Ashton's POV

I blame myself.

If I hadn't left Emilia alone, she wouldn't have gotten hurt. I knew there was something wrong with the way she reacted to that Jared guy, and yet I still left her alone with him. I don't blame the guys for losing track of her because I should have been the one to watch her anyway. If it weren't for the business official my dad had mentioned me to, I could have protected Emilia and she wouldn't have locked me and everyone else out of her room. I want to see her, but I know how stubborn she is and how she wouldn't like me to see her in whatever state she's in.

Back at the party, after I had left Emmie alone, I was talking to an executive for a company stationed in Chicago. Despite my father's request, I had declined the man's offer for a paid internship and walked away without bothering to get his name. I gave up a great opportunity, but what good is an opportunity if I can't be happy? I don't want to work for some business company that's across on the other side of the country or any company for that matter. I may be good in the business and marketing field, but it's so dull. I haven't decided on what else I can do, but you can be damn well sure that I'll be switching majors by next semester.

I remember when I ended my conversation with the executive. Luke and Calum rushed over to me with panic etched on their faces, and at that moment, I swear time stopped around me.

"We need to go, Ash." Luke grabbed my wrist, pulling me roughly to our table and grabbing Emmie's purse before snaking through the large crowd and exiting the building. "Something happened to Emilia."

I felt my heart stop briefly at his words; a wave of panic spreading through my entire body. "Where is she?" I demanded, ripping my wrist away from Luke's grasp. My legs began moving on their own, jogging through the parking lot and to my car.

"Michael is taking her back to her apartment," Calum said. "We don't know what happened, but it didn't sound good." The vagueness of his explanation only added to the panic that was drowning me.

I pulled the keys from my coat pocket, fumbling with them as I tried to unlock the door. My hands trembled as I desperately tried to unlock the damn doors, which led to the keys falling from my grasp and to the ground. I cursed under my breath, pissed off that my hands couldn't keep steady and that I was wasting time.

"Mate," Luke said as I kneeled down to pick up my keys. "Let me drive. You are in no condition to be behind the wheel." On the outside, his body was relaxed, but I knew that he was just as worried as me. I nodded, tossing him the keys. Just the sound of the engine roaring made me jump in my seat. I was completely on edge.

"She's going to be alright." Luke said as he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the highway.

My knee began to bounce up and down as I looked out the window at the dark night around us.

"For all we know, she could be okay," he tried to assure, but doubt was clear in his voice.

"And if she isn't? You were supposed to watch her," I snapped.

"We tried to, Ash," Luke said. "The crowd blocked our view and when we tried to find her on the dance floor, she was gone. We're just as worried about Emilia as you are. You're not the only one who cares for her. We've also gotten close and we consider her like family."

"She's a big part of our lives too," Calum added.

"I know you're worried, I get it. But that doesn't mean you have to act like a dick to us right now. Try to calm yourself down. Emilia needs us right now and we don't have time to get pissed off at ourselves for not being able to be there for her," Luke lectured; his voice calm and collected.

I was silent. He was right. He was always right. I took long breaths, trying to slow down my rapid heartbeat. I didn't mean to snap at him, I was just frustrated with myself and the fact that I wasn't there for Emmie. I closed my eyes and pictured her smiling face when she was swaying in my arms earlier. That image was crystal clear in my mind and I knew that once I saw Emmie, that smile would be nowhere to be see.

After going ten miles over the speed limit, we finally arrived to her apartment. I rushed up the stairs and began pounding the door, thinking that if I hit it harder, Julia would open the door faster. When she did, I immediately begged for answers. I needed to know where she was and what happened.

"We tried to keep an eye on her, but we had lost track of her in the crowd," Michael said. "So, we each split up to look for her around the building. I found her in a closet on the other side of the center with some guy. She was on the ground crying and the guy just took off once I found her. She said that he was her ex-boyfriend and that he touched her. I don't know if it was assault or rape or something else. She hasn't spoken since she told me that."

No, no, no, no.

He hurt her. I could only imagine how scared she was. How she was probably screaming for help, but no one came to her aid until it was too late. How alone she felt with none of us with her. I should be furious, but I could only think of the petrified girl hiding in her room. I walked slowly over to her door and called out to her.

"Emilia?" I tried twisting the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge. "Emilia, please let me in." I desperately wanted to hear her voice. For her to tell me that she's okay, but she didn't answer.

I leaned against the door, my forehead pressing against the cold wood. "I didn't know that was him. If I had known, I wouldn't have let him anywhere near you. Emilia, I am so sorry. I said I would watch you and I couldn't even do that." I turned my back to the door and slid down until I could feel the carpet beneath me. "I should have stayed by your side like I said I would. Please, you have to understand that I would never do anything to hurt you like he did."

Still no answer. I just needed to hear her voice. Something. Anything. Even the sound of her breathing would suffice.

I was on the verge of tears until I felt the pressure of someone sitting on the other side of the door. "Emilia?" My voice was dry. "I am so sorry. I wish I was there for you. I wish I noticed you were gone. I wish that I could have helped you when you needed me. God, I'm so sorry." I couldn't help the single burning tear that fell from my eye.

I heard her take a deep breath and that was enough to relieve me from my panicked state. "It's okay, Ash," Emilia said; her voice was soft yet broken.

