Where I Belong - Chapter 7: Chapter 7

The panic hit me like a tidal wave, unexpected and overwhelming. One moment, I was sitting there, trying to act okay after the encounter with Eros, but then my chest felt like it was caving in and i couldn't breathe. My heart started to race, and my breaths came in sharp, desperate gasps.
My hands shook uncontrollably and my chest tightened to the point where I thought I might actually suffocate. My legs went weak, and my vision start to fade at the edges.
Breathe. Just breathe.
But it felt impossible. The harder I tried, the worse it got. My fingers gripped the side of the sofa so tightly that my knuckles were white, as if holding on to something solid would stop the world from spinning.
"Olivia?" Theo's voice cut through the panic, full of concern.
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. My throat was closing, like it was being squeezed shut, and tears were coming now, hot and fast, though I tried desperately to hold them back.
Theo's eyes widened and I saw the panic flash across his face as he took in the sight of me. I was shaking, trying so desperately to gasp for air and he looked helpless.
Without thinking, Theo's hand reached out towards me, but he stopped. He hesitated, his hand hovering in the air like he wasn't sure if he could touch me. His fingers curled into a fist and then relaxed, but he didn't touch me.
"Elijah!", Theo's voice cracked, and I could hear the panic in it now, raw and frantic. "I need you! Now!"
Within seconds, Elijah appeared in the doorway. "What happened?", he asked quickly, his eyes moving over me with the speed of someone who knew exactly what to look for.
"I-I don't know what to do!", Theo's voice trembled, the words spilling out in a frantic rush. "She's not breathing right. I-I don't know what to do, Elijah. She-" His voice faltered, and I could hear the frustration and helplessness in his tone.
Elijah didn't hesitate. He moved toward me with slow, deliberate steps, his expression softening just enough to show concern but never wavering in his professionalism. His voice stayed steady as he knelt in front of me.
"Olivia," Elijah said gently, his voice a balm to the storm inside my chest. "Can you hear me? I need you to focus on me for a second, okay? I need you to breathe with me."
I tried to focus on his voice, to latch onto it, but I was drowning in panic.
"Elijah..." I heard Theo's voice, desperate, in the background, but it felt distant, like I was underwater.
"Olivia, sweetheart, listen to me," Elijah said, his voice lowering as he leaned closer, his eyes softening as they met mine. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just need you to breathe, okay?"
I tried to focus on his words, but they didn't feel like they were meant for me. They felt too far away. I was still gasping, still shaking, unable to hear anything but the sound of my own ragged breathing.
Elijah looked over at Theo, and I could feel the weight of the situation pressing in on them. "Theo, can you give me a second?" he asked softly, but firmly. "I need to touch her to help calm her down. She might not react well, but I need to ask her permission first."
Theo hesitated, and for a moment, I thought he might stop him. But then his face softened, his gaze flicking between me and Elijah, full of helpless worry. "Okay," Theo said, his voice strained. He stepped back, but his eyes never left me.
"Olivia," Elijah said, his voice still calm and warm, even though I could hear the hint of urgency there. He knelt down in front of me, so we were eye level. His hands stayed in the air, hovering like he was waiting for me to tell him it was okay. "I need to help you breathe, okay? Can I touch you? Just for a second? I promise I'm just here to help."
I couldn't say anything, couldn't form the words. But I could hear his calmness, his warmth. Something that made me nod, just barely. It was so small, so subtle, but enough for Elijah to see.
Elijah's expression softened immediately, but he didn't rush. He kept his hands hovering, giving me room to pull away if I needed to. Slowly, he placed them on my shoulders, his touch light and gentle.
"Good, Olivia," Elijah said softly, his voice soothing, like he was guiding me through it. "Now, just focus on me. I'm here. You're safe. We're going to breathe together. In through your nose, nice and slow... hold it... and now out through your mouth. Just like that."
I felt his hands on my shoulders, steadying me, and it was like I could breathe a little easier. I didn't get it right at first, but he kept guiding me, his voice steady and gentle, reminding me that I wasn't alone.
"Good," Elijah praised softly, the tension in his voice slowly fading as I started to get the rhythm. "You're doing great. Keep going. Just like that."
