Chapter 2
764 Words
Celeste barely slept that night.
Every time she closed her eyes, she heard her mother's voice.
You're going to marry Zayden Lockwood.
By morning, the words felt less like a nightmare and more like a prison sentence.
The house was unusually quiet when she walked downstairs. Her father sat at the dining table, staring into a cup of untouched coffee. Her mother was reviewing documents spread neatly before her.
Documents.
Celeste's stomach twisted.
The moment her mother noticed her, she straightened.
"Sit down."
Celeste remained standing.
"I don't want to."
Her mother's patience visibly thinned.
"Stop behaving like a child."
A bitter laugh escaped Celeste.
"I'm behaving like a child because I don't want strangers deciding who I marry?"
Her father rubbed his temples.
"Please, Celeste. Just sit."
Reluctantly, she lowered herself into a chair.
Her mother slid a document across the table.
At first, Celeste didn't understand what she was looking at.
Then she saw the numbers.
A lot of numbers.
Her breath caught.
"What is this?"
Nobody answered immediately.
That silence told her everything.
Slowly, she looked up.
"No."
Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
"No."
Her mother folded her hands.
"The Lockwoods agreed to settle our debts."
Celeste felt her pulse pounding in her ears.
"The Lockwoods?"
"Yes."
Her eyes returned to the figures.
Millions.
Enough money to erase every problem her family had ever complained about.
Enough money to buy a new life.
Enough money to buy her.
The realization struck so hard that she felt physically sick.
"You sold me."
Her father immediately shook his head.
"It isn't like that."
"It is exactly like that."
Her voice broke.
Nobody denied it.
Nobody could.
The document sat between them like proof of a crime.
Celeste stared at her parents, searching desperately for guilt.
For shame.
For regret.
Instead, she found relief.
Relief.
As though the burden that had been crushing them for months had finally been lifted.
She suddenly understood something she had spent years refusing to see.
The debt had scared them.
Losing their home had scared them.
Losing their social status had scared them.
But losing her?
That never scared them at all.
Tears burned behind her eyes.
She refused to let them fall.
"How long have you known?"
Her mother looked away first.
"A few weeks."
A few weeks.
For weeks they had smiled at her.
Eaten meals with her.
Pretended everything was normal.
All while negotiating her future behind closed doors.
Celeste felt something inside her crack.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just quietly.
Like a thread finally snapping after being stretched too far.
"Did you ever think about asking me?"
Her father opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
She laughed softly.
A broken sound.
"That's what I thought."
Her mother reached for her hand.
Celeste pulled away immediately.
"Don't."
For the first time, her mother seemed uncomfortable.
"Celeste, we're doing this for the family."
The words ignited something hot inside her.
"For the family?"
She stood so abruptly that the chair scraped against the floor.
"I am your family."
The room fell silent.
Nobody had an answer for that.
Nobody could explain why the daughter they claimed to love had become the sacrifice.
Her chest tightened painfully.
"I gave everything to this family."
Her voice trembled despite her efforts.
"I stayed when things got hard. I worked. I helped. I supported you both."
Her eyes filled despite her determination.
"And when you needed saving, you offered me instead."
Neither parent met her gaze.
That hurt most of all.
The guilt was there.
Just not enough to stop them.
A sharp knock suddenly echoed through the house.
Everyone froze.
The housekeeper entered nervously.
"Mr. and Mrs. Wren..."
She hesitated.
"Someone from the Lockwood family is here."
The room instantly became tense.
Celeste's heart dropped.
Her mother quickly stood.
Her father adjusted his posture.
The transformation was immediate.
Like royalty had arrived.
The housekeeper swallowed.
"He brought the final agreement."
Final agreement.
Celeste stared at her parents.
They weren't shocked.
They were expecting it.
The marriage wasn't being discussed anymore.
It had already been decided.
Outside the window, a sleek black luxury car sat in the driveway.
A silent reminder that powerful people always got what they wanted.
And powerless people like her were expected to obey.
As the front door opened and footsteps echoed through the hallway, Celeste felt a chill crawl down her spine.
For the first time, the reality became impossible to ignore.
Someone had paid for her.
And soon, she would come face to face with the man who bought her.
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