Don't Give Up On Me ✔

Chapter 9 ~ My world comes crashing down

Isla's POV

The doorbell rings and then there is a loud pounding at the door. I slowly try to sit up, but I am unable to due to something holding me down. I look at what is wrapped around my waist only to find two arms, Lucas' arms to be exact. I smile feeling comfortable in his arms nut then knocking starts again. "Lucas...Lucas..." I poke him. "Lucas, I need you to let go of me. Someone is at the door."

He blushes. "Sorry about that. Did you parents ever make it home?"

I was going to tell him I wasn't sure, but the doorbell rings again. "Maybe you should answer the door." He chuckles.

I stand up and straighten my clothes before I walk over to the front door. Whoever it is, is very persistent in getting someone to answer the door, because they are still knocking and ringing the doorbell. Lucas seems curious on who's at the door and follows me to answer it. With the doorbell and the pounding of whoever it is on the other side, everyone is awake and making their way downstairs.

As I unlock the door and open it, my eyes go wide. I feel my chest tighten, and I can't breathe. "Kaira, Nick... take Isabelle and Isaac back upstairs now." Lucas demands as he stares at the police officers standing in the doorway.

"Are you Ms. Isla Camarillo?"

Tears start to pull in my eyes and Lucas wraps his arms around me in comfort. "Yes." I whisper, barely audibly for anyone to hear. I already know that whatever they are going to say isn't going to be good. There is never a good reason for two police officers to be knocking at someone's front door.

The two officers look at each other with heartrending faces and then turn back to me. The older one gulps, "Ms. Camarillo, it is with a heavy heart that I regret to inform you that your parents passed away last night in a fire at their restaurant." My world comes crashing down. If it wasn't for Lucas holding on to me, I would have fallen on the floor.

"Y-you're l-lying." I stutter, unable to believe what he is saying to me. "T-this is some-some s-sick joke someone is t-trying to play on me. Please let it be a joke." I cry into Lucas' shirt.

Lucas walks me back over to the couch, while the officers continues to speak to Hayden about what happened, and what needs to be done next. Hayden joins us after the officers leave and sits beside me and Lucas.

Lucas' POV

I look at Hayden as he sits beside Isla. He's trying to be brave for her, but I can tell he is having a hard time. He seems to be in a daze probably thinking of how his own parents died. "Hayden." I call out to him. "What did they say?"

Isla now looks at him too. "They said Isla will need to get a hold of the family's attorney and the relative who is supposed to take legal guardianship over them. It's was a lot of legal stuff that they were mentioning."

Isla goes pale. "There is no one else. I mean we have no other family." She starts shaking, "It's just me, Isabelle and Isaac. Oh God, please don't say they are going to take them away from me. I'm eighteen. I'm a legal adult. Can't I be their guardian?" She looks at me in Hayden hoping for us to say yes.

I just hug her not knowing what to say. Hayden then speaks up, "What about being able to provide for them or place for y'all to stay?" It pisses me off to hear him asking her these questions, but I know he's right. She needs to think about what is going to happen next.

She harshly snaps at him, "My parents were fucking rich." She laughs humorlessly. "I'm eighteen. I will inherit all their money and businesses. This house is paid for. I think I should be able to support me and my siblings." She takes a deep breath calming herself down, "Sorry, Hayden. I didn't mean to be rude. My family is my everything. They are what kept me going through the past three years. I don't want Isaac and Isabelle taken away from me. There's plenty of money for us to live off."