Sold to a Monster The Bride Who Fought BackChapter 1
My mother spent half her life competing with my Aunt Grace Abbott, and nothing gave her more pleasure than doing the exact opposite of whatever Grace did.
Aunt Grace raised my cousin Stella with every luxury money could buy—never once hesitating to spend.
My mother, Vivian Pruitt, insisted on raising me in deprivation.
She forced me to scavenge through trash to feed myself. One steamed bun a day—that was my allowance.
"Coddling only breeds weakness. Hunger and hardship forge willpower. Someday you'll surpass your cousin by miles."
After graduation, Aunt Grace couldn't resist showing off that Stella had landed a boyfriend from a wealthy family.
That very same day, my mother tore my job offer to shreds—an offer from one of the top companies in the country.
Then she sold me off in marriage to the bald, four-times-married man next door. The bride price? One dollar.
"I always knew your aunt was selling her daughter for status. Mark my words, your cousin's headed for disaster. I'm not asking you to marry rich. I just want you with a man who'll treat you right. And you will give him three sons before your cousin's wedding—just to put her in her place."
I stood frozen.
A wave of helplessness rose from somewhere deep inside me, so heavy it crushed the air from my lungs.
This time, I didn't fight back. I accepted it with a calm I didn't feel.
——
I'd thought landing that offer would finally make her happy. Finally get her to stop.
But in the end, I realized the truth.
This war she waged against Aunt Grace—it would never end. Not in this lifetime.
A reckless idea sparked in my mind. I had to take the gamble.
When my mother saw me nod, her face split into a grin.
"I knew you'd agree! Do you have any idea how long I searched to find you such a good man?"
"Think about it—the moment you marry him, you get three sons for free! Pop out three more, and who could possibly compete with you?"
"Sure, Joel Lambert's a little older, but older men have their advantages. He'll know how to take care of you..."
There are moments when you're so far beyond words that all you can do is laugh.
The man next door—old enough for me to call Dad.
All four of his previous wives had died of cancer, leaving behind three half-grown boys. Every woman in the neighborhood crossed the street to avoid him. But my mother couldn't wait to shove me into that fire.