Chapter 18: Chapter 16

Elijah’s POV

“Soph!” Lucas exclaimed, making me turn around.

Alex walked into the kitchen, holding Sophia's hand in his. She was looking around with a scared and confused expression on her face.

Lucas grabbed her and hugged her tightly.

“Hi, cutie,” he said. “I missed you.”

I could tell that she was uncomfortable. She glanced at Alex and he squeezed her hand. He didn’t try to move Lucas away.

“Did you sleep well?” Lucas asked as he let her go and caressed her cheek.

She looked at him and nodded.

I was so fucking proud of her. She did it all by herself. No one had to order her to answer.

“Are you hungry, honey?” I asked, making her look at me. “I am making pancakes.”

She furrowed her eyebrows a little.

“She has to eat,” Damien said as he walked into the kitchen. “Don’t ask her. Tell her.”

“Damien,” Alex said angrily.

“Fuck off, Alexander,” Damien said angrily. “She needs food. I am not letting her starve or get sick. She won’t eat unless we tell her to eat.”

Alex clenched his fists and tightened his jaw. Lucas pulled Sophie from him and guided her toward the table.

“Don’t worry about them, cutie,” Lucas said as he pulled out a chair for her. “All they ever do is fight.”

Sophie kept looking at Alex and I could tell that she felt uncomfortable without him. Alex and Damien were whispering something angrily. They made sure that she couldn't hear them, though.

“Do you want your pancakes with Nutella or with syrup?” Lucas asked her.

“How about both?” I said as I approached her and placed a plate filled with pancakes on the table.

I kissed the top of her head and she looked up at me. I smiled and caressed her cheek.

“Don’t force yourself to eat, honey,” I said softly. “Eat as much as you can, okay?”

She didn’t respond, but she didn’t look away from me either. I leaned in and kissed her forehead.

“I love you, honey,” I told her softly.

I loved her so much and I couldn't believe that I didn’t save her from those monsters sooner. I should have done something. I should have visited her. I should have called.

Lucas sat next to her and placed a pancake on her plate.

“Do you want to try both, cutie?” Lucas asked, making her look back at her plate. “I prefer Nutella, but they are tasty with syrup as well.”

Sophia nodded and Lucas smiled brightly. He grabbed the syrup bottle just as William walked into the kitchen.

“Enough,” he said coldly, staring at Damien and Alex. “I am sick of the two of you bickering constantly.”

He looked at Sophie and she visibly tensed up. I placed my hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

William gulped and clenched his jaw. He approached the table and sat down without even looking at her. I rolled my eyes and looked at my brother. He sighed and shook his head before walking toward the table. He sat next to Sophie and she immediately took his hand in hers.

I smiled brightly. Alex pulled her chair closer to his. He was beaming with happiness.

“I like my pancakes with syrup, baby,” Alex said as he kissed her temple.

“Don’t listen to him,” Lucas said. “Nutella is the best.”

I snorted and looked at Damien. He had a pissed-off look on his face. He approached the table and sat down opposite Sophie.

“A psychiatrist will come talk to you today, Sophia,” Damien said and I could tell that he was trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

She looked at him and furrowed her eyebrows a little.

“I am worried about your mental health,” Damien explained. “I am worried about the way those fuckers raised you.”

She gulped and glanced at Alex.

“I will be with you every step of the way, baby,” Alex said softly. “I won’t leave you alone with him.”

“We will also need to discuss your education Sophia,” William said coldly. “I want you to go to school. I want to fix everything those bastards did wrong.”

“Take it easy,” Lucas said, rolling his eyes at William. “She needs to recover first. Don’t overwhelm her.”

Sophia tugged on Alex’s hand. He looked at her and smiled. I could tell that she wanted to say something.

“You can talk, honey,” I said softly, making her look up at me. “It’s okay.”

She looked back at William and took a deep breath.

“I finished school,” she said quietly.

I furrowed my eyebrows and looked at my brother. He was as confused as I was.

“Explain, Sophia,” Damien said sternly.

She glanced at him before looking down at her lap.

“I finished early,” she said. “They couldn't keep me home because the neighbors knew they had a child. I went to school, but James said I needed to finish it as soon as possible because he didn’t like it when I wasn’t home.”

I gulped and tightened my jaw. I knew why he didn’t like it and it made me pissed as fuck.

“So you finished high school?” William asked her.

She nodded without looking up.

I bent down and kissed the top of her head. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

“I am so proud of you, cutie,” Lucas said as he wrapped his arms around her.

She glanced at him and he smiled. I saw tears in his eyes.

“Okay,” William said. “Do you want to go to college?”

Sophie looked up at him and I could see that she was confused. Alex tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He smiled at her.

“Did you ever think about what you would want to study, baby?” Alex asked her. “You can choose whatever you want. Money isn’t an issue.”

Sophia looked at him and her confusion turned into shock. Alex furrowed his eyebrows a little.

“Our money is your money too, baby,” Alex explained. “You have as much right to it as we do.”

I felt Damien’s eyes on me. I looked at him and furrowed my eyebrows. He was staring at me with a pissed-off look on his face.

What the hell was his problem?

“She never thought about college because she wasn’t expecting to go,” Damien said, keeping his eyes on me. “She knew that James wouldn't let her.”

I tightened my jaw and narrowed my eyes at him.

“Yes, but she surely fantasized about going,” Lucas said. “Didn’t you, cutie? You thought about what you would want to study, didn’t you?”

Damien tightened his jaw. He kept staring at me and I wanted to slam my fist into his face.

What the fuck did he want?!

“She didn’t,” Damien said. “She didn’t think she would be alive long enough to go.”

I heard multiple gasps around me. My eyes widened and I squeezed Sophia's shoulders tightly. I never looked away from Damien.

“Damien!” Alex exclaimed loudly as he pulled Sophia to him.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Lucas shouted. “That’s not true!”

Damien tightened his jaw and tilted his head. He finally looked at Sophia.

“Am I right?” he asked her. “You never thought about it because you didn’t think it would happen?”

Sophia buried her face into Alex’s chest. He placed his hand on her head and glared at Damien.

“Damien, I swear to God…,” Alex spoke angrily.

Damien looked at Sophia and his jaw twitched. He gulped and took a deep breath.

“The psychiatrist will talk about it with her,” he said as he stood up and rushed out of the kitchen.

William stood up and followed him.

I looked down at my sister and my heart broke. She was holding onto Alex so tightly. It looked like she was afraid to let go.

And she probably was.

“I am so sorry, cutie,” Lucas said as he rubbed her back gently. “He is my brother and I love him, but he is an idiot.”

Lucas leaned in and kissed the top of her head.

“You thought about it, cutie, didn’t you?” Lucas continued.

Alex looked up at me and my heart broke. I could tell what he was thinking.

She didn’t think about it.

Damien was right.