Chapter 2

"That's right!"

"Why would I hurt you? Just follow your Mr. Frank and enjoy life."

"Look at your classmates, working hard to find jobs after graduation, but you won't have to! Mr. Frank will take care of you, how great is that! Others would kill to be in your shoes!"

Brenda slapped her thigh excitedly, unable to hide her grin, as if my pain was invisible to her.

Brittany spoke up smugly from beside her. "You fought so hard to go to college in the city, but now you're still coming back to town to get married. And you caused trouble with Mom, got nothing better to do!"

Frank rubbed his hands together, his gaze on me greasy and unsettling.

"You don't worry," he said, "after we're married, you'll have two kids in three years!"

Then he tried to grab my hand again.

I subtly dodged him, and he grew visibly angry.

"Bitch! You agreed to marry me, what's wrong with a little touch? Just you wait until we're married, I'll teach you a lesson!"

I smiled politely, my eyes cold as I watched them.

Frank called his mom, asking her to come over and check me out.

I just sat there quietly, listening to them haggle.

"My daughter is a college graduate, young and smart! Eighteen thousand is too little! Her kids will be smart, too! It has to be two hundred eighty thousand dollars!"

Brenda stood there, arms crossed, her eyes sharp, engaged in a verbal battle with Frank.

Frank wouldn't back down. "We agreed on eighteen thousand! Why are you trying to haggle now?"

"You're unreliable! You think I won't just call off the wedding?"

"There are other college graduate daughters around here, not just yours!"

Brittany quickly interjected, trying to smooth things over.

"Mr. Frank, please don't!"

"Just tell us, what do you think of my sister? Is she to your liking?"

"If you like her, you have to pay a fair price."

Frank scanned me up and down, his smile sickeningly sticky.

Finally, he relented. "Wait for my mom to get here! She's the one with the money, whatever you can get from her is your problem."

When I went to school, my family didn't support me. Brenda outright kicked me out and disowned me, precisely so I couldn't ask them for a single cent.

Now, it was for money again.

She called me back to ruin the rest of my life.

Just then, the sound of a baby crying came from the house.

Brittany and Brenda were completely unfazed.

I looked at them, puzzled. "Mom, what's going on? Where did a baby come from?"

Brittany, thinking of something, couldn't hide her delight. "It's your nephew, of course! We're just waiting for you to get married. Once I get the money, I can finally live a good life!"

So, Brenda and Brittany were selling me to Frank, using the money to fund Brittany's wedding and raise her baby.

Brenda cut Brittany off and turned to me. "Tomorrow, you'll go to City Hall with Frank to get married."