“Sixty million!” I blurted out.

“Sixty million once!” he called.

I smiled faintly. It seemed no one else would compete. Then, a cold voice from the shadows broke the silence.

“Eighty-eight point eight million.”

I turned to look. In the dim corner, a man in a black suit sat quietly. I couldn’t see his face clearly.

“One hundred million,” Andrew said suddenly.

He winked at me and whispered, “A welcome gift for the baby.”

The whole room erupted in surprise.

But from that same dark corner, his voice rang out again.

“Two hundred million.”

Andrew opened his mouth to raise the price again, but I gently touched his arm to stop him. The auctioneer counted, “Two hundred million, going once, twice, three times … sold!”

The hammer fell as a hush spread across the hall. Everyone watched as the man in the black suit carefully picked up the pendant, walking away without a word. After the auction ended Andrew and I said our goodbyes outside the building.

But before I could take a step, a familiar Bentley pulled up. Lucas got out quickly with a grim face.

“Yvette, why are you out here with another man behind my back?”

People all around stared at me with contempt.

“You look like a decent wife and mother, but you’re capable of cheating on your husband?”

“A woman like that sneaks around even while pregnant. Who knows whose child she’s carrying?”

“She’s the one who bought all those expensive things. I bet that money isn’t even clean.”

Each cutting remark reached my ears like small blades. I tightened my fists but stayed silent.

Lucas putting on a false kindness as he held the car door open, saying, “Darling, let’s forget our old arguments. Come home with me.”

I got into the car under their scornful stares. Lucas quickly sprayed alcohol all over the seats as if I were some kind of disease. Once home, he held my hand and guided me carefully to the sofa, his voice sweet again.

That was when I saw an elderly man arrive. It was Mr. Joshua Powell, the old Mr. Powell himself. No wonder Lucas had been acting with two different faces. Inside, I sneered, but outwardly I put on a bright smile.

Before I could speak, Mr. Powell motioned for his butler to bring over a pink box. I opened it cautiously. Inside lay my favorite item from the auction, the Jesus and Mother Mary’s pendant.

“My precious great-grandchild will soon be born,” Mr. Powell said warmly.

“This is just a small gift from his great-grandfather.”

My eyes filled with tears as I thanked him sincerely. That night, I returned to my usual place in the stairwell. I had noticed the old Mr. Powell’s worried expression before he left.

Lucas, still pretending to be gentle, helped me up the stairs. His hand felt warm, but all I felt inside was sadness. I quietly pulled away from his arm.

When the bedroom door closed, his fake kindness disappeared. My husband tossed the quilt onto the floor and jerked his chin toward the bathroom. He and Veronica climbed into the soft bed.

I held my belly as I crouched painfully to pick up the quilt. After that, I supported myself against the wall as I slowly walked to the bathroom.

‘It was large, at least,’ I thought to myself, chuckling bitterly.

But the smooth tiles cut into my skin when I tried to lie down. Listening to Lucas’s snores through the door, I turned over and over as I was unable to sleep. Suddenly, the bathroom door was swung open.

“Give me that pendant!” Veronica shouted, grabbing my chin between her fingers.

“You know it’s useless keeping it. Your baby won’t live long.”

Veronica slapped my face in disgust. Hearing her speak of my child made something in me snap. Immediately, I spat on her face.

“My baby is sick. It will need the pendant. The baby will needs someone to protect them,” she muttered to herself.

After that, she struck me again. This time, it was harder than the previous one.

“Hand it over! You’re so disgusting right now.”

I let out a bitter laugh.

“Go ahead. Hit me! Beat me to death … you’ll never find where the pendant is.”

Her anger boiled over. She kicked me to the ground, pressing her palm over my mouth so I wouldn’t wake Lucas. I curled around my belly, shielding my baby and let her vent her rage. It was only at dawn that she stomped back to the bed, still fuming.

I got up and washed my face. The mirror showed a woman with messy hair and cheeks swollen from slaps. I studied my reflection carefully, promising myself I would never forget this night.

At breakfast, Lucas acted the perfect husband. He kept serving food onto my plate, smiling sweetly. It was a performance for everyone else. Meanwhile, Veronica stood among the servants, her face twisted with rage.

Mr. Powell looked at Lucas coldly and then turned to me with concern.

“Yvette, why are your eyes and face so swollen?” he asked.

Before I could speak, my phone buzzed with a WhatsApp message from Lucas:

[If you dare tell the truth about last night, I’ll make sure the baby is gone!]

It turned out that Lucas had known about the beating I took all night.

I forced a smile and said, “Mr. Powell, don’t worry. It’s probably just the hormones from late pregnancy.”

Mr. Powell nodded, though his eyes were filled with even more concern.

“Yvette, you’re a good girl. Marrying into the Powell Family is their good fortune.”

After a moment, he gently placed a dish in my plate as he said, “I’ve booked an island in the United States. Before my grandson is born, you and Lucas should spend some peaceful time together.”

Lucas quickly agreed without hesitation. The island was quiet and beautiful, surrounded by fresh sea air. For the first time in a while, I felt a bit relaxed. Unfortunately, Veronica came along too.

Once we arrived, the two of them completely dropped their act. On this empty island, they stuck together every single day, not even bothering to hide their affair anymore. I could only watch silently as the man who was legally my husband held another woman in his arms.

That day, Veronica looked at me from where she lay on Lucas’s chest, a smug smile on her face.

“Do you really enjoy picking up what I’ve thrown away? Go ahead then,” I said calmly.

Lucas’s expression darkened and he slapped me hard across the face.

“What did you just say?”

The blow knocked me off balance, which caused me to fall to the ground. My cheek burned, but inside, my heart was frozen solid. Before I could stand, Veronica kicked me again and again until I could barely move. Suddenly, she stopped, her eyes catching on something near me.

She waved a hand and said smugly, “This is mine now.”

My vision blurred with pain, but I forced my eyes to focus. It was the Jesus and Mother Mary’s pendant. I had always kept it hidden in the deepest pocket of my clothes.

I reached for it, but Veronica crushed my hand under her high heel. The sharp heel pierced my skin and blood began to flow.

“You want it back? Keep dreaming. You’ll never get it again,” she said as she sneered.

Her words echoed in my ears as my world turned hazy. Then, Lucas grabbed me by the collar and dragged me away. He locked me in the basement of the estate. No one ever came here. The room was full of dust and cobwebs.

My husband tied me up and opened a small cage he was carrying. Inside were rats, their eyes glowing faintly green. I used to think the worst pain came from wounds, but no … it was being betrayed by the person you trusted most.

Cold air filled the basement. The only sounds were the squeaks of rats and the ropes rubbing against my skin. I was terrified of rats, but this time, I silently thanked them for gnawing through the ropes and setting me free.

A month earlier, I had already gone to court and filed for divorce. Moreover, I had carefully wrapped the papers and asked the butler to deliver them to Lucas’s bedside. After the call, I destroyed my SIM card and threw my phone into the sea.

Three days later, Lucas and Veronica finally realized I was gone. The basement was a mess. Rats were everywhere with blood on the floor. Lucas felt a flicker of panic but quickly covered it with mockery.

“She probably fainted somewhere,” he said coldly.

“She’s scared of rats, remember? How pathetic.”

But Lucas then suddenly remembered the fear in my eyes when I had seen a rat before. He grabbed his phone and tried to call me, but the line was already dead. Veronica started searching for me. Of course, she had her own reason. She still needed my unborn child’s kidney.

What neither of them knew was that a man had already been waiting nearby, his yacht anchored off the island, ready to take me away.