Elena's POV:

Everything hurt. The only thing I could do was open my eyes. The room I was in, was softly lit by an aroma lamp next to a big plant on a table in the corner. I was laying on a bed.

A hospital bed.

I noticed the wires and the infusion in my left arm. I heard a heart rate monitor next to me. The rhythm was calm and slow.

I searched the room. It was a typical hospital room, except for the fact that it was so big. It must be a VIP room. I spotted Amelia and dad asleep on one of the couches, Theo was spread out on the other one.

Then my eyes fell on my bed. Hector had his arms crossed on top of the right side of my bed. His head softly resting on his arms. On the other side was my mom. She had a pillow to put her head on and she was holding my left hand softly.

My parents were here?

"Elena?"

Hector woke up. He had dark circles underneath his eyes and looked like he hadn't been sleeping for a while. I felt slightly confused.

How did I get here?

"Don't move too much. Your ribs are still fractured." He warned me when I tried to sit up.

I froze. My ribs were fractured?

Then everything came back like a flood. Ronan did this to me. I suddenly strongly remembered everything he did to me.

He tried to rape me. He beat me so hard my ribs were fractured.

"Hey, calm down. You're safe, little one." Hector cupped my chin softly.

Tears burned in my eyes and I looked up at him. He gave me a soft look and wiped away the tears that fell down.

"He's dead. He'll never get to you again." He told me firmly.

Ronan was dead.

I just felt so confused. There were gaps in my memory. I knew that my brothers saved me but I don't remember what happened afterwards.

"You passed out before we arrived at the hospital. You were taken into emergency surgery two days ago. The doctors told us it would take a while for you to wake up because you were in a weak condition." He picked up on my confusion.

"Two days?"

My voice sounded like a dead cat. I had to cough but that hurt so much. More tears streamed down as I tried to grab onto something to stop the pain.

"Baby?" Mom woke up.

"I'm going to get the nurse." Hector hurried out.

Mom cupped my face softly and wiped away my tears. The pain was so horrible that it made me want to throw up.

"Oh, my poor baby."

Hector came back almost immediately with a nurse. She quickly gave me a painkiller but that took me out very fast.

I was only just awake but I fell into another slumber.

/////////////////////

A week passed before I could talk again. The painkillers really helped and I felt a bit better. My family visited me in the hospital. Mom and dad stayed by my side the entire time, but my siblings came every day for a few hours.

Victor was sitting at the end of my bed and we were talking about whatever. Our parents sat on the couch having lunch. They've been with me the entire week, making sure that I was alright.

"Buddy, will you look after Topolina for a while. Mama and I are going to freshen up and bring some clothes." Dad told Victor.

We weren't alone. Hector had this hospital filled with bodyguards. He did it to be sure although Ronan and his father were dead.

"Oh, please bring my blue sweater!" I asked sweetly.

They smiled and promised to bring it. I hated hospital clothes and I'd rather wear normal clothes. Right now I was dressed in a pair of baggy sweatpants and Silas' hoodie. It was too big for me and I was drowning in it but it was comfy and warm.

Besides this was a courtesy of Silas' kindness towards me.

He's been gentle and nice with me and I'll enjoy it because once I'm healed, he'll go back to snapping at me.

I kind of missed that.

"Hector asked me to talk to you about something." Victor spoke after handing me my smoothie.

My oesophagus was irritated after Ronan choked me. That meant that I was only allowed to drink fluids, especially cold ones.

I missed solid food.

Cake pops.

"About what?" I asked.

The coldness always soothed my throat and oesophagus. It was also nice for my fractured ribs. Mom had just put on a new ice pack on my ribs and the coldness helped a lot with the pain.

"Therapy."

That took me by surprise but not totally. I've been having nightmares where I kept reliving what happened to me. I couldn't process what had happened by myself and I was suffering because of it.

"Why didn't he just ask me himself? I want to do it." I said.

I think therapy will help me. I saw how it was helping Amelia.

"Because he knows that I can help you the best right now."

I frowned confused. Victor slowly held my hands.

"When I was eleven years old, I was kidnapped."

Things started to make sense. Why he reacted so intensely when I told him about the time I was kidnapped by those two Russian men. Why he still had to go to therapy.

"They locked me up in a wooden box and it would take dad and our brothers five days to find me."

