Chapter 1

It was only twelve days after I gave birth to Ben Ford. My incision still throbbed with a tearing pain.

My mother-in-law, Selena, pushed open my bedroom door with a bowl of warm chicken broth.

Before I could feel grateful, she slammed the bowl down on my nightstand.

The ceramic clattered loudly against the marble counter, spilling a third of the broth.

"Eat it," she snapped, like she was feeding a stray dog.

I looked down at the bowl. The broth was cloudy and thin, with a nasty oily foam floating on top.

This was the third meal she'd made me in twelve days, roughly one every four days.

The rest of the time, I ordered takeout for myself.

"Thanks," I said, taking the bowl anyway.

She stayed put, looming over me at the bedside with a look I knew all too well.

It was not the look of a mother-in-law, but the gaze of someone eyeing a helpless victim.

"Hannah," she called, her voice low and strained, each word gritted out between her teeth. "Have you thought about that house of yours yet?"

My hand froze.

The house again.

She'd brought it up four times already.

The first time was on the third day after I gave birth to Ben. She casually said, "It's a waste for you to live in such a big house alone."

The second time was on the fifth day. She said, "Charles's younger brother, David, is getting married and has no place to live. Can you lend him your place for a while?"

The third time was on the eighth day. She said, "Why bother with lending? We're family. Sign it over to him."

Today was the fourth time.

"I've told you before, that house was left to me by my dad," I said.

"Your dad's been dead for years," Selena shouted, her face twisting with anger. "Now you're part of our family, and so are your things.

"What, you think after you married into our family, you can still draw a line between us?"

I gripped the bowl tighter. "I married Charles, not the Ford family. That house is my premarital property. It has nothing to do with you guys."

Selena's face turned dark.

It wasn't anger; it was as if a mask had shattered.

Her eyes showed no disappointment or sadness, only pure, raw greed and malice.

"Hannah Green," she said, for the first time using my full name. "Don't push your luck.

"You're a woman who's had a child. Who would want you if you got divorced? Your parents are gone; you're nothing but an orphan.

"We Fords took you in. You should be thanking your lucky stars, not talking about premarital property."

The words "orphan" stabbed me like a knife.

My dad passed away last year, while my mom died when I was three.

Besides Ben, I had no blood relatives left in this world.

Now, Selena used this to get me.

She stepped closer, her finger nearly poking my face. "I'm telling you, you'll sign that house over to David, whether you want to or not.

"You're barely a Ford. Quit claiming property in front of us. Charles married you, and you should be grateful. Those things of yours were meant to be ours."

I held Ben close, my hands shaking, not from fear, but from rage.

A burning, bone-deep anger threatened to consume me. But I didn't snap.

My dad had told me, "Never make decisions when you're furious. Bide your time, let them show you all their cards, and then strike. Once, and for good."

"Selena," I said, my voice calmer than I thought. "Let's talk about this when Charles gets home."

"Wait for what?" she barked, slamming her hand down on the nightstand so hard the bowl flipped over, sweet soup flooding the table.

"Charles is my son. He listens to me. If you don't sign that paper today, don't think about staying under this roof."

She pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and tossed it at my feet—a Deed Without Consideration.

"Sign it," she ordered.

I stared at the paper, then lifted my eyes to meet hers. "No way."

Selena froze, her face contorting with rage. "Say that again."

"No way."

She lunged toward me. I thought she was going to hit me and instinctively pulled Ben closer to shield him.

But she did something even worse.

She reached down and pinched Ben's arm hard.

Ben let out a loud wail of pain.

"Look at what you did!" Selena screeched, pointing at the crying Ben. "If you don't sign, I'll make sure you can't stay in this house.

"Who's going to take in an orphan like you with a kid in tow? Forget about the house; you'll be lucky if you can find your next meal."

I held my screaming son, staring at the bright red mark on his arm.

At that moment, any last bit of attachment I had to this family snapped.

I looked up at Selena, whispering, "You pinched Ben."

My gaze must have terrified her, because she stepped back.

"I-I barely touched him. How was I supposed to know he'd cry?"

"You pinched Ben," I repeated. "Don't you ever forget that."

With that, I looked down and calmed Ben, gently rubbing the red mark on his arm.

Selena stood by the bed for a while. As I ignored her, she cursed and stormed out, slamming the door shut behind her.

I sat on the bed, holding my still-sniffling baby, my tears falling one by one onto his baby blanket.

I only let three fall. When the fourth came, I wiped it away.

Crying was pointless. Tears were a weapon for the weak. But starting now, I wasn't going to be weak anymore.