Alexander's POV

I heard footsteps approaching and I looked behind me.

Eli walked in and he immediately looked at Sophia.

"How is she?" he asked as he walked around the couch and sat next to me.

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. He didn't even give me a chance to respond to his question.

"Hey, honey," he mumbled. "I miss you so much. Wake up, please."

"Can you please make her some tea and some soup?" I asked. "She will need something warm to eat when she wakes up."

I was hoping it would be soon. She was a bit warmer and a little bit of color returned to her cheeks.

"Of course," Eli said as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I will make some for all of us. We need to warm up a bit."

I nodded and looked back down at my baby. Eli kissed her forehead one more time before he stood up and walked to the kitchen.

I caressed my baby's cheek and pressed her even closer to me.

"Come on, my baby," I mumbled. "Open those beautiful eyes."

I gulped and tried to take a deep breath. I was terrified of what she would do when she woke up. I was terrified of what she would say. Would she hate me? Would she be afraid of me?

"I envy you a bit," William mumbled, making me look up at him.

I furrowed my eyebrows. He envied me for what?

He sighed and looked at Sophia.

"Because of your relationship with her," he answered my silent question. "She already trusts you so much. I am sure that she wouldn't want to wake up in anyone else's arms."

I smiled and looked down at her. He was right. She did trust me the most.

But what if that changed? What if she didn't trust me anymore? What if she didn't want anything to do with me anymore?

I caressed her cheek and took a deep breath.

"I just hope Damien didn't ruin it," I mumbled. "I don't know what I will do if she doesn't trust me anymore."

William was silent for a moment.

"You will build it up again," he said and I looked up at him.

He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.

"It kind of pains me to say it, but she will need you the most when she wakes up," he mumbled and I could hear jealousy in his voice. "You are the only one who can convince her that Damien lied."

William looked at her and tightened his jaw.

"If she wakes up and doesn't trust you anymore, you will do whatever you have to do to gain her trust again," he added. "You are the only one who can do it, Alex. The rest of us have a longer way to go than you."

I took a deep breath and looked at my baby. I lifted her head a little so I could lean it against my shoulder. I kissed her cheek and started rocking her gently.

"Your brother is right, Sophia," I told her. "You need to wake up so I can assure you that Damien lied. You need to wake up so I can tell you how much I love you."

I leaned my cheek on her forehead and closed my eyes.

"Come on, baby," I mumbled for what felt like a hundredth time. "Come back to your big brother."

My heart almost jumped out of my chest when I heard her grunt quietly.

I gasped and looked down at her.

"Sophia!" I exclaimed as I cupped her cheeks and turned her head a little bit so I could see her better.

William practically jumped out of his seat and threw himself at us.

Sophia furrowed her eyebrows and I sobbed in relief.

"Come on, baby," I cried out. "Open your eyes."

"Come on, Sunshine," William mumbled as he leaned in and kissed her temple.

Sophia shut her eyes tightly before she started opening them slowly. I caressed her cheek and tried to stop myself from sobbing.

"Hi, my baby," I said as she finally opened her eyes.

My heart was hammering in my chest. What would she do? What would she say?

She looked around a bit before her eyes finally met mine. I could tell that she was confused.

"Hi, baby," I said as I leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead. "You are okay, Sophia. You are going to be okay."

I looked back down at her and saw her looking at William.

"Hi, Sunshine," he said as a tear fell on his cheek. "We missed you."

She furrowed her eyebrows a bit and looked back at me.

"He lied, Sophia," I told her. "We would never give you away. We will never give you away. That was a lie, baby. You are ours and we will never give you away again."

"Your brother is telling you the truth, Sunshine," William said as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Damien lied. What he said isn't true."

William cupped her cheek and made her look at him.

"I see you as my child, Sophia," he said, his voice quiet and raspy. "I see you as my daughter and I could never give you to someone else. Never, Sophia."

I saw a tear fall down her face. I wiped it away immediately.

"I love you, Sunshine," William said as a quiet sob broke through his lips. "I love you so much and I am so sorry I didn't tell you that before. I will say it every day from now on. I promise."

I pulled Sophia to my chest and kissed the top of her head.

"We all love you so much, baby," I told her. "Even Damien. He loves you a lot and he would never give you away. I promise, Sophia."

I couldn't see her face, but I could tell that she was crying. I could hear her quiet sobs. My heart broke.

"Oh, my little girl," I said as I started rocking her back and forth gently. "I am here. We are all here for you."

I kissed the top of her head again and wrapped her up in blankets even tighter.

"Are you cold, my baby?" I asked her. "Are you in pain?"

She didn't answer me. I needed her to answer me.

I lifted her head and made her look at me. The completely broken look in her eyes almost made me scream.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to force myself to breathe.

"Are you cold, baby?" I asked.

She gave me a small nod.

William moved before I could tell him to get her another blanket.

"Okay, baby," I said. "Your brother will get you another blanket. Eli is making you some tea and some soup. It will warm you up as well."

I wiped the tears from her face.

"Are you in any pain?" I asked.

She nodded and my heart almost jumped out of my chest.

"What hurts, my baby?" I asked, trying to contain the panic in my voice.

"My head," she mumbled so quietly that I almost didn't hear her.

William just approached us with another blanket. I wrapped it up around her.

"Go tell Damien that her head hurts," I told him. "He needs to give her something for the pain."

William nodded and kissed Sophia's forehead before he left the room.

Sophia and I were now alone and I had to use this time to tell her something very important.

"I love you, Sophia," I said as I cupped her cheeks and made her look at me. "I love you and I can't lose you again. It almost destroyed me when I was a kid and I can't let it happen again. I am not going to lose you again."

Another tear fell on her cheek. I pulled her to my chest and hugged her tightly.

"I love you, baby," I repeated. "I love you the most in this world."