As soon as the door clicked shut, I collapsed onto the bed, my body shaking uncontrollably. I pressed my hands against my ribs, wincing as the bruises flared with sharp pain, radiating through my entire torso. I felt suffocated, the weight of Dad's threats hanging in the air, crushing me from all sides. My breath came in shallow, ragged gasps, my chest heaving with the effort.

Tears welled in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Crying never helped. Crying never made the pain stop. I had learned that long ago.

I curled up into myself, pulling my knees to my chest, trying to make myself as small as possible. My mind raced with a thousand thoughts-how much worse things were getting, how Dad's control was tightening, how Adrian's grip was just as suffocating.

The room felt smaller, darker, closing in around me as the reality of my situation pressed down. I had no one to turn to. No one to help me. My brothers were too close, too suspicious, and if they found out, Dad would make good on his threats.

I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing I could disappear-fade into nothing, if only to escape the unbearable pressure. But the pain in my ribs, the bruises blooming beneath my skin, reminded me that there was no escape. Not really.

A soft knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts, the sound sending a fresh wave of panic through me. My body tensed immediately, expecting Dad to return, but then I heard the voice.

"Hey, can I come in?"

It was Maxim.

I tried to steady my breathing, but the panic still clawed at my chest. "Y-Yeah," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

The door creaked open, and Maxim stepped inside, his expression shifting from neutral concern to deep worry as soon as he saw me curled up on the bed. He closed the door quietly behind him and walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed without saying a word.

He studied me for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You look like hell," he said, his voice soft but blunt.

I managed a weak smile, but it didn't reach my eyes. "Thanks," I muttered, my voice thick with emotion I was trying so hard to swallow down.

Maxim didn't laugh. He just kept watching me, his eyes scanning my face, looking for answers I wasn't ready to give. After a few moments of silence, he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

"You're shutting us out," he said quietly. "And I'm trying really hard not to push you, but it's getting harder, you know?"

I looked away, my heart pounding in my chest. I couldn't do this. Not now. Not after everything that had just happened.

"I'm not shutting you out," I whispered, knowing how much of a lie it was. "I'm just... tired."

Maxim frowned, his gaze never leaving my face. "Tired? That's what you're going with?"

I swallowed hard, the panic rising again. "Yeah."

He let out a frustrated sigh, leaning back slightly, his eyes softening with something that looked like pain. "We can help you, you know? Whatever's going on... you don't have to go through it alone."

I shook my head, the tears threatening to spill over again. "It's not that simple."

"Why not?"

His question hung in the air, thick with unspoken tension. I didn't know how to answer without giving everything away, without revealing the nightmare I was trapped in. But I couldn't let him-or any of my brothers-get too close. If they did, Dad would... No. I couldn't even think about that.

"Max, please," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Just... let it go."

Maxim's expression hardened slightly, his eyes narrowing again. "No," he said firmly, his tone more serious now. "I can't let it go. Not when it's obvious something's wrong."

Before I could respond, the door opened again, and Elijah walked in, a look of concern etched deep into his face. He glanced between me and Maxim, sensing the tension immediately.

"What's going on?" Elijah asked, his eyes settling on me.

I shook my head quickly, desperate to end this conversation before it spiraled out of control. "Nothing," I said, my voice trembling. "It's nothing."

Elijah raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "You don't look like nothing's wrong."

Maxim let out a frustrated breath, standing up from the bed. "She's not talking," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "But something's definitely up."

Elijah's eyes stayed on me, his gaze softer than Maxim's but still filled with worry. "Why won't you tell us?"

I bit down hard on my lip, my hands trembling in my lap. I couldn't tell them. Not now. Not ever.

"I'm fine," I said quietly, forcing the words out through the lump in my throat. "I just... need some space."

Elijah glanced at Maxim, the tension between them palpable. "She doesn't need space, Max. She needs help."

Maxim's jaw clenched, and he nodded. "Yeah, well, she won't let us help her, will she?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, the pressure building inside me until I thought I might break apart completely. I couldn't take this much longer-the constant questions, the worry in their eyes. It was all too much.

Before I could say anything, the door opened one more time, and Ethan stepped inside, his face dark with concern. "What's going on?"

Elijah sighed, glancing back at him. "She's shutting us out. Again."

Ethan frowned, his eyes locking onto mine. "We're not letting this go, you know that, right?"

I nodded numbly, the panic spiraling out of control. I couldn't breathe. The room felt too small, the walls closing in around me. Their eyes were all on me, waiting for me to say something, to explain, but I couldn't. The truth was a weight I couldn't bear to share.

Suddenly, my chest tightened, and the air seemed to vanish from the room. My vision blurred as the panic attack surged through me, each breath more shallow than the last. My hands trembled violently, clutching my chest as though it would help me breathe again. Everything was spinning out of control, and I couldn't stop it.

Elijah was the first to notice. "Hey, are you okay?"

I shook my head, clutching my chest as the panic attack hit me full force.