My heart dropped. That was absolutely horrible. He was so young and to be away from your family for so long.

"I didn't talk to anybody and would have horrible nightmares. Sometimes I still have them but therapy really helped me. Trauma is very hard to deal with and it sometimes feels like I haven't made any progress. But when I look at all that I've done, I'm a whole different person now."

"I went to a party for the first time since I was a little kid. I was freaking out the entire time but I did not have a panic attack."

He looked up at me and brushed my tears away. I wanted to absolutely destroy the people that did this to him.

"What happened, had happened. We're not able to go back in time and change it. Healing from trauma is not instant. Sometimes it'll go well, other times it'll be very hard. But you move on no matter what. You learn to live with it and you become a better person."

He kissed my forehead.

"Living happily and better is the best type of revenge."

I looked up at him with teary eyes.

"I love you a lot, Vic."

He was the first person in my family that I said 'I love you' to. And it felt very right.

////////////////

"So you replaced my hoodie with Theo's?" Silas crossed his arms over his chest.

Theo sat on my side of the bed. He had given me his sweater to wear after I took a shower. Showers and walking really hurt so he gave me his sweater and ice cream!

"Theo gave me ice cream!" I grinned excitedly.

"You're lucky that you're cute." Silas rolled his eyes at me.

I scoffed but took a big bite of my chocolate ice cream. This was honestly the only therapy I needed.

"Are you excited to go home later?" Theo asked.

"Yes! I'm sick of this room."

I've been here for two weeks and I can't wait to go home. Hospitals make me feel depressed. I wanted my room with all my books and television. I was not allowed to go to school for another four weeks so I'd planned on binging a few kdramas.

Kdramas are literally superior.

You cannot change my mind.

I turned Amelia into a fan. Every time she visits me we watch an episode of Crash Landing On You. It's such a good show! And we always cry.

"Well, good news for you, Hector's here. So we're good to go." Silas looked down at his phone.

I clapped my hands together in excitement. Silas came to my side with a warm coat and a thick scarf to protect me from the cold New York weather. I couldn't move much but after a while, I was all bundled up and ready to go.

Silas carefully lifted me and sat me down in a wheelchair. Theo opened the door and we went out. I said goodbye to my nurses who've been so sweet to me. They gave Theo all the medication that I still needed to take along with a list of things they shouldn't forget.

When we were outside, I felt alive again. The cold air felt nice to breathe in. My doctor told me that I had to take deep breaths to lower the risk for pneumonia.

"Protect your ears." Hector appeared in front of me with a wool hat.

He put it on top of my head and covered my ears carefully.

"I'm only out for a minute." I told him.

I don't like hats. They look ugly on me.

"One minute is too much to get sick." He muttered.

I swear Hector became a Theo. He was like a worried mother hen lately. A little too overbearing. Mom thought that it was cute but I preferred Hector when we bickered.

"And yet he still denies that you have him all wrapped around your little finger." Silas laughed at me.

I blushed. I wasn't used to being someone's favourite, especially not Hector's.

"Shut it." Hector snapped at him and opened the door.

He raised me out of the wheelchair and carefully placed me in the car seat. My brothers followed soon after. Theo stayed next to me while Hector took the driver's seat and Silas the passenger's seat.

"We have a surprise for you at home." Theo told me with a smile.

"Mama and papa came back?" I asked hopefully.

They had to fly back to Italy because the paparazzi had located mom. They came to the hospital and were cussing such a ruckus that Hector had to double the security. Since it was becoming too dangerous, mom and dad decided to fly back to Italy.

When the paparazzi realised my parents weren't there, they stopped harassing the hospital.

"No, tesoro, it's still too risky to come back. But I'm sure you'll like the surprise."

I just nodded. I really wanted to see my parents again. I liked being taken care of by them. So I was quite upset when they had to leave.

"You'll like it, kid." Silas told me assuringly.

//////////////////

The surprise was really cute. My siblings stood in the living room with a wide banner.

Welcome home, Elena!

I grinned widely and watched how Nicolas presented me a huge ice cream cake. My heart filled with warmth. Silas was carrying me and I gazed with so much love at my ice cream cake.

"I love you!"

"Are you talking to the cake?" Leonardo laughed.

"Yes, but I also love you all." I smiled.

"I love you too!" Nicolas grinned.

I did really love them a lot.