I didn't know how long it took, but slowly, the panic began to loosen its grip. My breaths became a little less frantic, a little more normal. The world around me started to settle, the blur clearing just enough for me to see through it.
"You're okay," Elijah murmured, his voice light now, like a weight had been lifted. "We've got you."
Theo stood a few feet away, his arms crossed tightly, his face still full of worry, but I could see the relief in his eyes now. He'd backed off, giving Elijah space, but he was still watching, still waiting for me to come back to them.
Then, just for a second, I shifted my arm and my the fabric of my top moved slightly. The barely healed cut caught the light, just enough for Theo to see it. My stomach dropped in an instant, the realisation hitting me hard. I wasn't ready for him to see it. I wasn't ready for anyone to see it.
His breath seemed to catch, his entire posture stiffening as his gaze locked onto the cut on my back. A rush of emotions flooded through me, but I couldn't focus on anything other than the way Theo's face shifted.
Theo's first clenched at his sides, his jaw tightening. I could see the blood drain from his face and my heart twisted in my chest. Rage was building inside of him, suffocating him as the truth hit him.
Elijah must have noticed too. His eyes flicked to my back, and I could feel his breath catch in his chest. His doctor's instincts were sharp, and he'd seen more than his fair share of injuries – both physical and emotional. But these scars, they weren't just injuries. They were history. They were pain.
I could feel the tension in my body intensify as Elijah's hands rested a little firmer on my shoulders. My body instinctively pulled away from his touch, as though I were trying to hide those scars from the world, from everyone who didn't already know what they meant. Elijah didn't pull away, though. His hands remaining gentle and soft.
"You're okay," he murmured quietly. "We've got you. You're safe now."
I could still feel Theo's presence. He was processing it all, trying to make sense of what he was seeing and then he spoke.
"Elijah, do you...do you see–?" Theo's voice was thick, a mixture of horror and disbelief. It faltered like he didn't know how to process the reality of what was right in front of him. He couldn't understand why or how this had happened to me, not in a million years.
Elijah's gaze shifted to Theo, understanding passing between them in a silent exchange. He nodded, just barely, his expression filled with compassion but also a kind of grim knowledge.
"It's okay," Elijah said. "We don't need to talk about this right now. We'll figure it out. She's not alone, not anymore."
I could hear the pain in his words, the way he was trying to shield me from something darker, something none of us were prepared to face. But Theo didn't seem to hear it. His voice cracked again, thick with rage as he stepped closer, his hands shaking at his sides.
"How–how could anyone do that to her?" The words ripped out of him, raw and filled with anger. How could anyone do that to his little sister?
"I don't know," Elijah answered, and I could hear the struggle in his voice, the emotion that was almost too much for him to hold. His hands stayed on me, grounding me, but I could feel him unraveling too. "But we're not going to let her go through this alone. We're going to help her. Together."
I wanted to say something, anything, to ease their pain, to let them know that I wasn't fragile, that I could handle the anger, the fear, even the sadness, but I couldn't bring myself to speak.
Theo took a step back, his gaze never leaving me, but there was something softer in his eyes now. Maybe it was just the way his fists had loosened, or the way he'd stepped back to give me space, but I could feel a change in him.
"I'll be right here," Theo said, his voice quieter now. "You're not alone, Olivia. You're never alone."
Those were the last words I heard before my eyes closed and I fell asleep.
The house felt unusually quiet, the kind of silence that pressed against your ears and made the air feel thick. Olivia was asleep, and although the panic attack had passed, the events of the day still hung over Elijah like a weight. He couldn't shake the image of her, gasping for air, her hands trembling, her body so fragile in that moment.
He had to tell the others. They needed to know what had happened.
Elijah called Zane first.
"Family meeting," Elijah said when Zane answered, his voice indicating the urgency of the situation. "It's about Olivia."
Zane was quiet for a moment before responding. "I'll be there in ten."
Next, Elijah called Silas, then Eros, then Theo. He didn't wait for responses, he just made sure they all knew. After hanging up, he stood there for a moment, staring down at his phone.
The door opened a few minutes later, and Theo walked in. He said nothing, his expression unreadable. He kept his gaze on the floor as he crossed the room and leaned against the wall, his arms folded tight across his chest.
