Fina's POV

The day at school had been surprisingly okay—well, aside from the constant wariness I carried with me in the back of my mind. I couldn't help but feel like everyone was watching me, waiting for something to happen. My brothers had made it clear they were keeping a close eye on Aiden, but I was too wrapped up in the whirlwind of emotions to care too much.

But today, something felt different.

As the bell rang signaling the end of third period, I felt my stomach churn again—this time, not from cramps, but from a strange, uneasy feeling settling in my gut. I stood up from my seat, grabbing my bag, trying to push the feeling down.

"Fina, you okay?" Aiden asked, his voice laced with concern.

I nodded quickly, offering him a reassuring smile. "Yeah, just need to use the bathroom. I'll be right back."

Aiden didn't look convinced, but he nodded nonetheless, returning his focus to his own work. I felt his eyes on me as I left the classroom, though I didn't look back.

The hallway was almost empty when I walked out into it, the late bell signaling the start of the next class. I made my way toward the bathroom, but halfway there, I froze.

Connor.

He was standing by the lockers, his back to me, talking to someone I didn't recognize. But when he turned around and saw me walking toward him, the conversation abruptly stopped. His eyes narrowed in a way that made my stomach drop.

"Fina," he spat, stepping closer. "Where do you think you're going?"

I tried to step around him, but he blocked my path, the smile on his lips more sinister than I'd ever seen before. "I asked you a question."

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stand tall, though my body trembled with unease. "I'm going to the bathroom," I said, keeping my voice steady.

"You think you're just going to walk away after what your brothers did to me?" His voice was low, dangerous.

I froze, the words hitting me like a physical blow. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't think I heard what they said to me, do you?" Connor's voice was seething with anger. "They think they can just scare me off? You're not their little princess anymore, Fina. I'm not afraid of them."

Before I could even process what was happening, he grabbed my wrist, yanking me toward him with enough force to send my body stumbling into him. My breath hitched as I tried to pull away, but his grip was ironclad.

"You're not going anywhere," he snarled, shoving me backward until I was pressed against the row of lockers.

My heart slammed in my chest as I tried to push him off, but he was too strong, his body towering over mine. I could feel the panic rising in my chest, my breaths coming in short, frantic gasps.

"Connor, stop it!" I cried, but my voice wavered with fear.

"You think I care what you say?" His face was so close now that I could feel the heat of his breath on my skin. "Your brothers are just trying to protect their precious little sister, huh? You're nothing but a joke."

He pressed harder against me, the edge of the locker digging into my back. I gasped for air, my body pinned, unable to move.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps, rapid and approaching. Connor must have heard them too because his grip on me loosened for just a moment. In that second, I twisted my body, trying to break free. But before I could fully escape, everything around me started to spin.

The world tilted, my vision blurred, and my legs gave way beneath me.

The next thing I knew, I was lying on the cold tile floor, my head throbbing in pain. My temple felt like it was on fire, the ache unbearable. I reached up to touch the spot, feeling the dampness of blood. Panic flooded through me as I realized what had just happened—I had passed out.

I tried to sit up, but dizziness overtook me, making the room spin once more.

"Fina?" A voice called out.

I turned my head, struggling to focus through the haze in my mind. The figure that stood above me came into sharper focus.

Aiden.

He was kneeling beside me now, his hands hovering over me, unsure whether to touch me. His face was pale, his eyes wide with panic.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice tight with fear.

"I... I don't know," I whispered, my throat dry. "I think he—he..." I couldn't finish the sentence. I couldn't even comprehend what had just happened.

Before I could say anything else, Aiden's phone rang, loud and sharp in the silence. His eyes darted to it before he picked it up, quickly answering.

"Yeah, this is Aiden," he said quickly. "No, she's here. I think she's hurt... I'm taking her to the nurse. No, she's not okay, she passed out—yeah, I'll explain everything. Just meet me there, okay?"

I barely heard his words, the pain in my head too overwhelming. I closed my eyes, trying to breathe through the agony, but I couldn't shake the feeling of helplessness.

"Fina, stay with me, okay?" Aiden's voice was calm but filled with urgency. "I'm getting you to the nurse right now."

He gently helped me sit up, though my body screamed in protest. The dizziness was relentless, and I had to cling to him to keep myself from toppling over.

When we reached the nurse's office, the chaos started. The nurse immediately began to assess me, asking questions I could barely answer. Aiden stood by my side the entire time, his hand resting lightly on my arm as he watched the nurse carefully.

But even in my foggy state, I couldn't shake the image of Connor's face from my mind. The way he'd trapped me, his anger boiling over in a way that sent ice through my veins.

And then, I realized with horror: none of this had been my fault. I hadn't done anything to deserve it.

But the thought of telling someone, of making it known that I was the one who had been hurt... I wasn't sure I could do it.

Aiden stayed close by as the nurse gently examined my head, her hands soft but precise. I could feel the bandage she placed on my temple, where the cut had started to bleed, but the pain was only a dull throb now, almost manageable.

