Sold to the Savage: The Runaway’s Return

Everyone said Ellis would not last three months in Silas Vance's hands. Her father Frank's gambling debts left her as payment, until Silas threw cash onto the poker table and took her to his run-down cabins in the mountains. Born intersex, Ellis believes she is a freak and a substitute for Claire, the college sweetheart Silas lost to the city.

Yet Silas tends her burns, gives her his quilt, and asks whether she would stay if he had no money. When Ellis finds Claire's old photo in his wallet, she is certain his kindness is only for a face that resembles another woman. Silas leaves early and returns late, rumored to be moving goods in some risky business.

Pregnant and unsure of her place, Ellis writes one note and flees overnight to the big city in the South. Silas only asks her to wait a little longer, until the deal is done.