Unlawfully Mine

Eloise's POV

I woke up to the golden rays of sun glistening in my eyes, 'wow that's bright' I thought to myself as I put my arm across my eyes to block the sun.

As I lay there, I can hear the birds singing and chirping away which reminded me, it's my twenty first birthday. Every year on my birthday I would wake to my mum and dad singing me their own version of the birthday song but this year I didn't.

'Something must be wrong for this not to happen' I thought. I jumped out of bed and called for them, but there was no response, starting to worry, I ran downstairs to see if they were there.

I went into the living room; everything was decorated in 21st birthday banners and is a massive twenty-one balloon that is standing tall alongside my presents. Smiling to myself for what my parents have done for me I knew they were okay.

I called for them again, and still no reply. I left the living room and headed for the kitchen. Upon nearing the kitchen, I can see the kitchen door is closed to and I can hear my parents talking quietly. I listened in before I made it known that I was there.

“Please just talk to him Spencer, we can't go through with this deal. She's my baby, our baby, none of this is right" 'what is my mum going on about, why is she crying?' I questioned myself?' I decided to listen to what my dad had to say before I went into the kitchen, whatever they were discussing had to do with me.

I put my ear to the crack of the open door again as soon as I started to hear my dad talk, "do you really think I want this to happen to our daughter? Do you really think I am happy about this Connie? Remember it wasn't just my fucking doing, you were there, you agreed, you signed them God damn papers too. We have no choice but to continue our agreement with Mr Oakes."

At this point I have so many unanswered questions. I was so confused. I don't know what came over me, but I burst through the door as if I was trying to break it down. Startled, my mum began to sing happy birthday to me, but I cut her off, "What are you both talking about? What papers? What deal? What can't you do to me and who is Mr Oakes? I fired all my questions to my parents a once.

My mum and dad looked at each other, my mum gave my dad a look as if to say 'don't you dare say a thing' but my dad ignored her gesture and told me to come and sit down next to him whilst patting the seat of the black leather breakfast stall that is beside him.

As I sat down my mum started pleading to my dad to not say anything and to just let me have my day and then we could sit down as a family and talk about it together later. "You know we can't do that Connie; you know we are meeting Mr Oakes this evening; Eloise needs to be prepared instead of having this news sprung onto her later" my dad said apologetically.

"Seriously, can you just tell me what the hell is going on please. I am sitting in limbo here" I said frustratedly. My mum started to cry again and said she couldn't do this and walked out the room.

"Please dad just tell me what's happening." My dad turned to face his whole body towards me, he cleared his throat and said, "Remember when you was a little and I told you a story about a family who were going through a very hard time and they were on the verge of losing everything?”

“Yes, I remember, what does that have to do with this?” I asked confusingly. “Let me finish and you will understand.” Said my dad as patted my knee.

“Do you remembering me telling you, one day a knight in shining Armor came to the rescue to help this poor family out by giving them money, and the money they borrowed from the knight worked out not being enough so, the adults of the family had a meeting with the knight and they had do something that they did not want to do, and no matter how hard they tried they had no other choice and had to do it anyway.”

“I remember this story yes, but can you just get to the point” I ordered still none the wiser of what is going on.

“Lastly, do you remember me telling you the adults of the family had to sign a contract that was proposed by the knight, and this contract that the adults signed was a way of paying back the money owed to the knight.” Frowning with confusion still, I said "yes, I remember, I remember feeling really sad for the family, but you’re not answering my question, what does that story have to do with what I heard you and mum discussing about me?"

"That story has everything to do with you, it’s about us, that family is us. "I was so taken back by what my dad just admitted to, I grew up thinking everything was fine, there were no problems at all in our family home. I guess that's the innocence of a child and not having a care in the world, plus my parents hid it all so well.

"I'm so sorry dad, I had no idea, looking back on certain thing though, some of it makes sense as to why we had to miss out on a lot of things. I'm still a bit confused with the rest of it, what does the contract have to do with me?" I asked eagerly.

My dad took a deep breath and continued, “The business that I used to own, it started failing I was getting behind in bill payments and eventually I could no longer pay anything. Mr Oakes, you know, the knight in shining Armor, my old school friend got wind of my situation and offered to help. Your mum and I took him up on his offer and accepted the money that he was offering to loan us and as I said, In the end the money wasn't enough and not before long we were back in the red and bailiff letters started coming through the door again.

I asked Mr Oakes to loan me more money and it gradually built up to seven hundred and eighty-five thousand pounds. I knew I'd never be able to pay that money back and my idiot self-thought I would deal with it when the time comes.

Back then my pride, my ego was too big to let my company fold, and I did not want everyone thinking I was a failure. Around nine months later I had to admit defeat, I had to forget about my pride and claim bankruptcy. Mr Oakes knew there was no chance in getting his money back, so he came up with another plan on how to solve the matter.

To write our debt off we had to agree that on your twenty first birthday we would introduce you to his son and then not long after it will be arranged for you both to be married. I am so sorry Lu. We must meet with the Oakes later today."

At this point my mum entered back in the room still crying. "Honey please say something, please don't just sit there, please just let us know that you're okay." My mum asked between sobs.

I am speechless, I cannot find a way to respond, my head is spinning with every word my dad has just relayed to me, my so called parents signed my life away to a stranger. I do not even know how to comprehend the way I am feeling, I have too many mixed emotions going on inside my body, angry, sad, shocked, confused, you name it I was feeling it! I stood up and slammed my hands down on to the marble surface of our breakfast bar shaking the coffee maker and cups and saucers.

"How do you think I fucking feel? You signed a contract confirming to marry me off to clear the debt you were, are fucking in. Did you think I’d be jumping for joy and dancing round the kitchen because my parents have arranged my marriage, which is illegal may I add."

Out of nowhere, my chest started tightening and I began to get excruciating pains in my chest too. My throat feels like it is starting to close up and I cannot breathe, I need to get out of here, I ran out the kitchen and upstairs to my bedroom and slammed the door shut.

I walked over to my bay window, one hand is clenched holding my chest, the other is holding onto the windowsill for support. I have never felt this way before, whatever this feeling is, is scaring me. It feels like I am going to die.

Trying to catch my breath through gasps failed me. So, I began panting, once I was able to calm myself with panting, I slowly moved on to deep breaths. My breathing eased quite quickly after that. As soon as this petrifying ordeal was over, I took myself to my bed. I lay there scrunched up in a ball and then tears started fall, 'How can they do this to me, their daughter, their only child. Do they not love me enough? They obviously don't because they are more than happy to sign me over to a complete stranger.

Your parents are meant to protect you from the world but yet my parents chucks me to the wolves without a care in the world. My birthdays ruined, I now have no family and I just don't know what I am going to do.' All this crying and thinking made me so exhausted, my eyes started flickering and slowly by slowly they shut.