"No, forget about it," I said to my husband with hands crossed against my busty breasts and a kitchen apron tight around my waist. The feeling that something bad was about to happen consumed me entirely. The kitchen was a mess and my husband came back home to tell me the news. For a strict mother, I completely refused to reveal my daughter to a forced marriage.
"What do you mean no? think about the money we can gain from her," he stepped closer to me and placed his two rough hands on my shoulder. "Think of the rich bastard and how he will give us the chance to expand the way we live in a much more happier mansion."
"I don't care about the money, our daughter is only fourteen years old!" I yelled and his eyes glared at me intensely, he could glare all he wants but I, Cleo Enders, would never put my daughter in a forced marriage at a young age.
The man in front of me was not my husband; the greed of green stacks of cash made his eyes blind to the fact that he was willing to send our daughter to an arousing aversion of a man who was too old for her. My husband always wanted a better version of our small cozy villa that we currently lived in but could never get it due to not being able to pay the bills in the right timings.
The kitchen was dirty; plates among plates, the flooring was a sickly grey colored and we had water drain issues all the time. We hadn't had the best life but as a mother, I couldn't bear the thought of selling my daughter to an older man.
"Cleo, baby, I am sick of living like this," he gestured his hands around the kitchen, "we have to better our living lifestyle and the only way-"
"Say these words and I'll leave with our daughter." My green eyes lasered into the eyes of the cold blue that belonged to my husband, daring him but when his shoulders sagged, claiming that no such thing would happen made me happy, he wasn't that addicted to money like she thought he would.
Ophelia came back from school with her favorite red skirt and black converse along a white shirt. She was my daughter; she had eyes like mine; forest green. She had my high cheekbones and my long brown hair that was braided to her waist. She was the daughter that I spent my whole time raising and taking care of. She was my little baby and I would be willing to risk my life for her.
The thought that I could no longer bring babies after she made me suffer into a whirl land of severe depression when the doctor's words echoed inside of me.
"Sorry Mrs. Enders, you can no longer reproduce anymore."
"What do you mean?" My eyes flashed crazily while sitting on the hospital's not so comfortable bed with my husband sitting beside me at the grey haired old doctor, Stevens Mckay.
"You don't have the ability anymore, your womb is damaged because Ophelia was struggling inside you for ten months to get out and it has exerted a lot of effort to bring her out so your womb is not capable anymore." He explained in his professional voice and I burst out crying with my husband's arms around me.
"Is-is there any solution to that?"
"I'm afraid not." The pitiful look on that doctor had me wanting to scratch his face off but it was just the lack of sleep I had with a fussy newborn Ophelia.
It wasn't her fault. She was a miracle in my eyes, my daughter, an art I created as the token of love between me and my husband.
"Momma," she greeted, hugging me tightly like she was afraid to lose me. Her father quickly stormed out, probably upset about his money.
"Hey, baby, how was school?" I greeted back, affectionately stroking her bangs off of her forehead.
"It was lame," she rolled her eyes, "why can't I work like a striper like an auntie Eliza said?" I choked on my laughter as she misspelled stripper but like a tough mother that I was, I tutted at her.
"Because you need to have an education certificate and work like I did." It was true, I used to be very successful as a writer in NYC but I had to give it up when I was pregnant at the age of twenty-two with Ophelia, I wanted to give her all my time and I watched her grow in front of my eyes, no job could have replaced the glory I felt when she took her first step, went potty training and played in the nursery. Oliver, my husband, had an average work as a policy agent in the government so that was good enough.
"Okay, but I'm only doing it for you." She playfully warned and I chuckled at her. Her gleaming green eyes were fascinating, it was like she was always up to no good, she was daring and she reminded me so much of myself when I was like her, I would steal bikes and prank the principal to the point where he had a crazy red colored hair and looked like an amateur. Sure, Ophelia wouldn't do that but she beat up kids before which made me confirm that she was me exactly.
