PROLOGUE
This was never how I had imagined my life to turn out. I always thought myself safe and protected because I had a mother, only to realise today that I was just occupying space in her life until one day she could dispose of me as she wished. My teary gaze shifted to the bruises on my arms and legs, and more tears flowed down my face.
Her scoff pulled me out of my reverie as I caught her reflection over the mirror. She didn’t even look me in the eyes as she started to roughly comb through my hair and doll me up, all this time hitting me for shedding more tears, because it was ruining my makeup.
I never used makeup and she knew it, but here she was, caking my face with all these powders, which was funny because she was the one who forbade me from using makeup, claiming that I was too young to use such things.
She took out some clothes from the plastic bag she’d brought with her when she came into my room. “Put this on, and hurry up, he doesn’t like waiting,” She said gruffly and stepped out of the room.
I stood up, barely able to stand on my feet. I walked over to the bed and changed into the new clothes that barely covered anything and were too tight around my body. She’d bought me a short pink skirt, a pink crop top, and six-inch heels I couldn’t even walk in.I looked like a real-life Barbie doll.
A few minutes later, she came into my room and dragged me downstairs, ignoring my pleas for her to release my arm because she was hurting me.
She pushed me into the sitting room and I was sure I was going to fall until a set of strong arms caught me. I looked up, ready to apologize and thank the person, but the moment my eyes met his dark eyes, I found myself trying to break free, but he tightened his grip around me, pulling me against him.
I cried for my mother, but she just shushed me and turned to him with a tight smile, and the words she said next turned my life upside down. “She is your property now.”
My eyes widened and I shouted, “NO, MOM! PLEASE DON’T DO THIS TO ME, MOM-” My cries were cut short when he pushed me back and backhanded me, causing me to fall to the ground, and my mother just stood there, her face emotionless.
I couldn’t believe that this was happening to me.
Everything was fine, everything was perfect.
I was just a normal fifteen-year-old girl going to school like kids her age. I had friends, I had love – I had choices.
She was supposed to protect me. She was supposed to be here for me throughout it all. She should have never left me with him. She was my mother; she was supposed to protect me from the dangers of this world. She was supposed to put me first above it all.
Until today I didn’t know that I was worth a few millions. Until today, I had no idea that I was only occupying space in her house and not her heart.
She had chosen money over me and sold me to my rapist.
I was now stripped of my freedom; I no longer had a choice. I was a property – HIS property.