Silas was next. His usual easy smile was gone, replaced by a worried tension around his eyes. He didn't sit, instead standing near the sofa, his hands fidgeting in his pockets.
Eros then entered. He didn't speak, didn't make eye contact with anyone. He just stood against the wall, fists clenched at his sides, shoulders tight.
Zane came last, his presence filling the room. He said nothing, just watched the others carefully with that sharp, calculating gaze of his.
Elijah cleared his throat, stepping forward, trying to gather his thoughts. The words needed to come out, but he knew it wasn't going to be easy.
"I need to tell you all something about Olivia," Elijah began, his voice calm, almost clinical, as if he were talking about a patient. He couldn't let his emotions cloud his words, not right now. "Theo and I saw something today. Something you all need to know about."
Zane didn't speak, but his posture shifted slightly, indicating he was listening. Silas's eyes flicked nervously between Theo and Elijah. Eros remained still, almost too still, his eyes fixed on the floor.
"Olivia has scars," Elijah continued, his gaze steady. "On her back. Some old, some new. Deep. They're not the kind you get from an accident. These are from something deliberate." He paused, letting the words sink in. "I'm not sure when it happened, but it's clear these scars were done on purpose."
The room fell silent. Zane's jaw tightened, but he didn't speak. Silas's hand clenched into a fist, his face pale. Eros, who had been so still, finally looked up, his face frozen in an unreadable expression, but his eyes betrayed him. There was a flicker of something in his gaze – a kind of sharp, internal pain. Guilt.
Elijah noticed the tension in the room, but he didn't look away from Eros. He needed to keep going, to give them the facts.
"I don't know what happened to her, or who did it. But from what I saw... it's clear that it wasn't something that happened once. It wasn't an accident. It's...it's abuse." Elijah's voice hardened at the word, his anger simmering beneath his calm exterior.
"For now, all that matters is that she's safe with us." He looked around the room, meeting each of his brothers' eyes. "We can't make her talk about it until she's ready."
Theo shifted slightly, but still didn't say much. He hadn't reacted like the others. There was anger in his eyes, but also confusion. He was trying to process, but the weight of what they'd found hadn't fully hit him yet.
Silas's voice broke through the tension, his usual light tone missing. "What do we do now? How do we help her?" He looked at Elijah, his face full of concern.
Elijah took a slow breath, his mind working through the medical side of it all. He had to keep things logical, clear. "We give her space. We show her she's safe with us, but we don't push her to talk. If she wants to open up, we listen. If not, we wait."
Eros finally moved, though not with the anger Elijah had expected. His fists unclenched, and his gaze lifted, though it didn't quite meet Elijah's. Instead, he stared at the floor again, the guilt written all over his face. Elijah knew what he was thinking. Eros had been the one to push Olivia into a panic attack. He could see the internal struggle playing out in his brother's silence, the burden of responsibility weighing heavy on his shoulders.
Eros's voice, when it finally came, was soft, almost a whisper. "I didn't mean to... hurt her." The words were barely audible, but Elijah heard them clearly, the guilt behind them thick and suffocating. "I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have..."
But he trailed off, not finishing the sentence. The words weren't necessary. Elijah could see the regret in his eyes, the way his shoulders were tense with it, like he was trying to hide it from the others.
"You didn't know, Eros," Elijah said gently, but firmly. He didn't want Eros to carry the blame for something none of them could have predicted. "None of us knew what she's been through. But you need to give her space now. Don't push her again."
Eros didn't say anything else. He didn't look up. He just stood there, fists clenched again, his expression still unreadable. Elijah could still feel the weight of his guilt, but there was nothing more to say. Eros would have to work through it on his own.
Zane finally spoke, his voice calm but heavy. "We'll protect her. All of us." His eyes filled with determination.
Theo, who had been silent throughout most of the conversation, finally shifted his gaze up and nodded, not trusting words to come out of his mouth.
Elijah looked around the room, meeting each of his brothers' eyes in turn. The decision had been made. They would be there for Olivia, no matter what. And they would be patient.
"We do this together," Elijah said firmly, a finality in his voice. "We help her heal. And we do it right."
And with that, the brothers nodded in silent agreement, the weight of their shared commitment settling in the room. They were a team. And they would protect Olivia at all costs.