"Are you feeling okay, Fina?" Aiden's voice was soft, laced with concern as he bent down beside me. His hand gently brushed against my arm, as though he was afraid that if he touched me too firmly, I might break.

"I... I think so," I whispered, still feeling like the world was spinning slightly. My head was foggy, and the weight of everything that had just happened hung heavily in the air.

"I'm going to call your brothers and let them know what happened," Aiden said after a moment, his voice calm but edged with urgency. He pulled out his phone, and before I could say anything, he was already typing out a message to my brothers, telling them I'd passed out and that I was at the nurse's office.

A small part of me wanted to tell him to leave it alone, that I didn't want them to worry. But I couldn't bring myself to say it. They had to know. They deserved to know what had happened, what Connor had done.

As Aiden dialed a number and stepped outside the nurse's office to make the call, I was left alone with my thoughts. The nurse continued to check on me, but my mind kept circling back to Connor. To his anger. To his hands on me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to push the thoughts away, but they came flooding back. The anger in his voice, the grip on my arm, the way he had pinned me against the lockers like I was nothing more than an obstacle.

But then, something else flickered in my memory—the pain in Aiden's eyes when he found me. The concern and protectiveness that radiated from him when he saw me in danger. The way he had stayed with me through everything.

I took a shaky breath, trying to ground myself in the present. I was here. I was safe. I hadn't been hurt any worse than the concussion, but I was still shaken. My body trembled as the adrenaline started to wear off, and my hands began to shake uncontrollably.

Moments later, the door to the nurse's office swung open, and in walked my brothers, each of them looking like they were ready to tear someone apart. Their expressions softened the moment they saw me, but their concern was palpable.

Enzo was the first to speak, his voice low and steady, though I could hear the fury beneath it. "What happened, Fina?"

I swallowed hard, but I couldn't find the words at first. I wanted to tell them everything, but I wasn't sure I could. How could I explain the fear I had felt? The helplessness that washed over me when Connor had grabbed me? How could I put it into words without breaking down?

Aiden stepped back into the room just then, his eyes briefly meeting mine before he turned to my brothers. "I'm the one who called," he said quietly. "She passed out in the hallway. She hit her head pretty hard."

Enzo turned his furious gaze to Aiden. "How did this happen?"

Aiden hesitated, clearly unsure how to explain the situation, but before he could speak, I interrupted, my voice barely above a whisper. "Connor. He—he did this."

The room went completely still, my brothers all freezing at the mention of Connor's name. Their eyes hardened immediately, all of them straightening in response to my words.

"What did he do?" Matteo's voice was sharp, a mixture of anger and protectiveness.

I took a deep breath, the memories flooding my mind once more. "He grabbed me in the hallway. He pinned me against the lockers. He... he was angry that you all confronted him the other day. He started saying things about how he wasn't afraid of you, that I was just some joke."

I paused, struggling to keep my voice steady. "I tried to get away, but he wouldn't let me. I... I couldn't breathe, and then everything just went black."

The silence in the room was suffocating. I could see the anger building in my brothers' eyes, their fists clenching at their sides as they processed what I had just said.

Aiden stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder in a comforting gesture. "You're safe now, Fina. No one's going to hurt you again."

Enzo turned to him, his expression dark. "What did Connor do after that? Did he leave you like that?"

Aiden shook his head. "I was the one who found her. I helped her get to the nurse. But after that, we didn't see Connor anymore. I don't think he was around when I called for help."

The mention of Connor made my stomach churn. I had hoped he'd leave me alone after the incident with my brothers. I didn't know what to expect, but I never imagined he would take things this far.

"I'll deal with him," Enzo said, his voice cold and calm, though I could see the fury in his eyes. "Don't worry about that, Fina."

But my mind couldn't stop replaying what had happened. The way he had grabbed me, the way his eyes had burned with anger. I felt like I was back there again, pinned to the lockers, my breath strangled by his grip.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force the memory away. But it was hard. Too hard.

Aiden crouched down in front of me, his face gentle. "Fina, hey. Look at me."

I slowly lifted my gaze to his, my heart aching. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have let him do that."

"Don't you dare apologize for something that wasn't your fault," Aiden said firmly, his voice reassuring. "You didn't do anything wrong. He's the one who messed up."

But his words didn't reach me the way they should have. In the back of my mind, I still blamed myself. Maybe if I had told someone sooner. Maybe if I hadn't tried to face it alone, none of this would have happened.

But Aiden was right. Connor had been the one to hurt me, not the other way around.

As I sat there with my brothers and Aiden, I felt the weight of everything that had happened crash down on me. The pain in my head, the fear, and the overwhelming sense of being helpless.

But I wasn't alone anymore. I had Aiden. I had my brothers.

And for the first time in a long time, I allowed myself to believe that maybe, just maybe, I could be safe.