Chapter 4

Celia's hands were shaking when she dialed Roman's number. Her voice came out raw. "The photos... Did you leak them?"

On the other end, Roman let out a cold laugh. "You liked placing unlimited bids, didn't you? If you don't want anyone else seeing those photos, then get over there and buy them back. One by one. Bid to your heart's content." His tone was cruel.

In the background, Lana's voice floated through, sweet and delicate. "Roman, is that Celia calling? I should go. I really shouldn't be here..."

"Don't be ridiculous." His voice softened instantly. A moment later, the unmistakable sound of a kiss came through the line. "I already stood up for you. Try walking away again and see what happens."

The call went dead at some point after that.

Celia felt the floor drop out from under her. She rushed to the auction venue. When she pushed through the doors, her entire body was trembling. The room was full of men, and her intimate photos were flashing on the large screen at the front.

There was one of her sleeping face. Roman had called it adorable and saved it.

There was one of her back as she stepped out of the bath. He had coaxed her into letting him take it, saying he wanted something to look at when he missed her.

There was one of her bare in bed, her skin covered in marks he had left. He had told her those were proof of how much he loved her.

The men in the room stared at Celia with undisguised hunger, and the murmuring cut into her like a blade.

"That body... Keller's a lucky man."

"Didn't he used to be crazy about his wife? Why's he putting her photos up for sale?"

"He's gotten bored, obviously. These trophy wives look good on the surface, but behind closed doors..."

Every word drove itself deeper. Celia thought of how ferociously possessive Roman used to be.

Years ago, on an island vacation, she had worn a backless dress and a man glanced at her one too many times.

Roman pulled her straight back to the hotel room and pinned her against the floor-to-ceiling windows, refusing to stop until she repeated after him—"Celia Vaughn belongs to Roman Keller."

Now, for the sake of another woman, he had taken her most private photos and handed them to a room full of strangers.

She bought them back one at a time. With every press of the bidding paddle, something inside her grew a little colder. By the time she bought the last one, the love she had carried for Roman was completely spent.

Her phone rang as she walked out of the auction house.

"Did you enjoy your unlimited bidding?" Roman's voice dripped with mockery.

Celia gripped the phone until her nails bit into her palm. "You did this without worrying that I'll divorce you?"

His tone was flat, almost bored, like an adult explaining something obvious to a child. "You can't divorce me, Celia. If I don't sign, the marriage doesn't end."

She said nothing.

He had forgotten. She already had a divorce agreement with his signature on it.

When she stayed silent, Roman's voice eased slightly. "Today was just a lesson."

There was a short pause. "I've told you before. Stop going after Lana, and I'll come back to this family when the time is right. Your birthday's coming up in a few days. I'll throw you a party to make it up to you."

Celia was about to say she did not need one, but the line was already dead.

Over the following days, Lana's social media posts appeared in Celia's feed like clockwork. The latest was a photo of Roman holding Lana on a yacht, captioned: [I wanted to see the ocean, so he bought me an island.]

Below that was: [He's allergic to cat hair, but he got me a Ragdoll anyway.]

There was also: [His entire camera roll is just me. Hehe.]

Before, something like this would have hurt Celia so badly she could not breathe. Now, she felt nothing at all.

Roman had been staying at Lana's place most nights. On the rare occasion he came home, he did not even notice that things had gone missing around the house. He probably would not notice if she disappeared either.