" Lessie ! What … what happened ? " Karen's smile froze , her face draining of color . She didn't even bother to take off her shoes before hurrying over to sit in front of Alessia , wringing her hands , her expression a mix of panic and helplessness . Brendan and Zachary , who'd just been changing out of their coats in the hallway , heard the commotion and rushed over too . In an instant , Alessia found herself surrounded by the three of them , still sitting there with her hand awkwardly wrapped in gauze . " It's nothing , really . I just got a little careless , " Alessia said , feeling a bit uncomfortable with the sudden outpouring of concern . " Let me see . Is it bad ? How did it happen ? " Karen reached for her hand , but Alessia instinctively pulled away . Zachary , however , was quicker - he gently but firmly took her hand , his face serious . With a sigh , Alessia unwrapped the bandage herself . Karen's eyes widened in shock ; she covered her mouth , her gaze full of sympathy . " Was it Ivan ? " Zachary asked , frowning deeply . There was no point in hiding it . Even if she wanted to , Alessia couldn't have claimed she'd bitten herself . " It was just a misunderstanding . I crossed a line without asking . It's just a scratch , honestly , don't worry about it . " " No , you're coming to the hospital with me . That looks nasty - what if it scars ? " Brendan stood up , brushing invisible dust from his jeans . " It's not necessary . If it'll make you feel better , I'll stop by the pharmacy later and pick up some ointment . It'll be fine in a couple of days ." Brendan let out a long sigh and turned toward Alessia's room , a trace of anger clouding his face . Alessia was quick , though , grabbing his wrist before he could storm off . Her left hand tensed , making the injury even more obvious . " Dad , where are you going ? " " I don't care what the reason was - there's no excuse for him to hurt you like that . He should at least come out and apologize instead of hiding , in his room , Brendan said , his usual gentle demeanor replaced by a stern , protective glare . " That would only make things worse . Really , it's better if we handle this ourselves . " 1/2 13:50 Chapter 43 They stood locked in silent standoff until finally Brendan relented , and Alessia let go of his hand . " Doesn't it hurt ? What are we going to do about this ? " Karen's voice was gentle , her worry clear . " I'm okay . It's just tough bandaging it with only one hand . " Only then did Karen seem to realize , and she carefully wrapped Alessia's hand herself , tying it off with a neat bow , as if afraid she might hurt her daughter even more . Zachary watched quietly , remembering how Ileana had once burst into tears just from bumping her leg on the coffee table , the whole family fussing over her for hours . Some kids were so cherished , they were fragile by default . Yet Alessia's injury looked like it could have used stitches , and here she was , brushing it off like it was nothing . What kind of life had she lived before ? Was she ever really the pampered princess everyone thought she was ? " Mom , do you think Ivan ever went through something … traumatic ? Like bullying or … kidnapping ? Anything that could have left him with emotional scars ? " Alessia's question snapped Zachary out of his thoughts . Brendan and Karen both paused , exchanging a look , confusion written across their faces . " No , nothing like that . " Karen shook her head , not understanding the sudden question , her hands never pausing as she finished the bandage . " Ivan's always been quiet , but not like this - never completely silent . When we first age . noticed something was off , we even checked the preschool's security f There was nothing unusual . His teachers said he was well - behaved - focused in class , spent breaks drawing at his desk , sometimes played with the other kids . " " But it was strange . Once he moved up to the next class , he stopped spending time with anyone else . He'd just sit alone , ignoring anyone who tried to approach him . Things were rough for us at home back then , so we didn't notice right away . It wasn't until he got into a fight with another kid that we realized something was wrong . " Karen's voice was thick with regret . " If only I'd paid more attention to him . Those years were tough , and I ended up leaving Ivan alone at home a lot . I should have noticed sooner . "