What They Don't Know

The Truth ⚠️

Leo's POV:
I'm in my office trying to get paperwork done when I hear a loud crash then shouting.
I hear my brother shouting after our sister.
I get up from my chair in a rush and run towards the kitchen.
Jaxon and Lijah are picking up broken glass off the floor with the broom and Cole looks heartbroken.
"What the hell is going on here? Where's Tessa?"
Cole speaks up.
"A plate slipped out of her hand and it shattered. She started crying and shaking. She was on her knees trying to pick it up. I pulled her away and she started apologizing over and over. She look terrified of me. She ran upstairs. I don't know Leo. Somethings not right. She's limping. She's apologetic. She asked you if she was allowed to eat. What happened to her?"
I answer, "I don't know but we're about to find up. Let's go to her room. Jaxon and Lijah, thank you for cleaning this up. Please bring up some water, ice and painkillers to Tessa's room. Knock before coming in".
Both of my youngest brothers said yes and continued cleaning.

Cole and I run upstairs and softly knock on our sisters door. When she doesn't answer, I open the door. My heart completely shatters as I see her crying kneeled on the floor by her bed. She's whispering apologies after apologies.
Cole and I rush over to her.
"Tessa, sweetie please get up off the floor" I ask as Cole is lifting her onto her bed. That's when I notice.

She's bleeding. Her hand has a cut and then Cole speaks, "Tessa what the hell happened to your back. YOU'RE BLEEDING". She flinched when he raised his voice. He apologized.
She was crying harder now, gasping for air.
"Bambina, please. I need you to breath in and out for me. Take deep breaths. You're okay". I state over and over.

Tessa's POV:

"I'm so s-s-sorry. Please don't punish me. I'll never do it again. Please don't punish me. I'm sorry. Please". I start begging them. Desperate. I'm feeling faint from crying so hard.

Leo's POV:
She's begging me not to punish her. WHAT THE HELL. I would never hurt her. That's when I realized..
"Tessa we would never hurt you mi amore. Never. You're not in trouble. We're worried. We need to clean the cut on your hand and figure out the bleeding from your back. Okay? Cole get the first aid kit and some cold damp towels now please".
Cole gets them and comes back.
I clean and fix the cut on her hand.
"Tessa we need to take your shirt off".
She pales instantly when I said that.

Cole's POV:
I help Tessa slip her shirt off and I now know why she's been limping and wincing. Her back is torn off.
I look at my brother with a stern glare. He knows. He knows without even looking.
Leo comes over and I move in front of Tessa gently cradling her hands.
"Tessa. Honey. Who did this to you? We need to know. You are not in trouble. But we need to know who did this. Please tell us sweetie. We will keep you safe. This will never happen again".
She looks down and starts crying some more. I feel helpless. I'm her older brother. I should've protected her. It's my job to keep her safe. Now she's here and someone's beaten her badly. I'm going to kill the mother fucker that laid their hands on her

Next thing I know Leo speaks up.
"Bobby"
He states rather then questions.
Tessa squeezes her eyes shut and speaks up, "it was my fault. I didn't follow his rules, I deserved it".

"NO YOU DIDN'T TESSA, DONT'T YOU DARE SAY THAT AGAIN!" Leo booms. Tessa instantly flinches away. I pull her chin upwards so she's looking at me, "no Tessa, you didn't deserve this and he was wrong for doing this and he will never lay his hands on you again. Never".

Tessa's POV:

I didn't want them to know. Because that's another rule I broke that Bobby gave me. But I couldn't fight them on it. I was starting to feel safe with them. They looked hurt and mad but not with me. They looked mad at Bobby and what he did to me.
Cole held my hands and whispered soothing words to me. He rubbed circles on the upper part of my back. I ended up laying down on my stomach as Leo tended to my backside. He was cursing under his breath but I could still hear him. It took everything in me not to keep apologizing.
Leo finally spoke when he was finished.
"We need to talk about this Tessa, as a family, if you can do that for me, please is that okay?"

