Fifty Dollars For My Runaway Wife: Master, Not Husband

“‘Veteran actress Serena Laurel marries full-time businessman and billionaire Ezekiel De Silva!’” I stared at the old newspaper headline and the photo of Ezekiel and me from our wedding day, unable to stop the tears from falling. Three years had passed since I left him after witnessing his betrayal. In almost three years of marriage, all I ever felt was pain and resentment toward him—simply because I had fallen in love with him. But the life I had with him was far better than the one I ended up living with Brantley. Especially now that Brantley had heartlessly sold me on the black market to be used by wealthy men from different countries. “Damn it! I’ve retouched your makeup so many times already! Why are you still crying, you witch?! Do you really want no one to buy you?!” “I-I’m sorry!” I quickly wiped my tears after Madam Ging’s terrifying scolding. I tossed the newspaper aside and sat up straight. She stood in front of me with her hands on her hips. “I’m telling you, you won’t like it if no one buys you as a whole, Jia. Once the auction starts and no foreigner shows interest in your looks—the human trafficker will slaughter you and sell your organs one by one!” Her words made me shiver. I forced myself to wipe the remaining tears from my eyes and searched for the small, cracked mirror to fix my makeup. I couldn’t die! I’d rather be bought by someone and then find a way to escape later! “Let me do it! You’re only ruining how pretty you look, Xiao Jia!” Angry and rough as she was, she started fixing me up again. They knew me here in China as Jia. For three years, Brantley and I had secretly lived here under different identities. But things didn’t end well, and I fell into a place like this. I’d been surrounded by pitiful people trapped in slavery and by human traffickers. Those who weren’t attractive enough or didn’t have a good figure were immediately taken somewhere else to be treated like animals. Meanwhile, people like me—those they thought could be sold as female slaves—were being dressed up to be put on stage later. “If it were up to me, they should’ve just put you in prostitution,” she sneered, making me tremble. “But because of that face of yours, they’ll definitely earn more money just from the bidding! You look like an actress!” I swallowed hard, again and again. I’d much rather be sold to one person than passed around among different men as a prostitute. I knew escaping would be nearly impossible once I ended up in a place like that. But there was still a chance I could escape before whoever bought me took me away for good. I was also relieved that none of them recognized me as the famous actress Serena Laurel. Even though Madam Ging knew we were from the same country, she didn’t care—she was probably used to seeing people like me. She had no mercy! “Alright! The show’s about to start. Come with me.” *** “Next to be auctioned is—the bride!” the host announced excitedly. “The bidding starts at fifty thousand dollars!” The curtain blocking my view was suddenly pulled up, making my heart pound with fear and anxiety. Blinding lights hit me, and I couldn’t help but squeeze my eyes shut. Even though my legs felt weak, I forced myself to stand straight in the center of the stage. I needed to be sold no matter what! My hands trembled as I held the small bridal bouquet. The white gown I wore sparkled beautifully, making me look like a real bride. That was the “theme” they chose for me so they could sell me for a higher price. “Nonsense! She’s worth one hundred thousand dollars! Just look at how gorgeous she is!” an old man’s voice echoed around the room. Once my eyes finally adjusted to the lights, I saw the people looking up at me. Almost everyone there was a man, while the women were busy flirting with their own companions. One of them was the old man who stared at me like a hungry dog. It’s funny how he regarded me not as a lowly person but as an object of immense value. “One hundred thousand dollars; surely there’s someone who wishes to go higher than that!” “Two hundred thousand dollars.” “Three hundred thou—” “Five hundred thousand dollars!” Different voices of men, different accents, all from different nationalities, all gathered tonight in the black market to blatantly showcase their money. Slowly, my emotions faded. What did I ever do to deserve this? My whole life, all I did was follow my mother’s orders—she wanted me to be an actress, exposed to cameras at a young age, unable to finish school, and married early just for money. I obeyed all of it! I only defied her once so I could give my heart a rest, and this is what I ended up with. It was almost laughable, as if the world had a grudge against me for making me suffer through all of this. Even so, I refused to let myself be completely destroyed! I had to get out of this place and escape! “One million dollars!” A man in a blue suit yelled. My gaze landed on him because of the amount of money he bid. He had a playful smirk on his lips. His eyes flickered as he looked at me with intense desire. He ran his fingers over his small mustache while comfortably leaning back in a black, soft chair, surrounded by women. He looked attractive with his fair olive skin and thick black hair. But then again, a person who goes to the black market to buy people is equivalent to the devil. I’d already heard many stories about people sold to different “masters.” Some became s*x slaves, forced to do filthy things, or mercilessly tortured and killed. None of the stories I heard before ever had a happy ending. But I wouldn’t let that happen to me either. “One million dollars! Going once? Going twice?” The host became more excited as he was about to hit the hammer against the flat wood. I quietly closed my eyes, already thinking that man would become my “master” from now on. I swallowed and waited for them to finally close the bid. “Ten f*****g million dollars.” I trembled at that bone-chilling, deep voice. The room grew cold, and a deafening silence fell over everyone. It was as if an angel of death had passed through before the noise started again. My eyes widened. My heart, which had been quiet earlier, now thundered so fast it felt like it was being plowed. My hands and feet turned cold. I almost lost my balance in my high heels as the flowers in my hands shook. A familiar voice… His familiar voice… It couldn’t be… I squeezed my eyes shut tightly out of intense fear. In the three years we were together… that voice wasn’t something I could easily forget. But it couldn’t be! He couldn’t… be here. “Fifteen million!” I heard the man in the blue suit’s voice again. For some reason, I was rooting for him! Please, close the bid! The men inside grew even louder, laughing in amazement, letting the two voices dominate the bidding. It felt like everything became more chaotic the moment that voice spoke. Even though every breath I took was shaky, I steeled myself and slowly opened my eyes to look for that man. My attention locked onto the man standing at the very back center of the place. His position was even higher than the stage I was on. There had been a single empty chair there earlier that I knew no one occupied. But now he was sitting in it, as if he were above everyone else present. “F-Fifteen million it is—” The host, who was immersed in the amount of money, was cut off when that man suddenly stood up. “Fifty f*****g million.” He said it firmly and slowly descended the short stairs. My breathing grew heavier and heavier as I watched the light hit him, revealing his face. All eyes were on him now, but just like how I remembered him, he didn’t seem to care about any of them—as if the only person he could see was me. I blinked several times as tears welled up in my eyes. My knees had never felt weaker; I knew they would give out at any moment. I dropped the flowers I was holding and took three steps back. The cold, violent way he used to stare at me three years ago… I was seeing it again now. The man I ran away from back then because of the pain he caused me… was now standing right in front of me. “Close the bidding.” His voice sounded so authoritative, and his sharp gaze never left my face. “No one wants her more than me.” “Y-Yes, yes!” The host finally hit the hammer against the flat wood in full admiration. Loud applause immediately filled the place. I was completely deafened and could see nothing else but the husband I had left behind. “E-Ezekiel…” I weakly whispered his name. There's no denying that his appearance is outstanding. But because he has that look on his face, he screams danger, which makes people want to run away from him as fast as they can. He walked so much closer to me that I had to take a few steps back to escape, but his big hand caught my wrist forcefully! I was panting from the mix of emotions while people with wide eyes looked up at him. But there wasn’t a trace of any emotion in his eyes. The corner of his lips slowly lifted as he stared at me with a terrifying kind of fascination. “A slave like you shouldn't call my name. Now, address me properly.” “W-What?” My husband, the man I escaped from three years ago when I caught him in bed with someone else… Why does he want me back just to experience the same thing I experienced with our marriage, or even worse?