Mom kept a firm hold on my hand as we continued along the mountain path.
After a long silence, she finally revealed the truth she had kept buried for years.
At first, she had been treated like every other abducted woman.
They were all locked inside and forbidden from taking even half a step outdoors.
The traffickers would bring buyers to choose among them. Once purchased, each woman was taken to a different household and locked away again.
Mom knew any reckless move would get her killed, so she pretended to be obedient and cooperative.
One day, she overheard my dad, Wade Carter, complaining to some villagers outside.
"The merchandise gets worse every year. Now they can't even survive their first delivery.
"The Harris family has rotten luck. They paid good money for that cow, and no
