1 The moment I saw the positive pregnancy test, I rushed home, eager to surprise Clark. Instead, I was abducted and thrown onto the stage of an organ auction. A hood was thrown over my head, my body bound to a cold, metal platform. I could hear the voice of Clark’s best friend, Raymond. “Clark, what are you doing here instead of being with your lovely wife? Is the little mistress giving you trouble again?” Clark chuckled. He ran a hand over the woman nestled in his arms, eliciting a playful giggle from her. Her name was Ivy. “You know it. Ivy’s been clamoring for a new nose, and she fancies one made from a rib. My dear Alice, bless her heart, thought I had a business deal and practically kicked me off our honeymoon to come back. She’s adorably naive.” I thrashed against my restraints, desperate for him to notice me. Ivy complained about the noise, and Clark, without a second thought, pressed a button. A jolt of electricity shot through me. A sharp, searing pain tore through my abdomen, and I went limp, tears streaming down my cheeks. A crisp gavel sound echoed through the hall, and the bidding began. “Two hundred thousand! I’ll take a cornea!” “Five hundred thousand! The left kidney is mine!” Soon, my body was a canvas of circles, marking the parts that had been sold. Then, Clark lazily raised his bidding paddle. “One million. I’ll take the heart. A new plaything for my Ivy.” “Mr. Thorne is truly generous!” Raymond boomed. “Alice’s wedding ring was only half a million, wasn’t it? She’d be furious if she knew! Hahahaha!” Clark blew a smoke ring, a smirk playing on his lips. “Ivy’s been with me for five years, and she certainly knows how to please a man. She’s earned it.” “As for Alice? She’s sweet and obedient. A few bouquets of flowers when I get back, and she’ll be happy.” He compared me to his mistress with such casual cruelty. My tears fell, hot and silent. Eight years we’d been together, a love story everyone envied, culminating in a fairy-tale wedding. I never imagined half of that love was being given to someone else. Through the suffocating hood, I could sense him stroking Ivy’s hair. And I was here, trussed up like an animal for slaughter. Rough hands dragged me off the stage. Blinded, I missed a step and tumbled down, the impact jarring every bone in my body. A wave of laughter washed over me, Clark’s voice the loudest and most piercing. Before I could recover from the blinding pain, a rope was yanked around my neck, and I was forced to stumble forward. As I passed Clark, he grabbed my wrist, his brow furrowing as he stared at the sun tattoo there. I tried to make a sound, any sound, to make him see me. We had gotten those tattoos together the day he proposed. He had looked at me with such tenderness. “Alice,” he’d whispered, “you are my sun, illuminating my world. A life with you is a life complete.” But now, his eyes filled with disgust. Without hesitation, he took a scalpel from a nearby tray and carved the tattoo from my flesh. “Only Alice is worthy of this tattoo!” he snarled. “Does every stray cat think she can imitate her now?” “To think you’d stoop this low just to get close to me. You’ve got nerve, but a tattoo will never make you her replacement!” Raymond led a round of applause. “I’m telling you, Alice Thorne has the life. To be cherished by Clark for so many years!” A bitter smile twisted my lips. Yes, in all our years together, Clark had never said no to me. If I wanted the stars, he would have plucked them from the sky. I had never once doubted his love. But now, watching his hand rest possessively on Ivy’s waist… did he truly love me? Cold sweat beaded on my forehead. I tried to reach for him, but he was busy, meticulously peeling a grape for Ivy. I was dragged away, watching in despair as the distance between us grew. The dissector began laying out his instruments. I used every last bit of my strength to crawl, to try and save myself. A pair of high heels stopped in front of me. Ivy ripped off my hood and blew a puff of smoke in my face. “Funny he didn’t recognize you. Then again, you’re always so poised, so perfect. You’ve never looked this pathetic before, have you?” “I want him to be the one to kill you. Then I’ll be his one and only.” “Did you know? On your birthday, when he said he was busy with work? He was busy learning new positions with me.” “Your mother, when she needed help and he didn’t answer? My hand had a tiny little scratch. Every moment he wasn’t with you, he was with me.” With every word, the color drained from my face, until the pain in my heart drowned out everything else. Ivy watched my anguish with a satisfied smirk. 