SOLD FOR FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS

chapter. 2 Police sirens ripped through the rain like knives through silk.The cold air of New York in October burned my lungs. NYPD surrounded us at the steps of st. Patrick's cathedral. Red and blue lights painted Daniel's face. Painted the wooden cart of oranges behind him. Painted my torn dress.But Daniel didn't let go of my hand. his palm was calloused. Rough. Real. The only real thing in this nightmare.Daniel Carter A woman's voice cut through the chaos. High heels clicked against wet pavement like gunshots. step away from the girl.This was her. The fiancee. Jessica.She stepped into the light and my breath stopped. She was beautiful in the wey expensive things are beautiful. cold perfect. Untouchable. Blonde hair that had never been rained on. A red dress that probably cost more than my uncle made in a year. Diamond earrings that could feed my village for a month.Her eyes found mine. And in them, I saw it disgust. The same look chief Richard gave me when he said I was worthless. The same look the 60 years old man gave me when he counted out five thousand dollars. To her, I was trash. Something dirty that touched her property.Officer, arrest him she screamed. Her voice was Sharp enough to shatter glass. he's a runaway he's mentally unstable he stole ten million dollars from my father, Richard hale he's dangerous! Ten. Million. Dollars. The number crashed into my skull. I stumbled back. Rain soaked my hair, my face, my soul.I looked at Daniel. Really looked at him. At the cheap shirt clinging to his chest. At the scars on his hands scars from lifting crates, not signing checks. At the wooden cart. At the oranges.None of his made sense.She's lying Daniel whispered. He stepped closer to me, shielding me from the cops with his body. His voice was so quiet only I could hear. So desperate it broke my heart Grace please. You have to trust me.GET DOWN ON THE GROUND NOW!" An officer pointed a gun directly at Daniel's chest. His finger was on the trigger.My heart didn't just explode. It shattered. Into a million pieces.This man... This poor fruit vendor who owned nothing but a cart and kindness...he just offered to marry me. To save me from chief Richard. To save me from a 60 years old man with yellow teeth who paid $5,000 to own my body. To own my future. To own my womb.Daniel was willing to destroy his life to save mine.And now he was going to die for it. Here. In the rain. In front of St. Patrick's cathedral. because of me.Something inside me snapped. The fear broke. The pain broke. The girl who always obeyed, always said yes, always lowered her eyes...she died.I did the only thing I could.I stepped in front of Daniel. Between his chest and the gun. My arms spread wide like a cross.No! I screamed at the cop. My voice was raw . Torn. Not my voice anymore. He didn't steal he saved me my uncle sold me for five thousand dollars! To a man old enough to be My grandfather Daniel tried to stop it!" The cop hesitate. The gun lowered one inch.Jessica laughed. A sharp, broken sound that didn't belong in the rain. saved you? Oh sweetie. She took a step closer.her perfume was expensive. Choking. Do you even know who you re protecting? He is Daniel Carter the third his family owns half of Manhattan! The Carter Building? That his. The Carter hotels his he's worth 2.3 Billions dollars.Billionaire.The word didn't make sense. Like trying to read in the dark. He faked being poor because he's INSANE Jessica continued. Spit flew from her perfect red lips he ran away from his wedding six months ago from me he had a mental breakdown and disappeared my father and I have been looking for him he needs help! he needs to be locked up!"The world tilted. The cathedral spun. The sirens became a scream inside my head. Billionaire? Daniel the man who sold oranges for two dollars the man who had dirt under his fingernails the man who slept... Where did he sleep? Did he even have a home I turned slowly. Very slowly. Like I was underwater. Like if I moved too fast, I would break. I looked at him. Rain dropped from his dark hair. Down his jaw. Into the cheap collar of his shirt. He wasn't looking at Jessica. He wasn't looking at the cops.He was looking at me. Only me And his eyes... God, his eyes weren't scared of the gun's. We'rent scared of what I would think. Is it true I whispered. My whole body was shaking so hard I thought my bones would snap Daniel are you rich silence. The longest silence of my life. Only the rain. Only the sirens. Only my heart beating like a war drum. He didn't answer. He didn't nod. He didn't shake his head.He just looked at me. And in his silence, I heard everything I needed to know.Chief Richard sold me for $5,000. He said I was worth nothing. they my only value was between my legs. This man.. this billionaire.. offered to marry me for free. Offered to give me his name when he everything to lose. Offered to protect me when no one else would. Which one was the real monster? The man who sold me? Or the man who lied to save me? Grace, Daniel said finally. His voice was war. Scraped. Like he had been screaming for hours. I can explain everything. I swear on my life. On my mother's grave. But right now... Right now, you have to run.Run the word came out as a broken choke. From what? Handcuffs clicked. Metal on skin. A cop yanked Daniel's arms behind shi back. Hard. Too hard Daniel grunted but he didn't teke his eyes off me. Yas run he shouted as they dragged him backwards. Away from me find father Michael inside the church he's the only one. He will help you. Don't trust anyone else especially her! He jerked his chin toward Jessica. Jessica was already walking towards me. slow . Confident. Like a cat approaching a wounded bird. Her red smile was a knife. Sharp. Beautiful. Deadly.Come here, darling, she said softly. Too softly. The kind of soft that comes before the slap. Let me help you. You've been through so much trauma. Let me take you home to your uncle. Chief Richard is very, very worried about you he's been crying.Home. To chief Richard. To the man who sold me. To the 60 years old man who was probably waiting in a hotel room right now. With his money. And his hands. My stomach turned. I thought I would vomit right there on the cathedral step.My legs started to move. But not towards her. Not towards home. Not towards hell.I ran I turned and ran straight into St. Patrick's cathedral. The massive wooden doors were heavy. Ancient. I pushed them with all my strength. With all my fear. With all my hope.I ran into the dark. Into the smell of incense and old wood. Into the arms of a god I wasn't sure still listened to me. Into the arms of a priest I didn't know.Because the poor fruit vendor was a billionaire. Because the billionaire was now In handcuffs.Because I just realized... Despite the lie despite everything... I believe him The last thing I heard before the church door slammed shut behind me was Jessica screaming. Not the perfect, controlled voice from before. This was raw animal. furious.She's mine that girl is worth five thousand dollars to me bring her back