The Queens' Baby

Ch. 28 - Flashback

Peyton POV (New POV!)

I have only seen Savannah around the castle and she looks to be in rough shape. Her spirits are still high so I guess that's a good thing. Jason has spent some time with her, but I couldn't bring myself to go near her.

I feel awful for not spending time with her and supporting her when she needs her friends the most, but it brings back too many painful memories of my past. Literally no one knows of my past, not Jason, not Axel, and especially not Lily. She has become an actual mom to me and I don't want her to be sad from my story.

Axel and Lily found me living on the streets when I was 17 almost 18. We didn't develop our relationship immediately, but Lily was who I bonded to first. It took me a long time to completely trust Axel, and there are days where the memories become too much and I can't be near him.

My past is why when I slip, I slip pretty far. I don't slip into a newborn like Savannah has, but I've gotten close. It's why I do skin-to-skin and nurse with Lily so much. It is quite literally the only thing that will calm me.

Every mark on Savannah's body reminds me of those that were on my body. As I sit on my bed I decide to grab something out of hiding that even I haven't seen in at least a year. My medical files.

Looking through I see my first hospital visit, I was 6 months old and had a broken hand. My dad said he was carrying a laundry basket while I was laying on the floor and just didn't see me and he stepped on my hand. I don't know if that's true, but in every single file it's always my dad behind the injury.

My mother was never in any file besides my birth. She abandoned me and took my twin sister with her. No one knows about her either, and I don't talk about her to other people because I don't even know her name.

The abuse continued with broken arms, legs, ribs, and my nose a few times. Each time he would come up with an excuse. When I was 15 and broke my leg the excuse was I fell out of a tree when the reality was I was hiding on the roof of the house and my dad found me. He pushed me off and I snapped my leg like it was a twig.

A year later to the day, I ran away from home and never looked back. I'm actually from the next kingdom over, Skarrsland. I wanted to make sure he could never find me and that the system wouldn't take me.

I was on the street for almost two years when I was discovered by Lily. She gushed over me and brought me to the castle where she has never stopped coddling me. I love every minute, but the guilt eats me alive daily. Her and Axel take very good care of me, even with my trust issues of men, but they have never questioned me. I know they have to have some general idea on why I only let Axel do certain things and why I'm typically glued to Lily.

Looking through my files causes me to get more and more upset so I toss them to the end of the bed while bringing my knees up to my chest. I uncontrollably sob while my entire body shakes. I faintly hear my door open and hope it's just a maid.

"Peyton? Honey are you okay?" Axel questioned and hearing a mans voice in the midst of my upset just caused me to cry more.

Axel tried to wrap an arm around me, but due to my past I freaked out and screamed when he touched me causing him to jump away from me. "I'll go get Lily okay? I'll go get your mommy." He said as he quickly left the room.

I rocked back and forth trying to get all of the memories out of my head. I had looked just like Savannah for so many years. Every hit, every cut, every burn came rushing back to me and I felt like I was suffocating.

I'm too out of it to realize that I was pulled into someone's lap, but as soon as I do I start thrashing thinking it's a man, but that's when I hear a soft feminine voice.