2 Footsteps approached, and she quickly pulled the hood back over my head. I was hoisted onto the dissection table. The cold steel of a blade traced patterns on my skin. The dissector frowned and looked at Clark. “Mr. Thorne, she’s pregnant…” Clark stepped forward and pressed down hard on my abdomen. The pain was so intense I felt like I was being torn in two. He casually stubbed out his cigarette on the raw, bleeding wound where my tattoo used to be and told the dissector to proceed. My hand trembled as I reached for the hem of his coat. Just then, his phone rang. His expression instantly shifted to one of pure joy. “Alice’s pregnant? Don’t tell her I know, she’ll want to surprise me.” “Go! Buy out every baby store in the city! Book the finest birthing center! Boy or girl, this child will be the heir to the Thorne empire.” The delight of a first-time father was written all over his face, and it was a dagger in my heart. The child you’re so excited for is right here, and you have no idea. A flash of jealousy crossed Ivy’s face. She gave the dissector a look. He continued. The scalpel sliced into my skin. A piercing scream tore from my throat. I thrashed wildly, my bound wrists scraping against the metal, sending rivulets of blood down my arms. Clark turned and our eyes met, though he couldn’t see my face. “That voice… it sounds so much like Alice’s.” Hope surged through me. He would save us. He would save me and our child. Ivy clung to his arm, her face a mask of shock. “Did she have surgery on her vocal cords to sound like Alice? That’s terrifying!” Clark’s brief moment of consideration was replaced by revulsion. He strode over and stuffed a wad of cloth into my mouth, silencing me. Ivy began fiddling with a nearby machine. Seeing her curiosity, Clark walked over, took her hand, and guided it to a button. “This is for electrocution.” A burning sensation shot through my limbs. The powerful current made my muscles contract violently, a tearing feeling overwhelming me. A warm gush of fluid flowed from between my legs. “And this is for needles.” My fingers were pried apart. Five long, sharp needles appeared and pierced through my fingertips. Every bone in my body felt like it was being crushed by a millstone. I was on the verge of blacking out, gasping for air. … I don’t know how much punishment I endured. My vision swam with black spots, my consciousness fading. A shrill alarm cut through the haze. Clark pulled out his phone and dialed, but there was no answer. His brow furrowed with anxiety, and he quickly dialed his secretary. “Where is Alice?! Why isn’t she answering her phone? We talk every day at this time! Find her! If you can’t find her, you’re all fired!” He hung up, agitated. In the distance, an attendant led in several small ponies. Clark’s eyes lit up. “Go on, bring me the best one! A gentle one, so it doesn’t hurt Alice. She must be upset with me for not being there!” Ivy whispered something in his ear, a sly smile on her face. The next moment, I was dragged off the table like a sack of garbage, my hands tied securely to the back of a pony. My eyes widened in terror. I tried to scream Clark’s name, but only a strangled hiss escaped my lips. I remembered the water they’d forced me to drink before bringing me on stage. Despair swallowed me whole. Ivy mounted the pony with a gleeful shout, urging it faster and faster. The pain was a contorting mask on my face. I tried to curl into a ball to protect my stomach, but the rough ground tore at my back, leaving a long, bloody trail. Finally, satisfied, Ivy dismounted. “This pony-dragging is so much fun! In the future, Alice can pull the baby in a little cart!” Clark smiled and playfully tapped her nose. “You’re so thoughtful. Alice will definitely like you.” Beads of sweat popped out on my skin. I lay crumpled on the ground, the agony of my baby being ripped from my body a sharp, clear reality. Clark kicked me in the stomach with disgust, shielding Ivy’s eyes with his hand. “Filthy. Don’t look.” My body felt broken in half. I could barely feel my own existence. I looked at Clark’s profile, my heart filled with a desolate sorrow. The same Clark who had once thrown himself in front of a car to save me, the Clark who had sworn he would find me no matter where I was in the world, now couldn’t even recognize me. He was so excited for our child’s arrival. When we learned I might have trouble conceiving, he had gone to a monastery and performed a pilgrimage of nine steps and a bow, his knees raw and bleeding. And now, he had killed his own hope with his own hands. The buyers were getting impatient, urging the dissector to hurry. Clark slowly wiped his hands. 