Laughter too. Masculine voices raised in conversation and camaraderie.
The buyers, networking over champagne before the main event.
My hands are shaking.
I clasp them together, press them against my stomach beneath where the dress cinches at my waist.
At the Sanctuary, we were taught to be still.
To not fidget.
To present a calm exterior regardless of what churned inside.
A woman's body is a vessel for God's will,Father Thomas used to say.It must be pure. Clean. Controlled.
I wonder what he'd think if he could see me now.
Dressed in white like a bride, about to be sold to the highest bidder.
Actually, I know exactly what he'd think.
He'd say this was my punishment for running.
For rejecting Elder Jacob.
For choosing sin over salvation.
He'd be wrong, but he'd believe it with his whole heart.
"What if I refuse?" The words slip out before I can stop them.
Margaret doesn't even blink. "Then you go back to Sarah's warehouse. You made an agreement."
"Under duress."
"The law doesn't care about duress when you've signed a contract." She checks her watch—expensive, delicate, probably worth more than everything I've ever owned combined. "You have a choice, Eden. Walk out there with dignity, or be dragged out. Either way, you're going on that stage."
Dignity.
As if there's dignity in any of this.
But she's right about one thing: I'm going on that stage. The only question is whether I do it on my own two feet.
My hands curl into fists at my sides.
The white fabric pulls tight across my shoulders.
For a wild moment, I imagine tearing it off, ripping this dress to shreds, and running screaming through the halls of this mansion until someone with a conscience stops this.
But there are no consciences here.
Just money. Just power. Just men who've learned they can buy anything if they're willing to pay enough.
Including me.
"I'll walk," I say quietly.
"Smart girl." Margaret's smile returns, and I hate her for it. Hate her for being a woman, for being part of this, for leading lambs to slaughter and calling it employment. "Remember what I told you. Eyes down unless instructed otherwise. Hands at your sides. No speaking. No crying. Smile if you can manage it."