Elijah's eyes widened, and his calm facade cracked instantly. "She's not okay," he said, his voice sharp with panic. "She's-she's not breathing right." His hands were suddenly on my shoulders, gripping me tighter than before, as if he could physically pull me back from whatever dark place I was spiraling into.

"She's completely shaken up." Maxim muttered, his own panic barely contained. His pacing grew frantic, each step more aggressive than the last. "What do we do? She's not able to steady herself."

Ethan bolted back into the room, water in hand, but his face twisted with fear when he saw me, trembling and gasping for air. "What the hell is happening?" His voice cracked as he rushed forward, shoving the glass toward Elijah. "Here! Give her the water. Maybe it'll help-just do something!"

But I couldn't hold the glass. My hands shook so violently that it slipped through my fingers and hit the floor with a dull thud, the water splashing across the wooden boards. My chest tightened further, the room spinning wildly around me.

"I can't-breathe-" I gasped, my voice barely a whisper, the pressure in my chest suffocating me.

"She can't breathe," Maxim barked, his voice escalating. "Elijah, what do we do?! We need to get her to a hospital-now!"

"Calm down, Max!" Elijah snapped, though the panic in his own voice betrayed him. "She's having a panic attack. We have to calm her down, not freak her out more!"

Maxim threw his hands up, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "Calm her down? Look at her! She's not just 'freaking out.' She's losing it-she's slipping away from us, Elijah!"

Ethan, kneeling beside me now, gently grabbed my trembling hands, trying to steady me. "You're okay, you're okay. Just breathe," he murmured, his voice shaking. "Come on, just breathe, please..."

But his words barely registered. The room was closing in on me, my brothers' voices blurring into a confusing mess of noise. All I could feel was the crushing weight in my chest, suffocating me.

"Damn it, she's getting worse!" Maxim roared, slamming his fist into the wall, the crack of his knuckles hitting wood echoing in the room. "We're standing here like idiots while she's falling apart!"

Elijah crouched in front of me, his hands framing my face, forcing me to look at him. "Hey! Look at me! You're not alone in this, alright? We've got you, but you need to breathe." His eyes were wild with fear, his voice rising, trying desperately to cut through the chaos. "You're safe. You're safe with us."

But I couldn't. I couldn't stop the tidal wave of panic crashing over me, drowning me in a sea of fear. I wanted to tell them I was sorry, that I wasn't trying to scare them, that I didn't know how to stop it, but my chest was so tight I couldn't get the words out.

Ethan's voice broke through the noise, his tone pleading. "Elijah, do something! She's-she's not coming back from this. We need to do something now!" He was gripping my hands harder now, his knuckles turning white as if holding onto me would keep me from slipping away entirely.

"I'm trying!" Elijah snapped back, his frustration and fear clear in every word. "She just needs to breathe, she-"

Suddenly, I felt Maxim kneeling beside me, his arm wrapping tightly around my shaking body, pulling me against him. "You're stronger than this, okay? I don't care what's going on, you're not going to let it win." His voice was rough, desperate. "You hear me? We're not going to let you go through this alone."

My heart pounded wildly, my breath still coming in short, erratic bursts, but something in Maxim's firm hold anchored me. I could feel the pressure of his arm against my back, grounding me, and the overwhelming panic began to ease just a fraction.

Ethan gently placed a hand on my shoulder, his face pale, his eyes wide with worry. "We can't lose you," he whispered, barely able to hold his composure. "We can't... So you need to fight this, okay? Please."

Elijah's hands gripped my face tighter, his voice louder now, more urgent. "We're here. We're not going anywhere. Just focus on us. You're safe, I swear it. You're not alone in this. Breathe with me, come on."

I tried to focus on his words, on the rhythm of his breath, on the fact that all three of them were there, surrounding me, holding me together when I couldn't hold myself. Slowly, painfully, my breaths began to come in slightly deeper. The tightness in my chest didn't vanish, but it loosened its grip enough for me to take in air without gasping.

"There you go," Elijah murmured, his voice trembling with relief. "Just like that. You're doing it. Just keep breathing, okay?"

Maxim's grip on me loosened slightly, though he didn't let go. His body was still tense, as if ready to spring into action the second something went wrong again. "Don't scare us like that," he muttered, his voice rough. "I swear, you almost gave me a heart attack."

Ethan wiped at his eyes, trying to compose himself, though his hands were still shaking. "What... what just happened? That wasn't normal."

"That was... I don't know," Elijah said, still holding my face in his hands, though the panic had drained from his eyes, replaced by a deep, simmering worry. "But it's not going to happen again. We're not letting this happen to her again."

Maxim stood, his hands clenching into fists. "Whatever's causing this-whether it's school, or some guy, or something else-we're going to figure it out. We're not standing by while you fall apart."

His words hung heavy in the air, the tension between all of us palpable. They were more worried now than ever, but the panic had subsided-at least for the moment. I didn't know how long I could keep this up, but I knew one thing for sure: my brothers weren't going to let this go.

They were determined to figure out the truth and it scared me...alot.