The next morning, the fragile peace I had found with Ethan the night before was quickly shattered. The moment I walked downstairs, I could feel the tension in the air. Ethan, Maxim and Lorenzo were sitting at the kitchen table, their voices low but tense as they discussed something I couldn’t quite make out. Elijah was leaning against the counter, his arms crossed, eyes scanning the room, clearly deep in thought.

They all looked up when I entered the room, their gazes shifting to me with a mixture of concern and suspicion. It was clear that whatever truce I had managed to create last night had worn thin.

“Morning,” I said quietly, forcing a small smile, though my heart pounded in my chest.

“Morning,” Elijah said, his tone neutral, but there was something guarded in his expression, as though he was waiting for me to say more.

Maxim, on the other hand, wasn’t interested in small talk. “We need to talk,” he said bluntly, his eyes sharp, cutting straight to the point.

My stomach dropped, the fear rising again. “About what?”

Lorenzo exchanged a glance with Maxim before turning to me. “About you. About what’s really going on.”

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. I had known this was coming, but I still wasn’t ready for it. I wasn’t sure I ever would be.

“There’s nothing going on,” I said quickly, my voice a little too high-pitched. “I told you—everything’s fine.”

“Yeah, we don’t believe that,” Maxim said, leaning forward, his gaze intense. “You’ve been hiding something for weeks now. Bruises don’t just come out of nowhere, and we’re not going to sit around and pretend we don’t see it.”

My heart raced, my mind scrambling for an excuse, something to deflect their questions. But I could feel their concern turning into frustration, and the more I tried to evade them, the more they closed in.

“We’re your brothers,” Elijah said softly, his tone more measured than Maxim’s but no less serious. “We can help you. But you have to let us.”

My hands shook as I gripped the edge of the kitchen counter, my mind screaming at me to say something, anything that would make them stop. But no words came. I couldn’t keep lying to them, but I couldn’t tell them the truth either.

Lorenzo spoke up, his voice calm but firm. “We’re not mad at you, okay? We’re just worried. And the more you keep pushing us away, the more it feels like something’s really wrong.”

I felt like I was standing on a ledge, about to fall into a void I couldn’t escape from. Every word they said chipped away at the wall I had built, and I was terrified of what would happen once it crumbled completely.

Ethan stepped forward, his expression softer than the others’, but his eyes still filled with concern. “You don’t have to go through this alone,” he said gently. “Whatever’s happening, we’re in this together.”

I bit down hard on my lip, trying to hold back the flood of emotions threatening to spill out. “It’s… it’s not that simple,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

“It is that simple,” Maxim said, his tone harsher than Ethan’s. “Just tell us the truth. Who’s hurting you?”

The question hung in the air, thick and heavy. I could feel the walls closing in, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest.

Before I could respond, there was a sudden knock at the door, startling all of us. My blood ran cold, dread seeping into my veins. It was too early for Adrian, wasn’t it? He wouldn’t just show up here again, not after last night.

Maxim stood up, his expression darkening as he headed toward the door. “Who the hell is that?”

I held my breath, praying it wasn’t Adrian. Praying it was anyone but him.

Maxim swung the door open, and the tension in the room shifted immediately. It wasn’t Adrian. It was Dad.

He stepped inside, his usual smile plastered on his face, but there was something off about it, something colder beneath the surface.

“Morning, everyone,” he said cheerfully, his eyes scanning the room. “Everything alright?”

I swallowed hard, the fear twisting in my gut. Dad had a way of making everything look normal, of playing the role of the perfect father in front of my brothers, but I knew better. I knew the darkness that lingered just beneath the surface of that smile.

“Yeah,” Maxim muttered, stepping back from the door. “We’re fine.”

Dad’s eyes flicked to me, lingering just long enough for a chill to run down my spine. “You don’t look fine, sweetheart,” he said, his voice smooth and saccharine. “Everything okay?”

I nodded quickly, my heart racing. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

Dad’s gaze lingered on me a moment longer, his smile never faltering, but I could see the warning in his eyes. He knew something was up, and he didn’t like it.

“Well,” he said, clapping his hands together, “I’ve got some work to do, but I’ll be around if any of you need me.”

He gave me one last look before disappearing into his office, leaving the room feeling colder than before.

As soon as the door closed, I let out a shaky breath, my hands still trembling. The tension between my brothers and me had been broken, but only temporarily. I could feel their eyes on me, still filled with questions they weren’t ready to drop.

“You’re not off the hook,” Maxim said quietly, his voice softer than before but still firm. “We’re not giving up on this.”

“I know,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

They exchanged one last glance before the room finally began to clear out. One by one, they left me alone, their concern still hanging in the air like a storm cloud waiting to break.

I collapsed into a chair, my body shaking with the weight of everything that had just happened. I didn’t know how much longer I could keep up this act, keep pretending everything was fine when it was falling apart around me.

But as I sat there, the only thing I could think about was how close everything had come to unraveling. Dad’s presence had only complicated things, and the last thing I needed was for him to get involved in this mess.

I had to be more careful. I had to find a way to protect myself and my brothers from the truth, even if it meant sinking deeper into this nightmare.

---

After the tense exchange with my brothers and Dad’s unsettling visit, the day dragged on, the dread pooling in the pit of my stomach. I knew it was only a matter of time before Dad came to me—before the mask slipped again, and the darkness in him surfaced like it always did. The tension between us had been thick this morning, but now, with the house growing quiet, I knew he was waiting for the right moment to corner me.