I set up lunch on our backyard's table with the sun hung in the cloudless sky, like a sentinel looking over the world. The greenery scenes around our house were the only thing spectacular. The inside of our house was anything but sensible; rusty floorings cracked windows and reeks of rats. No matter how hard I tried to clean it or fix it, it would always come back to this state and it usually frustrated me a lot. I even called helpers but they told me it was getting way too old and there was no chance, it was molding to a swamp of a gooey disgusting mess.
Oliver had promised me to make it better by moving out, we were waiting for his allowance cheque to come up so we could finally leave that damned house.
Ophelia walked outside and I kissed her forehead, checking if her hands were clean then allowing her to sit like mostly did. Oliver, then, came to join us but he looked weary like something caught him by surprise. I could obviously see it by his sweat covered under eyes and lines of worry upon his forehead.
"I'm sorry, Cleo." The dread that coursed through my veins to my heart as my eyes realized that the old man approached our house with handcuffs made me scream. I hurled all the table aside and took Ophelia's hand, stepping in front of her.
"Get away from us." My darkened eyes steely commanded the brown muddy ones with a grim expression. Ophelia was shaking behind me as her hands weakly trembled. The man still strode closer to me in a very intimidating stance but I was not a quitter.
"I said step away from my daughter or else, I will call the police," I shouted and spat on his face after, that bastard of a husband, agreed for the plan behind my back, all positive thoughts went out the window, all I could see was a cruel, heartless and greedy man, that I married.
The man with the stilled grim expression took out his rough hand and pushed me away but I still caged my arms around Ophelia, as we both still stood. I wasn't going to let that horny dog around my daughter. She had a big life in front of her, I would die than let her in his greasy grasps.
"Give me her, Mrs. Enders." He ordered in a robotic way. He was wearing an old black suit that was smeared with red and blue on the shoulders and ripped at the ends.
"I said no." I snapped and he tried again but I would dodge him while careless used to be husband was watching, he couldn't even stop that man that was trying to take my daughter.
The sirens of the police relieved me as I embraced Ophelia tighter, the man swore and escaped like a lightening bolt, the police chased him away.
I cast a grateful gaze at my lovely neighbor, Mrs. Jeffrey and nodded in respect, she smiled sweetly. The only thought was that I made the right choice when I chose to put lunch outside because if I did put on the inside, nobody would have seen the man's crime.
"We are going to get divorced in the fastest way possible." I seethed and smashed the ring to his face in a harsh throw, he groaned at the diamonds slashing his bottom lip.
"Dad, you did this?" She said with the thick emotion of disappointment mixed with hurtful short breaths like she couldn't believe it. Oliver glared at both of us but one thing he said made me gasp.
"Mister Dasners will take her away from you and you will see, he's a man of great power and he will stop at anything to steal her." The cold words were imposing a big threat on our shoulders but I knew better than to listen to a man with no personality.
"You disgust me, get away, shoo!" I dismissed him with flailing arms as Ophelia clutched the back of my sundress. He adjusted his buttoned-up black shirt and walked away.
"Oh my, are you okay darlings?" We both hugged Mrs. Jeffrey, the lifesaver that caught up onto what happened. She might be an old woman but she was much observant with a warm smile and squinting wrinkly eyes.
"Thank you so much for calling the police." I cupped her hand in gratefulness and she ruffled Ophelia's hair, which she groaned because she didn't like the way people played with her hair but remained to hug her.
"Of course, darling, she's like a precious daughter to me." She patted my cheeks and bid us goodbye as she went back to her twelve cats and a dying husband.
"Mom, what are we going to do?" She frightfully questioned and I kneeled in front of her, taking her hands to mine.
"I am not going to let you go out of my sight, there better be that strong security technology or I'm going to flip shit."
"Mom, you swore!" She giggled and I joined her.
"Well, shit," I repeated and she slapped a thin hand on my mouth, I kissed her palm and she grinned down at me.
I would give up everything I had to protect my miracle, Ophelia.
