Chapter 14: Lavender Jade Flute
"But... how?" she muttered to herself, not realizing that Matteo was watching her every movement.
"This lavender jade flute has been passed down for generations before finally making its way here to us tonight," the auctioneer excitedly introduced. "The starting price will be five hundred thousand."
"Five... five hundred thousand..." Amelia repeated weakly, her entire world seemingly tilting on its axis.
She never knew the flute left behind by her mother was worth this much. To think that she had sold it for a measly five hundred dollars back when she was tight on cash. Now, after it had gone one round in the market, the same flute had returned to her a thousandfold.
And there was no way she could afford to buy it back. Not when Caleb had stolen every single cent from her. Her eyes watered, and she hurriedly blinked away the tears that were threatening to fall. This flute was her mother's prized possession― she had told Amelia that it was her gift from her own mother, and she had passed it on to Amelia despite Amelia's lack of musical prowess.
Then again, it wasn't as though Amelia's mother could have held onto it. Death was a cruel mistress.
And Caleb was crueler still, to force her to make such a sacrifice. He knew how much that flute meant to her! Amelia had told him about her bond with her mother, and how much she loved her. How it tore at her to sell away her flute.
Caleb had thanked her, but now she could see that it was nothing more than lip service. He wasn't in any financial trouble at all. If he truly loved her, he would have immediately come clean about his family's situation right there and then gotten the flute back.
Instead, the flute that was once cradled lovingly in Amelia's hands was now on the auction block, so far beyond her reach it might as well be in a whole other galaxy.