Night had fallen, and I tried to keep to my room, desperate to avoid what I knew was coming. But when the soft knock came at my door, I felt my stomach twist painfully. My breath caught in my throat, and I froze, barely able to breathe.

“Sweetheart,” Dad’s voice called from the other side, deceptively gentle. “We need to talk.”

I knew what that meant. I stayed silent, praying he would go away. But he never did. The door slowly creaked open, and Dad stepped inside without waiting for permission, his eyes already narrowing as he shut the door behind him.

He gave me that familiar smile, the one everyone else believed was filled with love and warmth. But behind it was the cold steel of control. “You’ve been acting out of sorts,” he said calmly, his voice too smooth. “Care to tell me what’s really going on?”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest. “I… I’m fine,” I lied, my voice barely steady.

Dad’s smile didn’t falter, but his eyes darkened as he stepped closer. “You don’t look fine. And you certainly don’t act like it.” His gaze drifted over me, lingering just long enough to make my skin crawl. “Your brothers are getting too close, asking questions they shouldn’t be asking. You’re letting this situation spiral out of control.”

“I’m not,” I whispered, backing up instinctively, but I had nowhere to go.

Dad’s smile vanished in an instant. “Stop lying to me.”

Before I could react, his hand shot out, grabbing my arm and pulling me roughly toward him. His grip was iron-tight, his fingers digging painfully into the soft skin of my upper arm. “Do you think I don’t notice? Do you think I’m stupid?” His voice was low, dangerous.

I shook my head, panic rising as I tried to pull away, but his hold only tightened. “No, I—I didn’t mean—”

“You didn’t mean to what?” he hissed, yanking me closer. His breath was hot against my ear, and I could feel the rage radiating off him in waves. “You didn’t mean to let your brothers get suspicious? Or maybe you didn’t mean to get involved with some little boy who thinks he can touch what’s mine?”

My blood ran cold at the mention of Adrian, my heart pounding in my ears. He knew. Somehow, he knew about Adrian, and the realization made my legs weak with terror.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “I’ll fix it. I’ll keep them from asking questions. I swear.”

But Dad wasn’t listening. His eyes were cold, calculating, as he shoved me toward the bed, his grip never loosening. “You’ve been sloppy,” he muttered, his voice sharp. “Letting this get so out of hand… letting him touch you.” He spat the words out, disgust lacing every syllable.

“I’ll fix it,” I repeated, my voice desperate. “I’ll do better. Please, I promise.”

But it was too late. Dad’s patience had run out. He yanked me down onto the bed, his hand moving quickly to grab my wrist, pinning it to my side as he leaned over me. His other hand gripped the back of my neck, the pressure making my head spin.

“Do you know what happens to girls who don’t listen? Girls who let men touch them like you’ve been letting that boy?” His voice was ice-cold, sending a shudder through me. “They learn.”

With a sickening calmness, Dad’s knee pressed down hard on my stomach, and I gasped, the pain sharp and immediate. His hand slipped under my shirt, his fingers digging into my ribs, bruising the tender flesh there where no one else would ever see.

“You think I’m not paying attention,” he growled, his voice lowering to a vicious whisper. “But I see everything. I own you. And if you ever think you can slip away from me, I’ll remind you exactly who you belong to.”

I bit down hard on my lip, trying to keep from crying out as the pain in my ribs intensified. My vision blurred with tears, my body shaking uncontrollably as I tried to squirm away from him, but he pressed down harder, his grip on my neck tightening.

“You think that boy can protect you?” he sneered, his hand moving lower, pressing down on my hip where the bruises would form. “He’s nothing. You’re nothing without me. Do you understand?”

I nodded, my breath coming in short, panicked gasps as I tried to hold back the sobs threatening to break free. “I understand,” I choked out, my voice barely audible.

But Dad wasn’t done. His grip tightened, his fingers digging deeper into my side, pain shooting through my body with every movement. “You need to remember your place,” he said quietly, his voice terrifying in its calmness. “Because if you don’t, I’ll make sure you never forget it.”

Tears streamed down my face, my body writhing in pain as I struggled to breathe. The pressure on my ribs felt like it was crushing me, and the pain in my side was unbearable, but I couldn’t let him hear me cry. I couldn’t let him know how much he had broken me.

After what felt like an eternity, Dad finally released his grip, stepping back and looking down at me with a cold, satisfied smile. My body ached, every inch of me trembling as I gasped for breath, the pain radiating from my ribs and hips so intense I thought I might pass out.

“Clean yourself up,” he said, his tone casual now, like nothing had happened. “And remember—keep your brothers out of this, or I’ll deal with them myself.”

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. I just lay there, tears streaming down my face as I tried to pull myself together.

Dad straightened his shirt, his smile returning as he glanced toward the door. “You’ll fix this,” he said confidently. “I know you will.”

And then, just as suddenly as he had come, he turned and left the room, the door closing softly behind him. The moment he was gone, I curled up on the bed, my whole body shaking as the sobs finally broke free. The pain in my ribs was overwhelming, the bruises already starting to form beneath my skin.

I pressed my hands to my sides, trying to calm the tremors wracking my body, but nothing helped. I was trapped, caught between my father’s control and Adrian’s growing violence, and there was no escape.

I couldn’t let my brothers know. I couldn’t let them get involved. Because if they did, I knew Dad would make good on his threats.

And I wasn’t sure I could survive what would come next.