The Ones Who Failed Us

Chapter 12

Hey! Just wanted to give a trigger warning for mentions of physical abuse. I have ⚠️⚠️⚠️ at the beginning and end of that part. Enjoy ☺️

My heart was beating fast, and I could feel Teddy stiffen up next to me. Neither of us wanted to tell them especially after how Emilio has been acting towards us, but my brothers already had a basic idea of what caused my back to be extremely deformed. Even though I would never tell them about him, I knew I needed to answer their questions, even if it was in the vaguest possible way. My answers would stop them from prying into our previous life for a while until I decided what to do about him. That didn't mean I wouldn't be difficult about it.

"I'm completely fine," I said. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Please don't lie to me, Avalee Russo," Alessandro said. Wow, pulling out my full first name. Guess they really want to know.

"Yeah, Aves," Leo said. "You had a panic attack this morning, and both you and Teddy have been flinching a lot since you've come home. Please let us in."

I took a few calming breaths and said, "Fine, but I have a condition. I'll answer your questions if you promise not to tell the twins. I don't trust them to not hurt Teddy and I with this information."

All three of my brothers looked saddened by what I had told them, but I didn't care. It would only take one last blow to my heart to destroy me, and I needed to keep myself together for Teddy. Elijah finally broke the silence by saying, "Bambina, you don't have to worry. They wo-"

"Stop!" I yelled. "They've already hurt us enough, and you three obviously don't know how far they are willing to go to hurt us even more. If you're going to tell them, then that's fine, but don't expect any answers to your questions. Do we have a deal or not?"

"Deal," Alessandro said.

I was really hoping they wouldn't agree, and we wouldn't have to tell them about the abuse, but I was disappointed. "What do you want to know?" I asked.

⚠️⚠️⚠️

"How did you get those cuts and the scarring on your back?" Alessandro asked.

"I was whipped."

Alessandro's and Elijah's jaws clenched while tears welled up in Leo's eyes, but the older two quickly regained their composure.

"Who did it, Aves?" Elijah asked.

I looked down, not wanting to answer. It was hard admitting that the man who was supposed to like a father to me was nothing more than a monster, a monster who took everything away from me the day Mom died.

I felt a finger lift my chin, causing me to flinch, and was met with Leo's glossy eyes. A look of hurt flashed over his face, but he quickly covered it with a sad smile. "Baby, you can tell us. It's going to be alright."

Oh, how wrong he was. Nothing would ever be alright again, not after what Sir and he did to me. My brothers can pretend all they want that we'll be fine, but the truth is that the trauma from the last four years had damaged me past the point of repair.

When I still refused to answer, Alessandro spoke up, "Tesoro, why don't you just nod and shake your head? You don't need to say anything, but please answer our questions. I know it's hard, but we need to know so we can figure out how to help you. Can you do that for us?"

I slowly nodded my head, and Teddy gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Okay," Alessandro said. "Did Damon do this to you? Your stepfather?"

I nodded keeping my attention on my oldest brother. He was the best at keeping his emotions under control, but I knew if I even took a glance at Elijah or Leo, I would break down sobbing. The last thing I needed was to show my brothers more of my weaknesses.