I didn't want to. But I knew I had to. I can't lie to them. That's a rule. And honestly a little part of me believes Cole and Leo when they say I'm safe and they will protect me. I have nothing to lose so I can try to talk to them I guess.
"I can try"
"That's all we ask bambina", replied Cole.

Leo carries me bridal style in his arms down to the living room. Cole went over to the couch and laid a couple of pillows on it with some soft blankets so I could be as comfy as possible. I smiled a little bit at his kind gesture. Leo places me gently on it. That's when Jaxon and Lijah came in with some water and ice for me. Cole took the ice and placed it on my backside and handed me the water and painkillers which I graciously accepted and swallowed with no problem.

Cole: "okay Tessa, Leo's going to ask some questions and we need you to answer them the best you can princess".
Tessa: "yes sir"
Cole: " no Tessa. Don't call us that. Call us by our names. We are your brothers".
Leo: "I've updated Jaxon and Lijah briefly what happened upstairs so they know. Tessa, was your stepfather Bobby the one who did this to you?"
Tessa: I nodded my head. I couldn't answer out loud.
Leo: "okay Tessa. How did you get that marks on your back? He hit you with something...when and what did he hit you with"?
Tessa: "his belt. Yesterday after school. I was late so he had to punish me. I broke one of his rules. He sent me to my room and he made me remove his belt from his trousers and hand it to him. Then he hit me with it". Tears started to well up in my eyes. I don't want to show them more weakness but I can't help it. They're going to see me as weak and pathetic.
Leo: "how often did he do this to you"?
Tessa: "whenever I broke one of his rules. So yesterday and the time before that was about five days ago".
Leo: "okay. Good job bambina. You're doing really well. Thank you. Did he ever do anything else to hurt you?"
Tessa: "yes. He had a list of punishments and rules. He would slap me, hit me with his belt after making me take it off him, he would kick me, grab my face or arm, push me, punch me, throw things at me". After I told him the rules Bobby had given me.
Leo: "okay. You are so brave and strong for going through that. He will never lay his hands on you again. I promise you Tessa. Never again. You are safe here".

Next thing I know Lijah speaks up. He looks at me with dark eyes that hold anger in them.

Lijah: "I have a question..."
Cole: "not right now Lijah"
Lijah: "too bad Cole. Tessa. Did he ever touch you... sexually"?

My eyes widened. How did he know. I started to shake again. I looked at the floor. I couldn't tell them.... could I. They'll think I'm a slut. Bobby always told me I was. I don't want my brothers to hate me more. I don't want them to think I'm a slut also.

Lijah: "don't make me repeat myself Tessa. Did he"?
Leo: "Bambina, we need to know. We won't be mad with you. You did nothing wrong".

Tessa: I started to slowly nod my head, "y-y-yes, I didn't want to do it. I promise. I swear I'm not a slut. I didn't want to. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry". I started bawling my eyes out again. I'm so pathetic. I'm a disgrace. They'll surely want to get rid of me now knowing that.

Lijah: "HES FUCKING DEAD"
Cole: "LIJAH GET OUT NOW"
Leo: "Tessa, you have nothing to be sorry for. That bastard will pay. I promise you. You will never see him again. He will never lay another hand on you. I'm so sorry bambina we weren't there to protect you"

Jaxon's POV:

I stayed silent the whole time. I had tears in my eyes. Anger radiating off of me. I couldn't stand seeing my sorellina cry and hearing what that bastard did to her. I'm going to kill him. I know my brothers are feeling the same way. It's our job to keep her safe. We won't let anything like that ever happen to her again. While we sat there all in silence, Cole picked up Tessa and brought her upstairs to lay her down. He came back downstairs and sat in silence with us. Leo has tears in his eyes along with myself, Lijah looks both heartbroken and angry. Cole is concerned.

Tessa:
Cole brought me up to bed and tucked me in after kissing my forehead. He said he'd be right back to lay with me. I can't believe I confessed everything to my brothers. I'm still scared they'll hate me after this. They'll think I'm too messed up and too weak and pathetic and send me back. But I also trust them when they say they'll keep me safe. I feel safe around them.
My eyelids get heavy and I start to feel myself drift off to sleep.