Becoming Mrs Ashbourne

Two

"My daughter isn't dead!" Mother screamed in the hallway of the hospital. I traced the outline of my panda print shirt innocently while trying to avoid my mother's gaze.

"Calm yourself woman!" My father yells,his voice booming with anger and sadness.

"How can I calm myself when my first fruit is dead!? Huh?" She asks before turning to me.
"You!" She says and grips my forearm with her nails.
It digs into my nails sharply and I hiss painfully.

"Mumma you're hurting me." I cry and she shakes me vigorously,leaving me dazed and nauseous.

"Give me back my daughter you witch!" She yells and cries at the same time.

My father just stands there watching.

"Bring me back my daughter!" She yells again while tears stream down my face.

      
               Present day

My father opens the door to reveal and darked haired middle aged man. He looked fairly handsome for his age and his suit clad his body beautifully.

"Gardiner,it's been a while. How's the missus? And the daughter?" He asks while shaking my father's hand and I urk at the thought of germs.

"They've been better. Please take a seat." My father says in a composed manner while gesturing towards our slightly worn out couch.

"Hello." I wave while still standing like an idiot.
The man waves with a smile before putting on an intrigued look.

"As you know Gardiner,sooner or later,you'd have to pay up and judging from your credit score,you won't be able to pay even if you sold or your assets." The old man says while rubbing the stubble on his chin.

I thought they said there was a them. This was only a he.

"Mr. Ashbourne,I know we agreed on a year but I've only been able to make quarter of what I owe." My father says,his former composed tone turned into one of fear, desperation and what I like to call pressured anger.

"Yes,I know,your father owed this debt,couldn't pay and now it has been passed to you." He says and I begin to question why I was seating beside my mother while they had this conversation.

Luckily,the knock on the door broke the uncomfortable tension that was present in the room.

"I'll get it." I say and get up,hoping that my butt won't be obvious when I walk due to the leggings.

When I open the door,I am welcomed by the most handsome man I have ever seen.

He has green eyes and brown curly hair which are tussled across his forehead. His chiseled jaw is very defined and I can smell his perfume from where I'm standing.

"It's rude to stare." He says with a composed tone that holds a bit of an English accent.

"Sorry." I roll my eyes before walking back to the living room.
At least,they were able to hold a subtle conversation without holding eachother's throat. Guessing from the tension in the room,I thought they'd kill themselves as soon as I left.

"Father,you left me waiting outside." The chiselled jaw man said and sat down even thought he hadn't been offered a seat.

"Sorry,where are my manners?" He chuckled darkly, sending a shiver through my spine.

In the toilet. My subconscious added which made me snicker before I realised it.

Everyone turns their attention to me and mother quirks up an eyebrow.

"This is my son, Cairus." The older man said proudly.

"Nice to meet all of you. I apologize for my previous behaviour." Cairus says and smirks at me.

"Cairus here will be taking over my business in a few months." The man says proudly and I nod with a smile even though I didn't care a bit.

"Lucy was betrothed to him. To be his wife. But because of her accident,it transferred to the second child." Mr. Ashbourne says and quirks an eyebrow at me.

I didn't need to be told twice before I'd understand what he meant.

"No no no no no. I'm not going to marry your son." I protest hurriedly.

"Mya!" My mother yells.

"What?!" I yell back.

Cairus rubs his stubbled chin while looking at me as if I am a test subject.

"I won't marry this egotistical maniac." I say even though I don't know him that much.
I hurriedly walk to my bedroom and slam the door before any of them can reach me.

＼⁠(ﾟ⁠ｰﾟ⁠＼⁠)

I hug my teddy bear tightly as I try to clear my mind. The daunting thoughts of Lucy's death still haunt me till now.

"You bitch!"

"You were supposed to die in her place!"

The slaps,kicks and punches still felt fresh whenever I looked in the mirror.

I remember how mother starved me for three weeks after Lucy's death.

"Murderers eat their victims' corpse. They don't deserve food." She said.

I remember how I cried before,during and after the funeral.

"Open the door." I hear my father's angry voice boon from outside my door.

I groan before getting out of bed.

A hot and painful slap welcomes my cheek when I open the door. Tears sting my eyes and blur my vision.

"You kill your sister now you don't want to repay your debt to this family? You really are a witch." He says while still dragging my hair.

"Please stop! I beg you." I cry and try to free myself from his dreadful grip.

"You bitch!" He yells and flips me over on my stomach.

"Father please!" I cry when I feel the first smack of the belt at my lower back.

"The next time you try to make a fool out of me,you'll taste worse than this!" He yells and hits my back continuously. Welts have formed and are bleeding by the time he's done and I lay on the floor boneless and numb.