Prologue
I was in complete shock. My father was glaring at me as if I had said the most hateful thing in this world. By the look in his green eyes I could tell that he was not happy with my answer. He was quite the strict man, working as a detective for the local police department required him to be ruthless, but I never thought that he was going to be like this with me right now. Perhaps the years he had spent trying not to blame innocent people and find the real criminals instead had taken it’s toll on him? I thought he was supposed to be strict only at work and understanding and compassionate with his family, but was I wrong.
He finally lifted his fist and it soon landed on the table making the spoons, forks, glasses and even dishes to jump slightly and make that loud ‘clink’ sound that made us slightly shift in our seats. His face was twisted in pure anger and annoyance as I sat there, not being able to utter a single word. I could feel the storm approaching. I could feel the tension rising. No, I could feel it deep within my bones. I swallowed thickly; my trembling hands remained in my lap. Why did I felt guilty for saying No to him? It was my choice after all, no one could take that away from me.
“You will marry him.” I could hear the determination in his voice and that actually scared me more than anything. My heart began racing fast and hard in my chest. I wanted to cry because I could sense that my father has completely lost his mind. I was only twenty years old. I refused to submit to him and his order, since said order was ridiculous. How could he do this to me? He was my father and yet he was ready to marry me off to someone else knowing well that I was in love. I felt betrayed. Broken. The silence in the dining room became suffocating.
My appetite suddenly went away. My mother, Elvira, was horrified as well watching everything playing in front of her blue eyes. I could tell that she was as shocked and confused as I was. It was as if she didn’t know her husband who was sitting on the table with us. She reached for her napkin and wiped her mouth gently before rising up from her seat and slowly headed into the kitchen to avoid the future storm coming in between me and my father. She was like this. She could never be bothered with what was happening between my and my father. She preferred to sit and watch while I was there, struggling to face him when he put such pressure on me.
“Father, come on, you can’t be serious about this.” my brother, who was only four years older than me finally spoke up. Him and I, we were inseparable as children. But ever since he went to study medicine at University which was five hours drive away, everything changed. As time went by, we slowly became distant to the point where we don’t call each other anymore. Now he was home only on the weekends and he barely spends any time at home, simply going out with his friends and partying until the early hours of the morning while I was busy worried if I’ll get accepted in my dream university since I graduated school months ago and now entrance exams kicked my ass off with stress and anxiety.
I took one of the napkins of the table and began crunching it in my hand. My eyes kept shifting from my father to my brother and I felt as if I was going to pass out from how intense this was. Just when I felt wet droplet on my hand did I realise the tears that had been ruining my mascara. Dammit.
“Oh, Dean, I am very serious about this. Evelyn is old enough to be married off-”
“No, I’m not,” I protested, but one glare from my father made me go quiet and keep crying silently. I wanted to get up from that table and storm away, but it was as if my feet kept me in place.
My father, whose name was Richard, turned his attention toward Dean and slowly reached for his glass of red wine, bringing it to his lips and took a sip as if he wasn’t bothered. Honestly? This hurt me the most. I wanted to break down, I wanted to fall apart but I couldn’t nor do I wanted to, at least not now.
“Come on, father, please think this through, Evelyn is still young about this and she has someone she likes.” Dean was the sweetest for trying to defend me, but judging by my father’s determined face nothing could change his mind. Not even his own son, not even the tears of his only daughter.
I was certainly devastated, it felt as if I was in a dream. I thought I was going to be happy, I thought I could have future with Leo and I thought that I could have supportive family but neither my mother or father liked him since he was poor and we were the ‘rich’ ones.
“There is this one family, Mia and Joaquin Berluda. They are rich, kind, wealthy, well-known, and they do charity. Their son is Ryker Berluda, he is the excellent candidate for your hand. He is only two years older than you and he is a kind man who will cherish your heart.” He spoke out in a monotone voice, leaning back on his chair and slowly fixing his tie with a soft sigh. My beloved father looked flustered too, as if this was heavy decision to make.
I shook my head.
“How could you do this to me...” I whispered, my voice finally broke. I finally broke. I began sniffing and crying, everything went blurry, my heart was aching.
“I am doing this for you, not to you, Evelyn!” he raised his voice and that made me jump in my seat. Dean shook his head and tried to interrupt Richard but with a glare he remained quiet.
“Leo is a drug addict and abuses with alcohol all the time! He is poor and he lives in a trailer! Is this how you want to end up? Pregnant in poverty? Who knows if Leo will remain by your side, he will leave you the first chance he gets!”
Every word said was like a needle in my heart.
“Leo has his own problems!” I screamed; my face was wet with tears. I rose up suddenly from my seat, I didn’t notice Dean’s eyes growing wide. I glared at my father, “His grandmother is sick, he works at the car shop his father owns all the time, he is kind, he treats me well! He might be poor but he has a good heart, I can see it in his eyes~ let me be happy father, please-”
“Evelyn Thomson!” he yelled out and slammed his fist on the table again. He was utterly pissed off. He didn’t want to hear it.
“This is my last word. You will get married to someone who will treat you with respect and kindness, am I clear? You will break up with that piece of garbage and listen to my orders-”
“Rot in hell, father, you are so busy looking for criminals that you do not notice your daughter’s struggles! You are not a father at all!” I screamed back before running upstairs. I could hear my father’s screams but I didn’t care. I soon ran in my room and securely locked the door, pressing my back into it and slowly slid down onto the ground, helplessly crying my heart out.
Leo loved me. I loved him. He promised me good future. Our love was unconditional. I’d never ever let anyone stand between us.
I cried and I cried for hours ahead. I cried so much that I fell asleep crying, right there, sitting on the ground, my back pressed into the door. I could hear the faint knocks and Dean’s voice calling my name but I ignored it. I felt numb at some point. I kept repeating to myself that this was just a dream, no, a nightmare. This was one big nightmare and I’ll wake up in the morning and my family will like Leo and we’ll live happily ever after.
Happily ever after.