3 “You’ll have to wait for the next shipment. Five million. I’m buying this one.” He then carefully wiped Ivy’s hands, his gaze tender and affectionate. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you this happy. We’ll buy her as a little toy for you.” Their eyes met, a shared, unspoken intimacy passing between them. I was thrown into a cage, left to die. My heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible rope, heavy and suffocating. Clark squatted in front of me, a playful look in his eyes. “Serve Ivy well, and maybe I’ll save your child.” I struggled to reach up, to pull off my mask, to make him see me, to save our baby. Clark’s eyes darkened. He reached out and snapped my wrist. “Aaargh!!” My bloodcurdling scream echoed through the room. Even some of the hardened onlookers flinched. He dragged me up and slammed me against the wall. I didn’t even have the strength to get up. Clark turned to his secretary. “Still no sign of Alice?! Search everywhere! If you can’t find her, you’ll all be in this cage instead!” Ivy, her eyes red, tried to comfort him. “Don’t worry, Clark. I’m sure Alice is fine. Let’s do something else to distract you, shall we?” Clark glanced at her. Ivy blinked playfully. “The doctor said it’s safe for pregnant women, but I don’t believe it’s not dangerous. Why don’t we… test it? Then you and Alice will know the limits.” I used every ounce of my strength to back away. The glint in Clark’s eyes sent a chill down my spine. He gave a look, and a group of large men approached me. Rough hands groped me, sending shivers of terror through my body. I wanted to scream, but my throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton. “Serve me well, little slut, and maybe I’ll ask Mr. Thorne for a favor for you!” A foul stench filled the air. A hand grabbed my hair and forced my head towards the man’s crotch. I pushed him away with all my might and was slammed headfirst into the wall, stars exploding behind my eyes. My fingernails clawed at the floor, leaving bloody streaks. The man watched me for a moment, then released me. Just as I was about to crawl out of the cage, he snatched me back. I screamed with everything I had left. “The child…!” The man’s underwear was shoved into my mouth, and tears of humiliation streamed down my face. Clark, who had been ignoring the scene, frowned and turned. “That’s enough. All of you, back off. I should earn some good karma for my child with Alice.” At the mention of the child, his expression softened, a hint of anticipation in his eyes. Ivy pouted. “It’s just a baby. I can give you one, too.” She was met with a crisp, resounding slap. Clark’s gentle face turned dark and menacing. He grabbed Ivy’s chin. “You’ve been around me for a few years and you think you can compare yourself to Alice? My children will only come from her belly!” Ivy’s eyes instantly filled with tears. Her gaze towards me turned twisted and venomous. She quickly composed herself, her voice a coquettish whine. “I was wrong. I’m just tired and not thinking straight. Don’t be angry with me.” “You hit me, so you have to make it up to me! Make me a shuttlecock to play with!” Clark squinted, then after a moment, a slow smile spread across his face. He rummaged on the dissection table and then walked towards me, a silver knife scraping against the bars of the cage with a piercing screech. Looking at where his gaze was fixed, I finally understood. The shuttlecock Ivy wanted to play with was my heart. I tried to raise my hand to tear off the mask, but even the slightest movement sent waves of agony through my body. My gagged mouth could only produce muffled whimpers. Clark, thinking I was trying to escape, slapped my face hard. “Trash like you should be grateful to be a toy for Ivy. And you want to run? Don’t worry, I’ll compensate your family. But if they cared about you, you wouldn’t be here in the first place, would you?” As a smile touched his lips, the sharp knife plunged into my chest without hesitation. My life with Clark flashed before my eyes. His laughter, his tears, everything he had done for me and our child—all of it vanished like smoke. Clark raised the knife for another cut. My eyelids grew heavy, too heavy to lift. My hand fell limply to my side. The secretary burst in, his face a mask of terror. “Mr. Thorne! We’ve found Mrs. Thorne!”
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