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My Mom Threw Away My College Acceptance Letter And Married Me Off To A Middle–Aged Man For $30,000–Just So My Brother Could Buy A House.
The day I received my college acceptance letter, I made my best friend promise not to tell my family. She agreed, smiling sweetly as though she understood. But the moment I turned my back, she ran straight to my mom.
My mom tore up the letter and locked me in the house.
She planned to sell me off–to marry me to a middle–aged bachelor in our rural town for a $30,000 dowry, all to help my brother buy an apartment in the city.
I fought back with everything I had. But when I tried to escape, my mom beat me so badly she broke both of my legs.
Years later, after giving birth to my fifth child, I died in childbirth, bleeding out while no one cared enough to help.
When I opened my eyes again, it was as if time had rewound itself. I was back on the road to pick up my acceptance letter.
My so–called best friend, Karen, was smiling at me. “So, Sophie, did you get in?”
Karen was holding my acceptance letter, grinning as she walked toward me.
Her smile couldn’t hide the glint of malice in her eyes, and I narrowed mine in response.
In my previous life, we’d both taken the college entrance exams.
I had been accepted to a prestigious university out of state, while Karen had only managed to get into a low–tier community college.
We both came from the same rural town, where life was tough and opportunities were rare. My family, dirt poor and deeply traditional, couldn’t afford to send me to college.
To make matters worse, my mom had set her mind on marrying me off for a $30,000 dowry, all to fund my younger brother’s dream of buying a house in the city.
But I had a dream too.
I wanted to leave this town. I wanted to escape the suffocating mountains and build a future for myself.
I begged Karen to keep my acceptance a secret from my family. I poured my heart out to her, sharing all my hopes and plans for the future. She nodded, promising to keep my secret, swearing she supported me.
But the night I was ready to leave, my battered suitcase in hand, Karen showed up–with my mom trailing behind her.
“Mrs. Miller, Sophie got into college, but she’s not really going, right? She wouldn’t abandon you or the family, would she? Isn’t that right, Sophie?”
Her fake concern was infuriating. My suitcase said everything I couldn’t–I was leaving, no matter what.
My mom’s face turned red with rage. She lunged at me, grabbing my hair and yanking me back.
“You’re going to college? Over my dead body!” she screamed.
I begged her, sobbing, trying to explain that I’d make good money after graduation, that I’d help the family then.
“I let you finish high school, didn’t I? And now you think you’re too good for us? College? Are you out of your mind?”
Her grip tightened, the pain of my scalp nearly blinding me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Karen standing there, smirking. She waved my acceptance letter in the air, the one my mom had ripped to
shreds.
451 PM
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I was dragged back home, locked in my room, and left without food or water for two days.
The only thought keeping me going was the dream of escaping.
One dark night, I finally managed to break free.
I was so close–the edge of the village was right there. Just a few more steps, and I’d be free.
Then pain. Blinding, searing pain.
My legs gave out beneath me, and I collapsed.
My mom stood over me, holding a thick wooden stick. She’d broken my legs.
“You little brat. You think you can run? You’re staying right here until you’re married off, you hear me?”
And just like that, I was sold off–for $30,000–to a middle–aged man in the village.
No marriage certificate, no ceremony. Just a transaction.
I was nothing more than a childbearing machine for him, enduring endless abuse for five years.
When I gave birth to my fifth child, I bled out on the bed, the life draining from me as I realized no one would care.
Meanwhile, Karen had stolen my acceptance letter and taken my place at college. She graduated, married a wealthy man in the city, and lived a picture–perfect life.
No one would ever know that I had died, forgotten and alone, in a remote, nameless village.
But now, I have a second chance.
This time, I’ll make sure they all pay. Every single one of them will face justice for what they did to me.
This time, I will take back everything that was stolen from me.
2
I stared at the acceptance letter in Karen’s hand, letting a glimmer of envy show in my eyes. “It’s been days, and my college letter still hasn’t arrived. Guess it’s just not happening for me.”
My words seemed to hit the exact note Karen wanted to hear.
She was the kind of person who couldn’t stand seeing me do better than her. The idea of me not getting into college clearly delighted her.
Karen sighed dramatically and walked over, grabbing my hand in mock sympathy.
“Sophie, you always aim too high. Honestly, you should’ve just applied to a community college like I did. Why waste your time on some out–of–state fancy university?” she said, her voice dripping with fake concern.
“Well, look where it got you,” she continued, shaking her head as if she were truly disappointed. “But what’s done is done. Let’s head home, okay?”
Karen’s words might have sounded caring to someone else, but I could hear the smugness beneath her tone.
In my past life, it had been just like this. She’d flaunted her acceptance letter in front of me, over and over, just to savor the sight of my disappointment.
What she didn’t know then, though, was that my acceptance letter had simply arrived a day later than hers.
When it finally arrived, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I ran straight to Karen’s house, holding the letter tightly in my hands.
“Karen! I got in!” I shouted, beaming with joy.
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4:52 PM
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“What?!” Karen snatched the letter out of my hands, flipping it over and over as if she couldn’t believe it was real.
At the time, I thought she was just happy for me. I didn’t notice the way her hands clenched around the paper, or the fleeting look of malice in her eyes.
Looking back, that moment was probably when she started plotting against me.
How could she accept that someone she considered beneath her had gotten into a prestigious university?
In her mind, it should’ve been her. Always her.
But Karen had forgotten one thing: in high school, I’d been at the top of our class every single year.
3
The next day, I went alone to pick up my acceptance letter.
When I finally had it in my hands, the weight of it made everything feel real.
This time, I told no one. I went straight home and hid the letter in the dusty beams of the attic.
“What are you doing up there?”
The lazy, drawling voice from behind me made my heart skip a beat.
It was my younger brother, Jason.
I turned around slowly, trying to gauge how much he might have seen.
“Oh, I was just putting some rat poison up here,” I said casually. “We’ve had mice scurrying around at night, and they’ve been freaking me out.”
