Table of Contents Title Acknowledgement Dedication Introduction Chapters Other books by the Author About the book About the Author     Chapter 1 Will you shut up, you stupid child? Ochanya said perching towards her daughter, landing a slap on her face. I am your mother and you'll do what I tell you to do, have you heard? 'Mom!' Lara said shocked. 'Mum, why would you ask me to marry a man I do not even know?. A man I have never seen before. All for money? Mum! And because I said I won't do that, you slapped me. You are my mother, shouldn't you care about how I feel?' Lara said stuttering with tears rushing down her cheeks. 'I am so glad you know I am your mother. I suffered over you since you were a baby, infact before you were born. You have no say in this matter. You will marry him and that is final!' Ochanya concluded and left the room. Ochanya was in her twenties when her late mother married her off to a businessman who stayed in the neighboring town. Her father died while she was still in her mother's womb. Her mother was her only family and she did everything to please her. They both struggled to survive and at the age of twenty, her mother called her to the backyard and introduced her to a man. 'Nnam, do you know this man?' Her mum had asked her. Ochanya fixed her gaze on the tall, dark man who stood in front of her showcasing his dentition which she wasn't impressed with. 'No ma' she replied. 'You must have seen him around. Well, he's a businessman and he is very nice. He has agreed to marry you and bring us out of poverty'. Her mother had said. Ochanya was amazed at her mother's statement. 'Agreed to marry me?' She wondered. 'Was she an item whose opinion didn't matter?' she was heartbroken. Your wedding will be holding in two weeks time, be prepared to be his wife.' Her mother said smiling. 'Yes mother' she replied, submitting to her mother's will. She knew how much her mother had suffered so much on her and she knew that going against her mother could result into her mother putting a curse on her, that was just how her mother was. She agreed to marry the man even when she had no feelings for him.    The marriage ceremony was held in their compound as suggested by her mother and after the ceremony, she moved into his house in the neighboring town. They were comfortable until a particular day when her husband, Denrele was robbed by armed men on his trip to deliver some goods. All he had on him were taken away and he was beaten to a pulp. He was hit in his eyes that he became blind that day. And since then, their life went down and at that moment, Ochanya was already pregnant with Lara. She had to take up the responsibility of the family as her husband couldn't really be of help anymore because of his blindness. He was usually at home and hardly went out. Ochanya scuffed as she went down memory lane. 'He has agreed to marry you and bring us out of poverty'. She repeated her mother's words. 'I can see how wealthy we are now'. She said, sarcastically. 'The so called savior has now become a liability to me, what a pile of nonsense'. She said with contempt. She had never felt love for Denrele. She only condoned him because she depended on him and he was the father of her child but after he became blind, she became his nightmare. She treated him like he didn't matter and took charge with the responsibility of the house. She finally saw an opportunity to change their situation and she wasn't going to let that go. She remembered how heartbroken she was when her mother forced her to marry Denrele and she understood what her daughter would also be feeling. She understood her pain because she was also in her shoes but she was too desperate to change the situation of things just like her mother was that she overlooked her daughter's feelings. She was too sure that she wouldn't make the same mistake her mother made, which was getting her married to someone who has a bad luck like Denrele. She was sure that the person she wanted Lara to marry was the perfect man to transform their lives.