Alexander’s POV

I kept staring at her beautiful face.

I was completely speechless. I had no idea what to say or what to do. She told those things like she was a robot. She told them like they meant nothing. She told them like she had made her peace with the fact that she would die here.

Why was she so calm when she was talking about it?

I looked up at my brother, William, Damien, and Lucas. All of them had shocked expressions on their faces. Lucas looked like he was going to throw up. He was standing behind Damien and there wasn’t a trace of color on his face. Damien looked empty. William was pissed as fuck.

My brother was wiping the tears off his cheeks, but it was useless. The tears kept falling out of his eyes.

I looked back at my baby and took a deep breath. I caressed her cheeks and leaned in to kiss her forehead.

“They lied, baby,” I said softly. “We didn’t know what they were doing to you. We never told them to do those things. We didn’t take you back to get some sort of revenge on you. We won’t hurt you, Sophia. They lied.”

Her eyebrows furrowed a little.

“They lied, baby,” I said, my voice breaking. “We love you so much and we will never hurt you.”

I heard footsteps approaching us and I looked up to see my brother sitting down next to Sophia and me. I moved my hands from her cheeks so Eli could see her.

“You are incredibly important to us, honey,” Eli said as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I know it will take time for you to believe us, but we do love you. We want what’s best for you. We will never hurt you and you will never go back to those monsters.”

“You are free, Sophia,” I added softly. “The nightmare you were in is over, baby.”

She hadn’t said a word, but I could swear that I saw tears in her eyes.

My heart clenched and I pulled her into my arms. I held her as tightly as I could and I started rocking us back and forth.

“Oh, my baby,” I said quietly. “You are home. You are safe.”

Eli placed his hand on her back and leaned in to kiss her temple.

“I love you, honey,” Eli mumbled quietly.

I took a deep breath and looked at William. He was still standing in the same spot. His fists were clenched and his eyes were filled with anger. I placed my hand on Sophia’s head and kept her close to me. I didn’t want her to see the look on his face. I didn’t want her to think that he was angry at her.

Well, she would never look at him without being told to, but I still didn’t want to take any chances.

“I need to examine her,” Damien said coldly.

Eli and I looked at him. His face was void of any emotion and I wasn’t sure if Sophia should see that too.

I tightened my hold on her. I knew that Damien was right, but I didn’t want him to touch her. I didn’t want him to scare her.

“Get her downstairs, Alexander,” Damien said as he turned around and stormed past Lucas.

I looked at my baby and kissed her temple.

“Your brother is a doctor, baby,” I said softly. “He will look at your injuries, okay?”

She didn’t say anything, but she tensed up.

“There is no need to be afraid, baby,” I said softly as I ran my fingers through her hair. “Your brother will be gentle, okay? He loves you very much and he would never hurt you.”

I kissed her temple again and stood up with her in my arms. I wrapped her legs around my waist and held her tightly to me.

I couldn't help but think bout how I should have carried her like this since she was a baby. I should have held her tightly from the moment she was born. I should have held her so tightly that no one could take her from my arms.

I walked past William and noticed his hands shaking a little. He never looked away from Sophia. I knew that she wanted to take her from me, but he never made a move. I wouldn't let him even if he did.

I kept kissing her temple as I was walking downstairs. I kept telling her that she was safe and that I loved her so much. She didn’t move an inch. She was so tense that I felt like I was carrying a statue in my arms.

She was too light, though. She should have been heavier.

I walked into the living room and saw Damien pacing around with a pissed-off look on his face. His medical equipment was on the coffee table and the couch.

He looked up at us and the pissed-off look on his face only worsened.

I placed my hand on Sophia’s ear which wasn’t pressed against my chest. I didn’t want her to hear what I had to say next.

“Lose that look on your face, Damien,” I said angrily. “I am not going to let you scare her. I am not going to let you touch her if you don’t calm down.”

His eyes widened and I could see the anger exploding inside him.

“She is my sister!” he exclaimed. “I am the doctor!”

I tightened my jaw and narrowed my eyes at him.

“She is and you are, but she is terrified,” I said angrily. “She will only get more scared if she sees you like this. Lose the look or I am taking her to the hospital.”

“He is right, Damien,” William said coldly. “Calm down.”

Damien tightened his jaw and clenched his fists. He narrowed his eyes at me before he took a deep breath and released it slowly. I could tell that he was trying to appear more calm and he actually managed to do it after a few deep breaths.

Well, he didn’t look calm or approachable, but it was better than when we came in.

I kissed Sophia’s temple again and moved my hand from her ear.

“I will place you on the couch, baby, okay?” I said softly. “Your brother will take a look at your injuries.”

I approached the couch and tried to put her down, but what happened next shocked me and everyone else.

Sophia wrapped her arms and legs tightly around me. She started trembling and she shook her head.

I tightened my arms around her and kissed her temple again. My heart almost exploded when she did that. It meant that she trusted me. She wanted me. She felt safe with me.

Damien had to check her out, though. We had to treat her injuries before any of them worsened.

“Oh, my baby,” I said softly as I sat on the couch with her in my arms. “He has to look, baby. We need to know if anything is wrong so we can help you.”

She shook her head again.

Eli and Lucas approached us at the same time. Eli sat to my right and rubbed her back softly.

“Come on, honey,” Eli said softly. “Nothing bad will happen. We promise.”

Lucas moved a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear. He leaned in and kissed her cheek.

“Hi, cutie,” Lucas said softly. “We really want to help you. Please let us do that. Please let us show you that we are nothing like those monsters. We love you, Sophia. We love you and we want to help you.”

I looked down at her and saw that she was studying Lucas’ face carefully. That was a huge step forward. She was looking at him without being told to.

“Maybe Alex can hold you while Damien takes a look at your injuries, honey?” Eli suggested. “He doesn’t have to let go of you. You can stay right here in his lap. What do you think?”

Sophia was silent. I didn’t expect her to answer verbally.

“How about that, baby?” I asked after a few moments. “I will hold you and I won’t let go.”

Her breathing picked up a little. She glanced up at me and I smiled, trying to reassure her.

She nodded and I thought that I was going to explode with happiness.

“That’s my brave little girl,” I said softly as I kissed the top of her head.

I looked at Eli and Lucas and saw that they were both smiling.

“I will need you to turn her around,” Damien said.

I rubbed her back softly. “Did you hear that, baby? I will just turn you around, okay? I won’t let go.”

She loosened her hold on me and I picked her up a little so I could turn her around. I placed her on my lap and pressed her back to my chest.

I watched as Damien approached us and my heart started beating like crazy.

What would we see? How bad was it?