Chapter 1

“You sold me? Like I’m a toy at a store?” she yelled, her voice wobbly but fierce.

Lila’s eyes were ablaze with fire; her hands were quivering as she stared with intense anger at her stepmother, ignoring the man who sat quietly with his arms crossed watching their altercation.

Carla, her stepmother, laughed coldly, crossing her arms. “He paid fifty thousand dollars, Lila. A big pile of money! You belong to him now, plain and simple.”

“I’m not marrying anybody!” Lila screamed, her heart banging so hard she could hear it.

“Oh, shush, you’ll marry him.” Carla replied sharply, her voice like the edge of a knife.

“He gave us the money already, and you’re getting hitched after college. I found you a guy who wants you, and that’s final.” She grabbed a lock of Lila’s hair, pinched it and waved it in Lila’s face.

Lila’s anger exploded. “I’ve got a boyfriend, Carla! His name is Ethan! You can’t just sell me! Why not make Tessa marry this gross old guy?”

“It seems like you cannot control your stepdaughter, Carla. Are you reneging on the contract you signed?” the man who sat with arms crisscrossed spoke, his face giving a disapproving look to Carla.

Carla’s face paled and her hand flew fast, smacking Lila’s cheek with a loud slap. “You spoiled little thing!” Carla hissed, her eyes mean and narrow.

“That money’s gone, spent! You’ll marry him, or I’ll sell your father!”

Her face stung, but she stood tall, shaking with anger. “You’re not selling the house, and I’m not marrying him! I am going to pay that money back by myself!”

Tessa, Carla’s daughter, giggled from the corner. “You’re lucky anybody wants you, Lila. You’re not even special.”

“This is not a place for you, kid.” The man stood up straight from the couch, his huge body expanding to dwarf the small living room.

“And who are you? The fucking person I’m supposed to marry?” Lila watched in hidden fear as the man eyed her with pure displeasure mixed with unveiled lust.

Lila did not know how a person could show conflicting emotions on his face, but she was not about to ask that. Everything about this man rubbed her the wrong way. He looked like the type of person your mum warned you to stay away from, like the type who began shoplifting as soon as he could walk.

Now, Lila was not one to judge someone, but when a person was buying her for marriage, she was sure she could judge whatever the hell she wanted!

“I should warn you,” she said, holding her phone in her hand, her phone dialing app opened with 911 in the dial button.

“I’m going to call the police.” Lila spoke with a confidence she didn’t feel at all.

“Be my guest.” The man scoffed, walking towards Lila looking down at her.

Lila scowled, moving backwards only to bump into Carla who pushed her into a wall immediately.

Sporting a fresh bruise on her forehead from her contact with the wall, Lila faced Carla, “What was that for?!”

“I don’t know. Maybe for you to realize that Cinderella’s stepmother was the one who led her to the ball where she met her prince.”

“It was the fairy godmother!” Lila gritted her teeth.

“Seems like the wall didn’t wake up your sleeping brain. How about I ram something else into your head?” Carla said, looking around for a weapon of great choice.

“Shut up!” The man spoke, raising his voice.

“You,” he pointed at Lila, “Mr. Watkins will be pleased to know that his wife-to-be’s got some spunk.”

“And you!” he pointed at Carla. “Hold on to your end of the bargain if you want to live.” He spoke and walked out.

Lila stared at the door the man exited from, her blood raging in her ears. Her mind blanked for a moment and her eyes stared into space blankly.

She turned to face Carla, her body shaking with anger, “What did he mean by Mr. Watkins?’’

Mr. Watkins.

A renowned gang leader that terrorized several states. Each time he would finish a huge deal, he’d come to Lila’s town for ‘vacation’ as he’d put it.

The police could not find him nor convict him of a crime they couldn’t trace to him, and when some young boys tried to play heroes by reporting him, he killed them and shell-shocked everyone in the town. So, they’d always safely keep quiet knowing he’d be spending only a little time with them before another deal came and he leaves.

That Mr. Watkins?

“Good you know there’s no getting out of it now. You’re lucky it’s after you are done with college. You’re welcome.” Carla hissed at Lila, smiling at Tessa who had come into the living room after making sure the man from earlier was gone.

Lila didn’t pause to grab her coat or her bag—she simply ran, slamming the door behind her, straight into the cold, wet rain.

It was raining steadily, and her tears fell so profusely that she could not distinguish between the raindrops and her tears. Her screams of agony would not be heard. It was a state of weeping saddled with a desire to stop everything.

But one name kept ringing in her mind, “Ethan”.

Ethan was her safe place. His kind eyes and warm hugs made the bad stuff fade away.

He was the one she wanted to marry after college, not some creepy, scary old man. Ethan’s family had lots of money. Maybe they could help her fix this mess if she begged enough.

Every step away from Ethan’s dorm was filled with the gushing sound of water, while rain continued to pour.

The rain decreased, causing her to feel more frozen and drenched, however she did not care. No sane person would be out in the rain now but going home had never been safe, and the home hadn’t also been home for years.

Not since her mom died when she was little. Her dad used to be fun, but now he drank all day, lost in his own world.

Then he married Carla, who brought Tessa along. At first, Carla seemed nice, and Lila thought maybe things would get better. But soon, Carla turned mean, and Tessa copied her. Lila’s dad just drank more, and Lila felt like a stranger in her own house.

Carla made Lila do all the chores and forced her to get a job when she turned sixteen so she could take her money to pay the bills while she did nothing. Sometimes Carla yelled or hit her, and Tessa just laughed.

The house used to be full of love, with Lila’s mom singing and baking cookies. Now it was dark and sad, filled with Carla’s angry voice and Lila’s quiet hurt.

Just get in, get your stuff, get out, Lila had told herself earlier that day, sneaking to the back door, hoping it wasn’t locked.

But inside, Carla was screaming again. “You useless man! Just disappear! You’re no good to me!” Her words shook the walls, mean and loud.

Lila’s heart hurt. This house wasn’t hers anymore, just a place full of bad memories. She tiptoed past the loud TV, trying to be quiet, but then Tessa grabbed her from behind.

“Lila! Sneaking like a mouse!” Tessa squealed, her arms squeezing tight. “Mom! Lila’s hiding from us!”

Carla walked into the living room, her face masked with anger. “What exactly do you want here, your dirt?” she yelled with all her power.

“I just need my clothes,” Lila said, her voice small but tired.

“You and your drunk dad do nothing but take!” Carla shouted. “I’ve paid for everything for years, and you just make my life harder!”

“I work two jobs, go to school, pay you five hundred dollars every month, and clean this house!” Lila said, her voice getting louder. “What else do you want?”

“Money doesn’t stretch anymore!” Carla screamed. “Your dad’s debts are killing us!”

Lila was so tired of fighting. She was wet, cold, and done. “I’m not doing this. I’m getting my stuff and—”

“Fine, you can come meet your guest—”

The rain came back, hard and fast. Lila ran through it, water splashing everywhere, until she reached Ethan’s dorm. She knocked, her heart begging for him to be there. Please, Ethan, I need you.

The door opened, but it wasn’t Ethan. His roommate stood there, looking worried, “Lila, you’re all wet. Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she said, trying to sound confident but her voice betrayed her. “Is Ethan here? I really need him.”

The roommate looked down, rubbing his neck. “Um, he’s not here. He left a little bit ago. Said he had… stuff to do.”