Melancholy

25| It was him, wasn't it?

I've been hanging with the ladies and Elijah the entire morning. I'm not really sure what the guys are doing but I just push that away. Right now the ladies are chatting outside while me and Elijah are watching a movie.

I feel Elijah's head fall slightly onto my lap from his seating position. I glance at him to see his eyes closed and lightly snoring. I smile gently and pick him up softly making sure not to wake him up by placing him on my bed. I lay a feathery kiss on his temple and make my way to my desk opening my laptop to get some work done. Not even a second later papa texts me.

Office. Now.

That was it. Well damn. I leave my room heading for the office. When I make it there I enter to see the entire family sitting there with angered expressions.

"Hey, what's up with y'all?" I question taking a seat in one of the front chairs and spinning around.

"This." Xander grits throwing a paper at me. I give him a confused look but nonetheless open it.

Long time no see my friend. You may not remember me but your daughter sure as hell does. Our sweet little Arabella. What if you told you she wasn't as innocent as you thought. We'll meet soon but for now just tell your daughter to pick up her phone or I'll be sending something worse than a letter.

My body immediately stiffens as I read the letter. The stronzo really had to send a goddamn letter. Before anyone could say anything, my phone buzzed from my pocket. With slightly shaking hands I pick it out, opening the message.

Hope you got the letter ;)

Nicholas fucking Petrov. My teeth grit together in annoyance. Suddenly my phone is snatched out of my hands by Xander. I glare at him trying to grab it out of his hand.

"Give it back." I growl but he doesn't seem the least bit fazed as he throws the phone to Alejandro. He swiftly catches it and begins reading. His eyes grow darker and darker by the second as he hands the phone to papa and it makes its way around the table. They all have clenched fists as they're breathing harsh breaths. I fidget with the rings on my hands until a cold voice snaps me out of my thoughts.

"What the hell? This has been going for two goddamn weeks! Why the hell didn't you tell anyone?" Alejandro says harshly, getting out of his seat. He doesn't yell. But it felt as though he had.

"I was handling it." I state coldly also getting out of my chair.

"Handling? You have been receiving threats from who knows who for the last 2 weeks. You should have come to us." Grandpa says flatly.

"You have been threatened by some motherfucker and didn't tell us." Emiliano looks at me sternly, his face stoic.

"I lied." Everyone looks at me confused.

"When I told you about my past. I didn't tell you everything." I think it was time they knew. Considering they were going to find out one way or another.

"On the day I turned nine, it all began. As you know Lilith had been abusing from when I was 7. Yet, Lilith was truly nice that day. She brought me to lunch and to the fair. But then we came home and I had the worst beating of my life. Someone arrived as I was battling for consciousness. It looked like a man, but I couldn't really tell who it was. Possibly in his early 20s. I eventually fell asleep and woke somewhere other than Lilith's home. I was a scared, lone 9-year-old. That was the first time I met Nicholas." At the name, everyone tenses up. "He wished for me to rule as his queen. I didn't understand at first until I learned he was the German don."

Everyone sucks in a deep breath but I haven't even gotten to the worst part. "He wanted me to rule by his side. When I refused he tried beating it into me. He got his men to punch, kick, whip. You name it, they did it. It was worse than any of Lilith's beating because she at least had some sort of restraint. They didn't. They showed no mercy." I swallowed hard trying not to break into tears.