I let the tears fall as I told her "sorry" once again. I didn't care that I was crying. She forgave me for leaving her and I just wish that I could forgive myself. The pressure against my back from where she was sitting was gone and the light that I could once see under her door had darkened.

"Ashton, are you alright?" Julia's voice brings me out of my daze. "You haven't moved an inch since you began sitting there."

"I'm fine," I croak, my mouth completely dry.

She smiles sympathetically. "Come on, let's get you some water." She holds out her hand and I reluctantly take it, even though I didn't really want to get up.

She brings me into the dining room attached to the kitchen, where the other guys are sitting at the table with worry drawn on their faces. Julia fills a glass with water and I chug the entire thing before asking for more.

"I have a feeling she'll talk to us in the morning," Julia says, handing me another glass of water. "She just needs time to herself right now. She's been wanting to tell Ashton about Jared for a while now, and I think she'll tell the rest of you guys too."

"What makes you think that?" Calum aske. The dark circles under his eyes give away his unwillingness to sleep at a time like this.

"She trusts you guys," Julia says. "I'd tell you the story myself, but I want her to be the one who says it. I will tell you a few things, though. She's been through a lot with Jared and he unfortunately changed her. That's one of the reasons as to why we moved. We used to live in Glendale, but we decided that it would be best to move somewhere else where Jared couldn't find her. We didn't give any notice, we just left. It may not be that far away, but attending a private school helps since Jared has the worst grades ever and was barely accepted into a community college.

"She's recovered from the worst of it over the past couple of years. She even went to see a therapist for several months to help with her trauma. Once she met you guys, she returned to her happy self and started to trust people again. I want to thank you for that again. But even with that trust, I'm surprised to know she actually told you what happened, Mikey," she says.

Michael runs his fingers through his hair, making it more of a disheveled mess than it was before. "I was too," he says. "I remember last month when I asked her why she didn't have a boyfriend, and it was obvious she didn't want to talk about it. But when she told me what happened... God, I felt so bad. Yeah, it made me happy that she was comfortable enough to confide in me, but I was still shocked."

Luke props his elbows on the table and rests his head against his clasped hands. "I hate that we didn't see what was going on," he says. "It hurts to know that we didn't find her in time."

"We tried though," Calum says.

"I don't think you guys would have been able to prevent it no matter what," Julia says. "Jared is a sadistic creep who would do anything to get Emilia back. I'm just worried that now that he knows where she is, he's going to try and pursue her again."

I clench my fist at the thought. I don't want Jared within a twenty mile radius of Emilia. I won't allow him to hurt her again. I'm not a violent person, but when it comes to Emilia, I would take on an entire army to protect her.

"Is there anything that she can do to keep him away?" I ask. "A restraining order, or even press charges?"

"The last time we tried pressing charges, no one believed Emmie," Julia says. "We had no proof to give the police, so it was his word against hers."

Michael's head snaps up. "I noticed a few bruises forming on her wrist when I was carrying her to the car," he reveals. "There's also a mark on her shoulder from what I'm assuming to be a hickey, but it looked extremely painful."

The anger I had pushed aside resurfaces. The thought of any guy touching Emilia in a sexual manner makes my skin crawl. Just picturing the dark bruises on her delicate skin makes my stomach churn. I shake the image of his hands roaming her body and his mouth pressing against her skin out of my head.

"We have our proof, then," I say. "As long as she has those bruises, there's no way that they can't press charges against him." And maybe even a restraining order if it's not too much to ask for.

Julia chews on her bottom lip. "We'll have to see what Em says in the morning," she says. "I don't want to make any decisions without her consent. She was hesitant the first time we tried to press charges."

"Why?" Luke raises his voice. "Why would she hesitate to stop the guy who was assaulting her?"

"I think her therapist said it was a mild form of Stockholm syndrome," she says. "Jared showed up a few years after her parent's death, and he helped her cope when she was having a hard time. He was a good guy in the beginning and was always there for her like me. Since he had helped her through that difficulty, she didn't want for him to get in trouble. She was trying to protect him even though he hurt her. I had to talk her into going through with it. She knows now that it was the best thing to do and that she was wrong to even try to protect him."

It hurts to think that she even tried to defend that bastard. Although, I can't be angry with her. She didn't have many people to lean on back then. She was trying to keep what little she had.

"Let's just see what happens in the morning," Michael says, yawning mid-sentence.

"We should all probably head to bed," Julia suggests. She heads towards the hall closet and pulls out a few blankets and sets them on the couch. "You guys can stay here. I'd rather you not drive when you're half-asleep. Plus, I want you to be here when she tells us what happened. The couch pulls out into bed so two of you can sleep there, as long as you're comfortable with that. The other two can fight for the loveseat and armchair," she jokes, lightening the mood.

We take off our suit jackets and hang them over the dining chairs. Luke and Calum decide to take the bed and Michael chooses the loveseat, leaving me with the option of the armchair. I honestly don't want to sleep out here with the guys; I want to be near Emilia. I take one of the blankets Julia had brought out and go back to my spot in front of Emilia's bedroom door.

No one questions me as I wrap the thin blanket around my body and lean my back against the door again. If this is as close as I can get to her right now, I will gladly take it. As long as I can be within a few feet of her, even if a door is blocking my way, I am content.