The Mermaid He Sold Away

I was Lot 734. A living, breathing mermaid, displayed in a massive tank, waiting to be sold to the highest bidder.

In the front row, watching it all, was Dr. Aris Thorne, the man who had promised me forever on a hidden beach, the man I had loved with my whole being.

His colleagues had surrounded my secret cove with nets the day after he discovered my tail; he stood by, silently allowing my capture.

He called me a "scientific anomaly," a "new species," transforming me from his beloved Lyra into a specimen for his research facility, where I was poked, prodded, and drained.