"Strength isn't about how much you can handle before you break; it's about how much you can endure after you've been broken"
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Astria Belle Crawford hasn't had the best of childhood. The separation from her brothers and father had affected her in...
sorry for doing this lol but this is like a break between two parts of the book, like everyone was waiting for the downhill journey before this chapter, now please wait for the uphill journey after this chapter.
Let this also be a reminder to everyone that you don't have to be in control of everything and not everything is in your hands, sometimes, life just fucks you in the ass and the only option you have is to add more lube and to wait it out. So, rather than cursing yourself, pull yourself up, have faith in yourself and fight the world head on because once you've hit a low, the place to go is up!!
Onto the chapter now!!
not edited
The youngest Crawford fell asleep in the safe arms of her oldest brother as he worriedly looked down at her and then his phone simultaneously. Sighing, he laid her in her bed, handing her a large pillow to somewhat make up for the loss of human contact. And it somehow worked as the young girl cuddled in and sighed dreamily in her sleep. He then pulled up the heavy covers and them right under her chin, making sure that would be warm and safe for the remainder of the night.
He then walked out, shutting the door behind him as quietly as possible. "How is she?" he heard the question the moment he had successfully closed the door. He looked behind him to find his youngest brothers, looking at him in worry for his sister. His eyes softened as he was reminded of everything his younger siblings had been through. Eventhough Astria had probably been through the most as a child, he couldn't possibly overlook all the emotional trauma his brothers had been through. The constant fear and worry of what the next day would dawn for their little broken family was quite similar to what their sister felt but at the same time, very different.
"She'll be fine," he muttered, "eventually." The eldest one, started to walk away from the room where his sister was asleep, trying not to ruin her sleep. The younger followed his brother's lead as they both came down to the living where Octavian's eyes landed on the clock. Realizing that it has been well two hours past midnight, he rubbed his eyes with tiredness and frustration. He quickly fished out his phone to see if he had any calls from Zion updating him about the situation with Dorian.
"Zion called me," Zane spoke up, "They've reached the penthouse safely but Dorian has locked himself. He was not sure what to do and he did sound quite scared. I also heard some shattering sounds in the background so that could be it."
This was what Octavian was afraid of. Dorian was one of the most emotion-driven men he had come across. He knew how to control his emotions and actions in public eyes. That was instilled in all of the Crawford children from a very young age but the moment Dorian was alone, the multitude of emotions he felt was a lot more as compared to his siblings. The moment Dorian stormed out of the mansion he looked torn. Broken even. Octavian was shocked to see him so affected because the last time Dorian reacted in such a way was when he heard the news of his father. He hadn't talked to anyone that day. The next day his room was trashed but he still hadn't spoken to anybody or shed a tear. It terrified Octavian to see him like that.
"I know you want to go see him," Zane spoke up.
"But I can't. I don't want to leave Astria alone," Octavian replied.
"But you want to be there for him as well, don't you?" Zane asked.
"I know it is his fault but he is punishing himself, I know he is. On the inside, he might have gone too harsh on himself. As much as I am angry at him for behaving like this, I do not want him to spiral downwards as he did after father." Octavian said.
"Then go."
"You saw how fragile Astria was, I can't leave her alone right now," Octavian said.
"Vian," Zane muttered softly, "Anyone of the three of us can help Astria, but only you can help Dorian. He wouldn't listen to the both of us. And you've put Astria to sleep. We will be there if she wakes up but Dorian is still out there, cursing himself out, which he should be sorry, but before he takes it too far, you can stop it."
Octavian ran a hand through his hair, trying to push it back. He wasn't sure of what to do. For the first time ever, he wasn't clear. He just couldn't leave any of his siblings alone. As much as Dorian deserved a punishment for how he treated Astria, he just didn't want to see him in pain. And pain, emotional burden was never the way to punish anybody in Octavian's opinion.
"I'll send Zion back when I reach there. And call me if she wakes up before morning. I'll come back if she wants me to, I don't mind so don't put too much burden on her. I'll be sending a friend of mine in the morning to help Astria with her stuff. Take care of her please," Octavian said, walking out with his wallet, phone and keys in hand.
Zane followed him out of the house and into the garage, "Are you sure you want to send your friend over. You know Astria is not great at meeting new people and after tonight it'll be exceptionally difficult," Zane muttered. He knew if Octavian was doing something, he had thought it through and had his reasons. But he couldn't help but worry. He trusted Octavian enough to know that he was doing right and it would help Astria but he couldn't help but want to know his reasoning.
"Don't worry, she'll be fine," Octavian replied, pulling out of their garage. Zane went back into the house, preparing himself a strong cup of coffee before entering Astria's room. He didn't want to leave her alone for too long. He began sipping on his espresso while reading some news on his phone.
Octavian quietly walked through the door, into the penthouse where Zion was waiting outside Dorian's room, trying to unlock it. His head snapped up the moment Octavian walked in through doors and sighed in relief as his head hung. "He wouldn't open the door. I tried everything. I don't know if he's hurting himself or not. I'm sorry," Zion whispered, his head hung low. Octavian softly patted his shoulders.
"It's not your fault okay? I'll talk to him. He'll be fine. Everything will be fine," He said to his younger brother but in truth he didn't know if it would ever be alright.
That night, each and every one of the famous perfect Crawford siblings went to bed in tears. A past so traumatic to hear and to have lived through that, the youngest cried in relief to be alive but the oldest cried, staying awake, cursing himself for not being able to protect any of his siblings. Without any shoulder to cry on or a voice of consolation, he cried himself until daybreak before putting on his armor, ready to protect his siblings, to keep the last promise he made to his father.
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A/N
Okay so as I said, this is like a break thing, hope you like the chapter, kinda pured my heart into it, maybe she'd a tear or two for mah boo Vian, no biggie.
Anyways, the thing about the Mafia book in last chapter. I do have an idea but it's not Mafia. I'm not too big on fantasizing about criminals, sorry. But the idea I have is about vigilantes and a secret government organization. It is a brother-sister book, dw. But vigilantes are kinda doing the good thing so idk. Let me know if you would read a story where the mc's brothers are vigilantes!!
So, if you liked this chapter, please vote and share. Comment and tell me about your favorite part of this chapter!!
QOTD: Do like reading comics? AOTD: I do, I have read quite a number of comics in the past year!
Sbling meme lol!!!
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Also the A/N before the chapter was written at 3 am in the morning so if it sounds weird, y'all know it was my sleep deprived ass 🤪🤪
