Chapter 0016 BAILEE I had turned in my seat , staring through the back window as the cops surrounded Alex , shoving him to the ground and forcing his arms behind his back My heart ached from the sight , and tears welled in my eyes as I savored the fact that I had someone in my corner , even if it were only for a few minutes . I owed Alex for what he had just done , and I hated that he was being arrested for defending me and Brinley . By the time we pulled up to my brother's house , one way too large for only one person , Brinley's forehead had cooled , and she was dozing in and out of sleep . I had held her to my chest tightly , terrified that we would be in a car accident and she would be sent flying without a car seat . " Baby , we're going to stay in Uncle Ben's house for a little bit , " I whispered , wanting her to know where she was even though she was falling asleep . It would be terrifying for her to wake up in a strange place in the morning " Uncle Ben ? " She asked , her excitement muffled by her exhaustion . " Let's get you into bed , and we'll see Uncle Ben soon , " I said as Bash unlocked the door and gestured for us to enter first . The house looked sterile ; not a single thing was out of place . If this was how he preferred to keep it , it would probably bother him to see the kind of mess a toddler could make within a few minutes . Ignoring my concern for invading Ben's space , I walked down the hallway , checking multiple doors , before I found a guest . room on the first floor and put Brinley in bed . Carefully , I placed two of the decorative pillows under the sheets on either side of her to keep her from rolling out of bed in the middle of the night . After placing a kiss on her forehead , I left her room to find Mason and Bash were gone . Thankfully , I knew Ben's cars would be in the garage , and after a quick search , I found the keys hanging on the wall by the garage door . I crossed my fingers that it was for his Range Rover . I had always wanted to drive one , but Caleb said it was a waste of money . With an excited smile , 1 bounced to the SUV to look inside . It was stunning Ben hadn't spent much time with Brinley , let alone taken her for a car ride , but as I opened the car door , the dome light turned on , and my eyes welled up with tears . In the back seat , there was a brand - new car seat . It had a light layer of dust on it and was still set up to be rear - facing for a newborn , so I knew it had been there for a long time untouched . My heart clenched We might not have been close , but he was a good brother and uncle . I closed the door softly before walking back into the house , wiping my tears as I did so and pulling out my phone , To Ben . Hey . I'm sure you got the alert from your security cameras , but I'm at your house . I'm in a bad situation right now , and we need a place to stay until I figure things out . I can be out before you get home if you want , but would it be okay for Brinley and me to stay here until you get back ? How would Caleb's lies affect - Ben's career ? Was the media hounding him about his allegedly abusive and scandalous little sister ? I bit my thumbnail as I moved to sit at the kitchen island before spotting the black card on the counter . I laughed bitterly as I picked up the credit card with Alexander's name on it . I didn't want a dime from him I would rather go to a loan shark and take out money money . with a 5 a 50 % interest rate than spend a dime of Alexander Kingston's # 25 BONUS I already owed him for w what he had just done for me and Brinley , and I refused to take anything else from him , no matter how sweet the gesture was . He was messing with my head , and I didn't know how to handle it . He had made it clear years ago that he wanted nothing to do with me , so why was he inserting himself into my life now ? He could have just let me walk away at the bar and I would have been none - the - wiser that he had even been there with how distracted I had been . Instead , he was now on my mind and driving me crazy again My phone vibrated loudly on the counter , and I felt relieved when I saw Ben's picture and name . I swiped to answer , immediately ready to plead my case , but tears came out instead . They were the first real ones I had cried since finding Caleb with Lorna " Ben , " I sobbed .. " Oh , Bailee , " The soft sigh made me cry even harder , and my hand tightened on the phone . " Why didn't you tell me ? LII gasped between sobs and heard Ben sigh sadly . " Bailes , I'm here Just take a deep breath . " His soft voice was muffled . " You're safe . You and Brinley can stay with me as long as you would like . She has her own room already , upstairs , third door on the right . We'll have to update some things . I'm sure she's taller than the last time I saw her and won't be able to sleep in a crib . Probably in a different size diaper , too . Does she wear diapers anymore ? " " Only at night . " I choked out Hearing how much he loved my little girl only made my sobbing get worse . Ben had a car seat strapped in . He had made a room for her . Yet , I hadn't included him in her life because I had been so focused on making my husband happy that I shut out everyone else important to me . When Caleb got off work , he expected me to be there . If I had to work late or needed to go run errands when I was supposed to be doing my wifely duties by cooking , cleaning , or fucking him , he would get angry . When I got home , he would stand over me as I sat on the couch and scream in my face . And I would take it because , until recently , I was convinced I deserved it that I was a failure as a wife , and his warranted Meanwhile , my brother had been here , loving a niece he hadn't spent any time with " Ben , what do I do ? " I asked . anger ger was