Niccoló's wife ✔

1. Approval

The girl slept like a baby with her inky black hair braided, still some stubborn strands which escaped framed her angelic face, her face pressed against the cool slab of the kitchen as some drool escaped her slightly parted plump lips. She slept peacefully as she waited for her father, to come back home from one his gambling marathon. He did that so often these days. Often came home staggering like a drunkard, and often it ended up her beaten or pushed around. Okay! Mostly it ended up with her beaten and verbally insulted.

But that is not new to her, it happens since she was six year old.

The clock struck one, emitting a bang for once then played soft music, for sure it had startled the girl.

"I am sorry. I didn't do it."

She gasped startled by the noise. That's what she has been repeating since she was six years old, everything anyone did, they threw the blame on Scarlett, and 'they' are none other than her sisters. They were twins and surely had strong twin telepathy.

They always pushed her for the stuff she didn't do, and as always she ended up with a bruised stomach.

She wiped the sleep out of her eyes and ran a hand down her face, swiftly wiping the dribble from the corner of her mouth, she looked at the clock as it struck the midnight hour. Suddenly a bang of the door made her jump out of her seat as she quickly pressed the start button on the oven and the appliance beeped to life, she heated up the food as a clearly drunk staggering Jon stumbled into the room, she went to help him, as she helped him, when he was clearly about to fall, he pushed her away as she touched him, all the way clearly more sober, just for a moment.

The slab of the kitchen counter dug into her bruised waist from her beating from two days ago. She bit her lip as the scream of pain threatened to escape her lip, when it became unbearable as her waist throbbed with every excruciating second, she stuffed her fist into her mouth as tears threatened to kill her mesmerizing blue eyes, her skin flushed naturally.

"Stay away from me bastard."

A tear slipped from her eye as she wiped it and mumbled a quiet 'I'm sorry.'

She went towards the oven as she took the food out of the oven and set it on the table for Jon to eat, she stood by the oven watching him eat, wishing that one day she would get the word of appreciation for the food she made, places she cleaned.

After all, she had a heart of a child, expecting the approval of her parents, her mother was unmoving and in coma, but her father? She wished each day, that one day, maybe one day, she will again be the principessa of her father she was years ago. She wished nothing, she expected nothing...

Just approval. It was all her heart craved for.

It was everything she was deprived of. Each single day, she is reminded that she is not the part of the Rodríguez family, brought up in the Italian household, she knew Italian and their cuisine, and she learned everything which would make her father approve of her. But everything in vain.

Up until this day, all she asked was acceptance and love.

Scarlett looked at her father if he would let any expression or anything let go, empty. It was how she had her hands; empty.

Jon was about to moan at the deliciousness of the food, but he didn't, because it was made by bastard child. It was one of the toughest recipe from Diana' recipe book, but the bastard child aced it, she made it good, he was envious, why couldn't his own twins be like her, his daughters were stupid, and brainless. But the bastard child, whom no one paid attention, was unspoiled, flawless, and perfect in every fucking thing.

It irked him.

That day, collecting the courage when Jon was washing hands, she asked with hope of any approval.

"How was it?" she asked shyly and quietly, a blush coating her already flushed cheeks. But in reply came a grunt.

Jon was already irritated as he had lost all the gambles, and the food which was so delicious made the girl look absolutely perfect. It irked him.

He turned as he clutched her jaw in his calloused hands as he squeezed, tremors filled Scarlett' frame as she shook, tears formed in front of her eyes as they slipped one by one retracing the path the last one left.

"Don't fucking cross your limits? Bastard!" he hissed in her face, his bad breath reeking of alcohol, made her want to turn away, but she didn't, because she had done a mistake. Mistake of asking. And above all.

Mistake of expecting.

He threw her backwards and the slab dug painfully in her back, as she whimpered in pain, looking down at her for the last time, he turned on his heels, and in his staggered manner headed for his room.

Pulling up the Mickey Mouse t-shirt which had many holes and had splatters of food, from cooking. She looked at the deep red skin in a line, on her very pale porcelain skin, she knew it would form a nasty bruise. She wiped her face, and slowly moved towards the sink, after washing and cleaning the counters, she moved upstairs and reached her mother's room, in which she was sleeping peacefully. At least one of us is in peace, she thought to herself.

She sighed as she softly closed the door behind her, she sat on the visiting chair as took her mother' porcelain, pale hand in hers, she wanted to play the pretend game with her mother once again, a tear slipped from her eye as she placed her head on her open palm.

She clearly remembered the day when she was fourteen years old, when it had been 6 years since her mother was in coma, the expenses of the medicines were high, and the hope was low, since they were paid by her father, she was kept in the hospital, that day they all had decided that they were going to cut her mother' oxygen supply, means letting her die.

That day Scarlett stepped way out of line, she begged the doctors, to shift her to the house, and reluctantly Jon had agreed but by the end of the day, Scarlett was a bloody mess, and with a warning, that the next bills of the private nurse would be paid by her. In fact all the expenses were to be paid by a fourteen year old girl. But Scarlett being the shy and timid girl she accepted, she just wanted her mother.

And maybe that day god was free, after some days when the oxygen cylinder was empty and the nurse had yet to come, her mother breathed on her own. And from that day she did not needed a mask to breathe.

Scarlett had been to school, due to her shy and timid nature, she was always away from the trouble, she had enough trouble back at home, no one had been aware of abuse she was presented to, and Scarlett had been a non-speaker in public, nonetheless, she had gotten into the university, local nearby her house, she took literature. But with her mother' expenses she could only manage the first year' school fee, but with the weekly appointment of the nurse, and with all the fees she had to pay, she could never afford an apartment, Scarlett has been doing jobs since she was fourteen years old.

All jobs she had done were of cooking, least interaction with people.

First job, she did errands and cutting and helping with cooking, and then she started to actually cook, in the next job she joined as a cook, and many jobs later, the last job she had resigned was also of a cook in a diner, it paid less than the current job.

She currently worked full time in an orphanage as a cook, since she had took a break from the university. She slept peacefully with her mother' hand underneath her head as she dreamt of the days when she would be someone who would give her love. Lots of love...

And at the end of the day, it would be just a dream...

+++

Hello marshmallows‼‼

Hope you liked it so far‼

It hasn't been far yet.

The entry of the big baddie is yet pending‼ *pouts*

Anyways.

Any predictions?

Any suggestions?

How was it?

Song- Yellow hearts by Ant Saunders.