Page 209 of Poison Aches

He’s torturing me.

He’s digging into my wounds with an ice pick with the intention of watching me bleed to death.

And he’s not going to stop until he gets what he wants.

As the realization flashes in my head, Emmett does the most unlikely thing.

He lifts up my hand and then licks my bleeding forefinger with his firm tongue right there…in front of everyone.

Silence falls around the table.

From the corner of my eye, I see Vaughn’s jaw clenching and unclenching.

Across from me, Melissa’s gaze is heated and angry. So is her mother’s.

Only George is amused as he glances at me and winks.

I decide to look away and focus on the auction and when I notice the items being bid on, my heart jumps.

On the large screen are some really, incredibly expensive jewelry pieces.

Diamond necklaces, bracelets, amulets, earrings, and rings.

“Ladies, now this is your time to see if your man really adores you because here we have these timeless, exclusive, and never-before-seen diamond pieces from a private collection,” the auctioneer starts like one of the auctioneers at Christie’s.

Of all the gleaming pieces on display, I spot one that’s at the very back, as if separated from the rest.

I’ve never seen such a diamond ring before.

And yet it looks far removed, lonely, and unwanted.

Like me.

“The story behind this set of jewelry is very touching,” the auctioneer goes on. “The private owner inherited the pieces from his uncle who was in love with a woman for fifty-eight years. Each year on the woman’s birthday, he’d have pieces made from the time he met her until the day he died, even after the woman had passed away, It turns out that the woman was ill for a long time and died just six months after meeting the man, but he never stopped loving her, nor did he ever stop making pieces for her with the best diamonds that have never been seen in recent centuries.”

My heart clenches in my chest.

He was in love with a woman for fifty-eight years…and never had the opportunity to be loved back.

A wave of intense sadness washes over me, but I don’t look away from the jewelry.

“The starting bid for the set is a million dollars.”

“Don’t even bother, Ivy,” Melissa says with a smirk. “We know you can’t afford that.”

I don’t even bother looking at her.

The bid goes all the way to five million and it seems an older couple is winning until Vaughn raises his paddle and bids.

“Ten million,” he says, and the whole room gasps.

“Ten million, do I hear ten point five?”

The older couple look at each other with uncertainty and then they shake their hands, giving up.

“No counteroffer?” The auctioneer looks around. “Ten million going once…”

“Giving up so soon?” Vaughn says under his breath, obviously for me to hear.

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