Lucy POV

“Okay, kid, your ribs look great.” Nate said with a small smile as he wrote something down in his notebook.

I smiled and put my shirt back down.

“Are you in any pain?” he asked me, not looking up.

“Not really.” I shook my head. “There is some discomfort, but not pain.”

“That’s to be expected.” Nate nodded.

“Can I go for a walk?” I asked him, hopeful.

“No.” Theo said sternly.

He was sitting next to me on the couch, scrolling through his phone. He didn’t even look up.

“Speaking from a medical point of view, you can.” Nate said. “Your cuts healed nicely, and your ribs look great. You would even benefit from a small exercise.”

“Did you hear that, Theo?” I asked, turning my head to look at him. “I would benefit from it.”

“That’s not a good enough reason.” he said, his eyes still glued to his phone. “There is a treadmill in the gym. You can walk there.”

“Noah.” I whined, looking at my other brother.

I really wanted to leave the house. I would lose my mind if I didn’t leave soon.

Noah sighed and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and looking at Theo.

“Come on, Theo.” Noah said. “She won’t be going alone. We will both go. Reece will go. She will be okay.”

Reece was my bodyguard. He was a tall man in his mid thirties, with a stern look and huge muscles. He called me Miss Ferri and refused to call me Lucy, no matter how many times I begged him to.

Theo looked up at him. “It’s too dangerous.”

“They would be crazy to try anything with the two of you and her bodyguard around.” Nate said, putting his notebook away.

Theo opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted when Liam and Ezra entered the room.

“How is she, Nate?” Liam asked immediately.

Ezra walked over to me and kissed the top of my head. I smiled up at him.

“She is great.” Nate said and smiled. “The cuts healed nicely. Her ribs are still a bit bruised and she will have to continue wearing the rib brace, but she is doing great.”

“That’s so good to hear, honey.” Ezra said, giving me a small smile.

I smiled back at him and looked at Liam. “Can I go outside today?”

“Lucy.” Theo said, looking up at me and giving me a warning glare.

“You can’t keep her here, Theo.” Noah sighed. “She will be okay.”

“You can go, love.” Liam said, smiling. “But your brothers and Reece have to go with you. You can’t leave them for a second.”

A huge smile spread across my face. Theo looked at Liam in disbelief. Ezra, Noah, and Nate smirked, waiting for Theo’s reaction.

“Liam!” Theo shouted. “It’s not safe!”

“She can’t be locked in this house forever, Theo.” Liam sighed. “It’s not safe for her to go alone. It’s safe for her to go with you and Reece.”

“If something happens...” Theo said, clenching his fists.

“Nothing will happen, Theo.” Ezra interrupted him. “It’s just a walk around the neighborhood.”

Theo looked so scared it made my heart clench painfully. I was ready to lock myself in the room for the rest of my life, just to keep him from being afraid.

But I couldn’t do that. Life doesn’t work that way.

“Theo.” I called him.

He looked at me, and I could see how conflicted he was.

“Can I talk to you alone?” I asked.

He nodded and I stood up. I took his hand in mine and pulled him behind me. I led him to my room and closed the door behind us.

I sat down on my bed, and Theo threw himself into my beanbag chair.

“I know what you are going to say.” he said. “But it’s not safe.”

“I don’t want to talk about that.” I said, shaking my head.

Theo looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

“I want to talk about how scared you are.” I said. “I’m your sister. I need to do something about that.”

“You can do something about that.” Theo said, lifting himself up on his elbows. “You can stay inside the house?”

“Forever?” I asked, raising my eyebrow at him.

“Preferably.” Theo nodded.

“Theo.” I sighed. “Come on, you know that’s not realistic, right?”

Theo sighed and stood up. He sat on the bed next to me, taking my hand in his.

“It’s hard, Lucy.” he said quietly. “I keep reliving the night Alana took you away. I keep remembering the pain I felt. I keep hearing Noah’s cries. I’m terrified, Lucy. I’m terrified I will have to go through that again.”

My heart clenched painfully. I could picture it. I could picture my brothers being in pain, and it made me want to scream.

I missed them too. I missed them terribly. But I had it easier. My mom told me they weren’t real, and after a while, I realized you couldn’t miss something that was never real in the first place. It helped me. It helped with the pain of losing them.

But they didn’t have that. They knew I was real. They remembered me. They were left behind, not knowing if I was alive or dead. That would kill me, surely. I couldn’t cope with not knowing if my brothers were safe, healthy, and happy.

“I am so sorry, Theo.” I managed to say, my voice breaking. “I am so sorry she did that to you.”

Theo looked up at me and wiped the tears from my cheeks.

“I can’t lose you again, Sunshine.” he said quietly.

“You won’t, Theo.” I whispered, leaning my forehead on his shoulder. “I’m safe here. Nobody can hurt me. Nobody can take me away.”

I was leading a huge battle inside of me.

On one hand, there was the pain my brothers felt when they lost me. It made me want to make sure to never put them through that again. I was ready to listen to Theo and never leave this house. I was ready to do whatever I needed to make sure they wouldn’t have to feel that pain again.

On the other hand, there were so many things I wanted to do that didn’t include staying in this house for the rest of my life. One of those things being taking a walk around the neighborhood.

I wanted to go to the mall. I wanted to go to the parties. I wanted to travel. I wanted to go to college. I wanted to experience normal, teenage things. For the last 10 years, I have been deprived of normality. I wanted to experience what it was like to be a teenage girl.

I had to tell Theo that. I had to try and explain what I was feeling. There had to be a solution.

“I never want you to feel that pain again, Theo.” I began speaking quietly. “I never want anything bad to happen to you. I don’t want to see you scared or in pain. I don’t want to see you sad or angry. I love you, Theo. I want what’s best for you and it’s killing me to see you scared right now.”

Theo placed his fingers under my chin and raised my head. He gave me a small smile and kissed my cheek.

“I love you too, Lucy.” he said quietly. “More than you will ever know.”

“I know you do.” I chuckled. “And I know it’s hard for you, Theo. I promise I will do whatever I can to make it easier for you.”

“Thank you.” he whispered, placing his hand around my shoulders.

“But I can’t stay inside forever, Theo.” I continued. “You know that I can’t.”

Theo sighed, looking down at his lap. “I know.”

“What can I do to make it easier?” I asked him.

He looked up at me and furrowed his eyebrows. I could tell he was in deep thought.

“We will go everywhere together.” he said after a few moments. “You will never let go of my hand. If I notice any kind of danger around us, we will leave immediately and you will not fight me on it.”

“Deal.” I said immediately, taking his hand in mine and shaking it.

Theo smiled and pulled me into a hug. “Thank you.”

“Soooo...” I said, dragging the word. “Can I go outside now?”

Theo took a deep breath and nodded. I smiled brightly, jumped up and ran out of the room.

“Slow down.” he mumbled, following behind me.

I laughed and waited for him to catch up.

“How about I invite Ethan and Aiden?” Theo asked me, taking my hand in his and pulling me behind him. “They could bring Riley. Would you like to meet her?”

“Of course.” I smiled, following him downstairs.