All Chapters of Sold by My Mother: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

"Mom?"No answer came from the living room.The treacherous top-rated comment flashed through my mind again."Wait until she's asleep. Take her phone. Reset the password. Change all her applications to in-state schools."Barefoot, I stood frozen in my bedroom doorway, my palms slick with sweat. Then I looked up.A faint blue glow spilled from the end of the hallway.The unmistakable light of a computer monitor.Tap.Tap.Tap.The keyboard clicked steadily, each keystroke sounding like another nail being hammered into a coffin.When I leaned around the corner, the blood drained from my face.My mother, Whitney Richmond, sat hunched over the computer desk. The cold blue light from the screen cast shifting shadows across her face.She clutched my phone in one hand while the other flew across the keyboard.On the screen was the State University Application Portal. My name, my exam registration number, and my Social Security number—every bit of my personal information was ther

Early the next morning, Uncle Derek showed up at our front door carrying two oversized duffel bags. Behind him were Aunt Brenda and my cousin, Tyler.Between the three of them, they'd brought six bags, filling the entire entryway.Mom made me sleep on a mattress in the living room so Uncle Derek's family could take the guest bedroom."What's wrong with a kid sleeping in the living room? They came all this way. Can't you be a little considerate?"I didn't argue. I simply gathered my bedding and carried it out.The first thing Aunt Brenda did after settling in was announce that she was "helping me organize my room." She started pulling stacks of books off my shelves and stuffing them into garbage bags—review guides, notebooks, practice tests, everything."These old things are just taking up space. You're not going to college anymore, so what's the point of keeping them?"I stepped forward to stop her. "Aunt Brenda, those are my things."She looked at me sideways. "Your mom alread

The largest ballroom on the third floor of the Grand Oak was already packed by the time I pushed open the doors.Seven or eight tables were filled with Mom's relatives. Five or six more belonged to Martin's side of the family.At the center of the room, the head table was decorated with an elaborate engagement centerpiece.Upbeat celebration music blared through the speakers.Dressed entirely in black, I stepped inside.The room fell silent. It was as if someone had pulled the plug on every conversation at once.The moment Mom saw me, her face darkened. She jumped up from the head table, shoved through the crowd, and raised her hand to slap me."You actually showed up wearing black? On a day like this?"I caught her wrist before it could reach my face. "An engagement party? Funny. I thought this was where everyone came to split the profits."The color drained from Mom's face before anger flushed it bright red. "What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"Martin strolled ove

As the officers wrestled Martin to the floor, the thick gold chain around his neck snapped, sending beads scattering across the ballroom.The handcuffs clicked into place.Pinned to the floor, veins bulging in his neck, Martin twisted toward Mom and roared, "She's the one who took my $50,000! She practically handed her own daughter to us! Arrest her! She's the one behind all of this!"Mom stumbled backward in terror. "That's a lie! You came to me first!""I came to you?" Martin barked. "You were the one begging for help on that forum!"The two of them tore into each other like rabid dogs, screaming accusations in front of every relative in the room.By now, Uncle Derek had completely fallen apart. He spun around and slapped Mom hard across the face."This was all your stupid idea!"Then he immediately turned to the officers, bowing and nodding frantically. "Officers, I'll testify! She really did take the money! $50,000! It's hidden in a cookie jar under the bed at her house!"

Three days after Mom was formally charged, Martin's wife, Margaret, came back. She showed up with seven or eight relatives and forced their way into Mom's rental apartment.Anything they could carry, they took.The television, the refrigerator, the washing machine… They even removed the curtain rods.The police had already seized the cookie jar that had once held the cash as evidence. When Margaret couldn't find the money, she flew into a rage and threw all of Mom's clothes out the apartment window.The neighbors watched the spectacle all day.Aunt Brenda was the quickest to spread the news. She went back to her hometown and told everyone who would listen.From selling her own daughter to taking bribes... from faking heart disease to chasing after older men...Every story grew more outrageous each time she told it.Within a week, Mom's reputation back home was completely ruined. Relatives who used to call during the holidays now cursed her name whenever it came up.Uncle Derek