Their Hidden Treasure

Chapter 27

Alexander’s POV

I wasn’t angry.

I was fucking livid. I wanted to grab Damien’s neck and squeeze. I wanted to take my gun and shoot the fucker. I wanted to kill him just like he almost killed her.

I picked Sophia up and placed her in my arms. I made sure that she was wrapped up in blankets. I made sure that she was warm. I laid her head on my chest and kissed her forehead. I held her like she was a baby. Well, she was my baby. She would always be my baby.

“Get the fuck out,” I said, my voice calm and cold.

I kept my eyes on my child. I caressed her cheek and focused on her. She was the only one keeping my calm.

“What?” Damien mumbled quietly.

I looked up at him and I would have punched him if I wasn’t holding her.

“What word didn’t you understand?” I asked. “Get the fuck out.”

Damien glanced at Sophia and gulped. I placed a hand on her head so he couldn’t see her.

“Do not look at her,” I said, making Damien look back at me. “You are not allowed near her unless it’s a medical issue. You are not allowed to talk to her. You are not allowed to be in the same room.”

Damien’s eyes widened.

“You always said that she is just a patient, didn’t you?” I continued. “Well, congratulations. That is all she will ever be to you. Get the fuck out.”

Damien shook his head and let out a quiet sob.

“I didn’t…,” he spoke, but I interrupted him.

“I don’t give a fuck, Damien!” I exclaimed. “She almost died because of your stupidity! She almost fucking died because you were too fucking proud to admit that she was your baby sister!”

Damien shook his head violently.

“No, no, no,” he said. “It wasn’t because of that. I…”

“You what?” I interrupted him. “You were afraid of getting hurt? Stop trying to sell me that teenage load of crap. You are a grown-ass man, Damien.”

Damien tried to speak again, but I didn’t let him talk.

“Were you afraid that you would get hurt if she left again?” I asked mockingly. “Were you afraid that you…”

“I was afraid of hurting her!” he interrupted me, slamming his fist against the coffee table.

I furrowed my eyebrows and glanced at his brothers. Lucas was pissed as fuck. William was sitting on the couch opposite me, holding his head in his hands.

I looked back at Damien and saw him wiping his cheeks. He was staring at his lap and I could tell that he was shaking.

“I am not a good person,” he said. “I always find a way to screw up. I don’t fucking know how to show how much I love her. I don’t know how to show how much I love my brothers. I don’t fucking know how to show how much I love…”

He stopped talking and closed his eyes.

“I was trying to protect her from me,” he added after a few moments of silence. “I knew that I would screw up sooner or later. I knew that I would hurt her. So I thought that if I didn’t let her get close…”

I clenched my fists. That was the stupidest fucking excuse I heard in my life.

“Well, you found a way to hurt her anyway,” I said, making him look up at me. “So fucking delightful.”

Damien tightened his jaw and looked at her.

“I didn’t mean to,” he mumbled as another tear fell on his cheek. “I don’t even know why I said it. I would never give her away. I would never let anyone take her. I would never let any one of you give her away again.”

His voice broke and he lowered his head.

“I should have done something when she was a baby,” he said quietly. “I should have begged Dad to let her stay with us. I should have…”

He stopped talking and I heard a small sob escape him.

I didn’t give a crap honestly.

“Too little too late, Damien,” I said. “Get the fuck out of here. You can come back to check on her later.”

He looked back up at me and I could tell that he was going to beg me.

“Alexander…,” he started, but I interrupted him immediately.

“I don’t want to hear it,” I said angrily. “Get out.”

“Listen to him, Damien,” William said quietly as he lifted his head and looked at his brother. “Leave the room. None of us can deal with this right now.”

Damien tangled his fingers into his hair and pulled. He jumped to his feet and ran out of the room.

I heard footsteps walking away from me and I looked to my left to see Eli leaving as well. He looked pissed. I wasn’t sure if he was following Damien or not. But why would he want to talk to him?

“Alexander…,” Lucas spoke, but I interrupted him immediately.

“I don’t want to talk,” I said as I looked back at my sister. “I just want to hold her.”

I caressed Sophia’s cheek and my heart clenched. She was still so cold.

“Come on, baby,” I mumbled quietly. “Come back to me. Come back to your big brother. We have so much to do. I only played one song for you. That isn’t nearly enough. I need to play more and you need to learn how to play yourself.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and leaned in to kiss her cold cheek.

“Come on,” I repeated. “Open those beautiful eyes.”

I heard footsteps approaching us. I looked up and saw William. He kneeled in front of me and reached out to caress her cheek.

“We won’t give you away, Sunshine,” he said quietly. “We would never do that. You are ours. You belong right here with all of us. You are never leaving us. I promise, my Sunshine.”

He leaned in and kissed her forehead. He looked like he was tortured and for the first time in my entire life, I felt bad for him. I knew exactly how he felt and I wanted to comfort him.

I looked at my sister and wondered if she would ever believe that we wouldn’t give her away again. I wondered how much damage Damien’s words did. I wondered how could I prove to her that she was here to stay. I wondered how…

And then an idea came to me.

It was perfect.

“William,” I mumbled as I looked up at him.

“What?” he asked, keeping his eyes on Sophia.

“I want to change her last name,” I said, making him look up at me. “I want to show her that we would never give her away again. I want her to know that she really belongs with us.”

William’s eyes widened.

“Fuck yes,” Lucas said excitedly.

I ignored him and kept my eyes on William.

“Sophia Caruso Ferrara,” I said. “That way she will always be ours.”

I saw tears in William’s eyes and I was sure that he could see them in mine. He smiled and nodded.

“I will call my lawyer first thing in the morning,” he said. “I will tell him to do it urgently. We will have those papers the day after tomorrow.”

I smiled and looked back down at Sophia.

“Did you hear that?” I mumbled as I placed another kiss on her cheek. “You are now officially a member of our family, baby.”

All she needed to do now was wake up and let us prove to her how fucking much we all loved her. I just hoped that she would let us do that. I hoped that Damien didn’t do too much damage. I hoped that I didn’t lose my sister forever.