68

I snapped out my trance glancing around to see my siblings staring at me in concern. I flinched as Dante reached for me.

I felt sick. Incredibly sick. Bile rose up my throat, I ran out the room, bursting into the kitchen and vomiting into the bin, my body shuddering as I coughed.

Someone was patting my back. I leaned into the bin for a moment, breathing heavily before spitting and moving away from the person and running to the bathroom, brushing my teeth and trying to shake off the horrible feeling in me.

"Are you alright?" Liliana quietly asked as I spat for the final time before wiping my mouth. I nodded, moving past her.

"Talk to me," Liliana said, her face filled with sympathy. "You zoned out and threw up. What were thinking about?"

I turned to face her, shaking my head and staring at my precious sister. I pulled her into a tight hug, "I love you, Lili." I heard her sniff, "I love you too, Vincenzo."

"I was in and out of the care system," she started, fiddling with her hands. My phone suddenly vibrated.

Fuck yes!

I pulled it out, the message I had been waiting to see all day finally coming through. I couldn't help but grin. I was going to get my life together.

I heard a clear of someone's throat. I looked up to see Leonardo glaring at me. I licked my lips, glancing sheepishly at my sister. "Sorry, Lils."

"If it's important, you can go," Liliana genuinely told me. I shook my head, fighting the urge to leave the room and call the centre. I put my phone away, full attention on my sister.

"Um. .where was I?" She asked, more to herself before continuing, "so yes, I was in and out of the care system, I ran away many times but they always found me. In and out of foster homes and group homes. I didn't ever speak so no one really knew what happened to me. I was just a missing child to them - with no family. I was twelve I think? Yeah, twelve," she said, her eyebrows creasing a little in confusion.

"It was in a middle of the night but I woke up and I felt someone touching my . . my breasts," she looked anywhere but us, not wanting to catch our gaze. I clenched my jaw in anger as she continued.

"I didn't see who it was but I think it was the new care worker. I kicked him and ran away in the night, only to be caught by some men," her eyes were teary. She blinked a few times and Dante passed her a tissue. She thanked him, dabbing her eyes. "I was kidnapped and led into sex trafficking. ." She looked pained as she explained some more.

"I was sold to a kind man at first. He didn't touch me, he just made me clean with some other girls. He then died and I was sold again to another nice man," she shivered a little, wrapping her arms around herself as if she was suddenly cold. "He was real nice to me out of all the other girls," Liliana bitterly said, looking down as a few tears spilled out her eyes.

"H-he was around forty."

"God," Leonardo said under his breath in anger, his hands in tight fists. I was fuming, my face was hard and angry and I tried my hardest to contain my anger.

"He would make me sleep in his bed and touch me every night," she sighed, wiping her cheeks. "I was his 'little princess'."

I almost vomited again.

"I had a miscarriage," Liliana told us, now crying silently. Leonardo exhaled loudly, placing his head in his hands while Dante stood, pacing backwards and forwards in the room. "By fifteen, I was smoking pot, doing drugs and being a prostitute. . I was addicted and wanted to stop but he forced me to. I wasn't allowed to go to school. I don't even know how to read or write," Liliana whispered, swallowing before letting out a sob, wiping her eyes again.

"He tried to make me different. I started to understand the circumstances that I was in and realised that life wasn't normal. I tried to run away many times but he wasn't having it. He tried to sleep with me again one night but I . . I stabbed him and ran away. I had never felt so guilty in my entire life."

"You have nothing to feel guilty for," I spat out, causing her to snap her head towards me. My face softened, "sorry."

"It's okay," she told me, dabbing eyes again. "I had some money from the prostitution so I managed to buy myself a small apartment when I was eighteen and got myself a job as a barmaid. It was the only thing I could find. It was a coincidence seeing you in that cafe shop. I knew it was you and couldn't stop staring but I had to make sure. I was scared you would resent me."

"I'd never to that," I genuinely told her.

"I'm nineteen now," she told us, with a small smile.

"May second," I murmured, gazing at her as she looked at me in surprise. "I could never forget." That caused more tears to slid down her cheeks. I moved to her and she automatically laid her head on my chest, sobbing in my shirt and I held her close, protectively.

"I wish I never ran away. I'm so sorry," Liliana cried against me.

"It's okay. You don't need to apologise," Dante warmly said, sitting back down as he looked at her in sadness.

"I can't believe you've been through all of that," Dante quietly said, his eyes filled with guilt.

"I thought about you guys for almost every second of every day. I was so homesick. I missed mama," Liliana sobbed, "oh, mama. .where is she?"

"I will tell her about you," I softly told her, stroking her hair. I made a mental note to call my mother later on. "She'll come."

"I want to know who the hell hurt you. Do you know their names?" Leonardo bursted out, his voice angry.

"I. ." Liliana shivered a little. "I don't know his real name."

"Nicknames?" Leonardo asked, "I'm going to track this mother-"

"Don't swear," Liliana's angelic voice said. "Sorry." She swallowed, "you won't like them. They won't help."

"Tell me, Lils, anything might help."

"D-daddy. .big-"

"No, stop," Leonardo harshly said, rubbing his face with both hands. "Sorry," Liliana mumbled as Leo shook his head. "No, it's not your fault. We're here now," he firmly told her.

"No one is ever going to hurt you again. You have us - you're safe now."