The Missing Piece // Scarlett Johansson x Daughter

The Long-Awaited Day

Despite the exhaustion after a long day at the theme park, where the girls were brimming with energy, Scarlett struggled to fall asleep. She spent the night tossing and turning in bed, going from one bedroom to another to make sure they were all okay. She made several stops at June's door, where Althea was sound asleep. The scene could have been unsettling if the child had woken up, but Scarlett passionately longed for her to be her daughter; she desired it fervently to finally complete the family.

When Colin got up, Scarlett was already on her second cup of coffee, entertaining herself with Instagram videos and following her colleagues' stories. She ignored messages from Chris and Lizzie, not because she didn't want to respond, but because she still didn't have answers to her questions and decided to wait.

"Could you sleep?" Colin asked.

Scarlett raised her head, revealing the dark circles under her eyes.

"I need those results, Colin. They should expedite these tests, especially in cases like this. I'm thinking of filing a complaint; no one should go through this torment."

"I suppose they must have many similar cases," Colin apologized, earning a cold look from his wife. "I don't mean to say that the delay is okay, Scarlett, I agree with you. You should have woken me up."

"Only one of us not sleeping was enough," Scarlett rubbed her face, and upon hearing her phone ring, she immediately picked it up.

It turned out to be a false alarm; Melanie was calling, eager to know if it was her granddaughter. Scarlett responded somewhat abruptly and then apologized, explaining that she needed to keep the line open.

Rose woke up, and the first thing she did was rush to her sister's bedroom to check on her. Upon finding Althea still asleep, she sighed and hurriedly headed for the kitchen.

"Mom, can I wake up June?"

"Good morning, Rose," Colin interjected.

"Good morning, Colin!" She then ran to her mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Can I wake her up, Mom?"

"Rose, we agreed that Mom would find out if she's June. You can't call her that without being sure; we might scare Althea," her mother spoke gently, demonstrating that she wasn't upset with her older daughter, even though she was anxious about the situation.

Rose let her shoulders drop.

"Can I wake up Althea to have cereal with her?"

Scarlett glanced at the clock; it wasn't overly early, but considering the girls had woken up in the middle of the night, she wasn't sure if Althea had fallen back asleep immediately.

"Let's wait a bit longer, Rose, and then, young lady, the three of us will have a conversation," she changed her look to a stern one. Rose nodded, swallowing nervously.

Althea woke up, and the first thing she noticed was the dampness. She reached out and found a significantly wet area on her bed. She opened her eyes abruptly, fully awake. Her mouth went dry, and she remained motionless, like a statue.

Despite her immobility, her eyes began to fill with tears, and the crying came silently, with the intention of not being heard by anyone. She remembered the last time she had wet the bed; her parents had become so angry that they punished her. They didn't allow her to have breakfast, and she had to spend the day in her wet pajamas, going to bed that night regardless of the stain and the smell. For a week, she endured teasing, not only from John but also from her own parents. Fortunately, this didn't happen often, only when she needed to use the bathroom and didn't wake up in time, or when she had nightmares that terrified her.