Rosaline

6

Rosaline POV

Hearing the older man yelling outside, my heart pounded in my chest. He was angry, probably at the man who had tried to attack me. But all I could think about was the mess I had made. I had an accident. What if they punished me? These men were bigger than Father—what if they killed me? I started crying, panic gripping me tightly.

The handsome man was saying something, but his words felt distant, like I was underwater. I was sure I was dead. Then the door opened, and the older man came back in. He looked like the one in charge, and fear twisted inside me. He was going to hurt me. Slowly, he walked toward me.

"I'm sorry, princess. He was just excited to see you again," he said, kneeling down in front of me. His voice was soft, almost gentle.

I suddenly noticed I wasn't on the ground. I was on something soft. I glanced around, letting go of Ellie and hiding her under the blankets. I didn't want her to get hurt.

"Rosaline, I'm sorry," the handsome man said from across the room. "I know this is hard to understand, but we will never hurt you on purpose."

I looked at him, unsure, as he pulled the older man out of the room. I could hear them talking quietly outside. Only the younger one came back into the room, holding something in his hand. "We don't have clothes your size yet, so I brought you my hoodie. It might be a little big, but it's better than staying in the wet one," he said, handing it to me.

That was the first time I noticed I was wearing clothes I didn't recognize. Father always said I didn't deserve new clothes. They'd just get ruined anyway.

I panicked for a moment. Did I have an accident? Was I going to be punished?

"Rosy, I'll give you some privacy," he added gently before turning around.

Was I supposed to put the hoodie on? I tried to slip out of the one I was already wearing, but somehow I got stuck in the armhole.

I heard soft laughter behind me. "Oh, sweetie, let me help you," the man said, stepping closer. He gently pulled off the hoodie, but then he paused, staring at me for a few seconds.

My heart sank. Oh no, he's tricking me.

I curled up as small as I could, trying to cry quietly, convinced I'd done something wrong.

"Oh, Rosy, I didn't mean to stare," the man said, looking thoughtful. "I'm not used to seeing people undressed. I won't look if you put on the new hoodie," he added gently.

Peeking up at him, I slowly reached for the hoodie and slipped it on. It was even bigger than the last one. The man smiled softly. "Why don't we find somewhere else to sleep?" he suggested, stepping closer. "You can sleep in my room or Dad's."

I just stared at him, unsure. He noticed my hesitation. "You don't have to sleep if you don't want to. We could watch TV or do something else. But I don't think you should stay on that bed," he said, his tone warm and reassuring.

Emilio POV

She was so scared when she peed herself. I told Dad he should sleep so he can spend the day with her since I have an important meeting at school tomorrow. I helped her change out of our youngest brother Niccolò's hoodie into mine, and got her out of the bed. The maids can wash it, but I didn't want Rosaline laying in her own mess.

I gently opened my door and sat her on the couch by my TV. My room was like an apartment—I even had a kitchen area with a mini fridge. Rosy sat on the couch, staring at the floor. I grabbed some blankets and the TV remote, then sat down next to her, but not too close. I could see how confused she was, but we were going to explain everything to her in the morning with the whole family.

I pulled up Disney+—we mostly had it for the Marvel movies. My eyes landed on Alice in Wonderland. "Rosy, have you ever seen Alice in Wonderland?" I asked. She shook her head, still looking at the TV.

I was glad to see some response, even though she hadn't spoken yet. She'd been nodding and shaking her head instead. I played the movie and grabbed my phone, figuring I could get some work done if I was going to be up. I kept glancing over at Rosaline—she had the blanket I'd tossed over her, but I didn't think she'd noticed Ellie, her stuffed toy, next to her yet. She was too absorbed in the movie.

When the movie ended, I noticed Rosaline had found Ellie and was hiding her again. I smiled, but then she looked at me, scared, and quickly glanced down.

"Rosy, are you okay?" I asked, knowing she wouldn't answer, but it gave me an excuse to sit in front of her. "Was it the movie?" I wondered if she didn't want it to end, but she was shaking a little as she looked down.

"There are more movies we can watch," I said gently. She started to look up, a few tears falling. "Oh, sweetie, is something hurting?" I asked, unable to think of anything else. She slowly shook her head, then pointed at the TV.

"Do you want to pick the next one?" I asked. She just looked at me and gave the smallest nod. I went through the list, pointing to each movie and giving a brief description. She shook her head until I got to Cinderella. I smiled and clicked play. She pulled Ellie out from her hiding spot and hugged her gently.

Halfway through the movie, Rosaline fell asleep. I let it finish just in case before picking her up and placing her on my bed. It was 5 AM—I figured I could get a little more sleep, too. I lay down next to her, giving her half of the bed. I was starting to drift off when I felt something wrap around my leg. It was Rosaline, and with that, I fell asleep.

- Author note -

Hey peeps! Long part. Hope you enjoy.