Niccoló's wife |✔|

4. Broken

The light footsteps of Scarlett traced the whole kitchen as she made the food for the night, she had just returned from her mother, today she had recited her the day, as usual, told her how the kids loved the food she made, and also complained how father disapproved of the same food yesterday, even if her mother was in coma, Scarlett never told her about any of the beatings, she didn't wanted the negativity to affect her.

Scarlett took the curry in the spoon as she smelled the spices and some special ingredients, she had learned to add from the cooks of the diner. A shriek came from the living room, Scarlett shook her head softly as a small smile graced her lips. It was Mia' boyfriend, even though the guy gave her creeps, she never discussed about the uncomfortable glances he would give her, but at least he gave many good things, like dreams and imagination to occupy herself.

Scarlett knew how protective Mia was, with Damon. She thought Scarlett would scare her boyfriend off, when it was just the opposite, and as always Scarlett knew better than to meddle with something that isn't her business. She had long ago learned to kill the curiosity. It no longer thrilled her, she no longer felt the child like urges to peek from the door to feed on the curiosity, because last time curiosity had almost killed the cat.

Last time, when Mia had broken the expensive vase, Scarlett had peeked and as she got to know about the vase, she hurried to clean it, while she was cleaning, her father came, Mia blamed Scarlett and accused her of breaking the vase, and as always, she got the beating, and the real person to be blamed for it got away with it easily.

Scarlett felt the heat of the body behind her, as she whirled around clutching her chest so as to ease the thudding heart, she stilled as she saw Damon, Mia' boyfriend too close to her liking, she tried to side step him but before she could escape, he placed his hands on the slab, trapping Scarlett, feeling the courage in the corner of her mind, she gathered as much courage as she can, and softly muttered.

"Excuse me." She tried to again side step him, but bumped into his arms as his hands didn't budge from where they were.

"Scarlett... I love you."

Scarlett' breath hitched as she stilled, Damon was an attractive man, but way out of her league, and she already knew that what came next to this if Mia even saw him this close to her.

"Please. Let me go." Scarlett pleaded as could now hear the loud footsteps of someone coming downstairs, she tried to push him away, but she couldn't even more or less budge him. She could hear her heart in her throat as could now from the archway see Mia searching up for Damon.

Scarlett chaotically pushed at Damon' chest as she tried to push him away. And when the footsteps rested, Scarlett could see the violence and fire burning up inside Mia, she could feel her anger coming off in waves, as Mia screamed high on her voice. Damon scampered backwards with such high noise, which clearly startled him.

"What the f**k are doing with my boyfriend, brutta cagna!" Mia marched up to Scarlett, but before she could bury her claws in her arms, Damon stood in front of her protectively.

(Ugly b***h)

"I love Scarlett."

Mia halted in her actions as she looked up at Damon, tears pooled in her eyes burning out all the fire, as she stared at him.

"What?" she screeched when she came to her senses.

"You heard me Mia. You are inconsiderate, and a top class b***h, and like a cherry on top, you are a headache to me." Damon didn't knew what trouble he had brought upon Scarlett, who whimpered behind him, slowly backing away, until the slab dug into her already bruised back, she could feel the pain shooting up and it all felt like someone was hammering her back repeatedly.

Mia was livid, she despite of the words of Damon, didn't wanted to believe that there was no fault of Scarlett there. She assumed-believed that it would be Scarlett who would have seduced her boyfriend, but since her boyfriend had already betrayed her, there was no use of him now, and she certainly didn't wanted to show him how violent tendencies she had. So she did one thing which came to her mind.

She picked the knife off the slab, pointing towards Damon, she screamed:

"Get the f**k out of my house." Getting a single look of the knife, Damon scampered away from the house like a child runs away from the sight of the haunted house.

Turning towards Scarlett Mia looked at her with death in her eyes, she charged towards Scarlett as she threw the knife, she grabbed a fistful of her hair as she screamed Italian profanities into Scarlett' face, Scarlett whimpered as she felt a prodding headache forming behind her head. But her all pleas and cries, that it was Damon who cornered her were all deaf to Mia' ears, she was adamant on her own fact that it was Scarlett who had seduced her boyfriend. Mia punched Scarlett in the stomach as Scarlett fell due to sudden force, and Mia took the spatula off of the kitchen counter and she started hitting Scarlett with the hot spatula on her legs and her thighs and where not, world momentarily started blurring before her, as with a last kick to ribs, Mia stormed out of the kitchen with a promise on the tip of her tongue 'I will tell dad about your seduction, puttana.'

(You w***e!)

Scarlett felt the air knocked out of her lungs as she sat straight up and leaned her head against the cabinets of the kitchen, as the smell of spices swiveled up in the air, Scarlett stood up slowly, and she couldn't afford to burn the food as this will only bring more trouble to her.

After many attempts as Scarlett regained her footing, she stood up as she checked the food, fortunately, it wasn't burnt, to which Scarlett thanked her stars. But for how long.

**

It was late in the night when Jon entered the house, this day his steps were not staggered, they were steady, and sober angry Jon was more dreadful than drunk Jon, she prayed that Mia would understand that it wasn't her fault, Damon had cornered her.

But it was late, and hopefully Mia was fast asleep.

She was asleep.

Mia served Jon the food which she prepared, Mia and Tia had already had their share of food, and today Mia had eaten more than she would ever eat, and now it was just enough for one person to eat, and Scarlett knew that it was impossible for her to had dinner that day, her legs were still red from the hits of hot spatula, and her skin being pale and porcelain, exaggerated the result of the hit. Her chest hurt whenever she tried to take a whiff of food, or deeply inhaled, she had even staggered in her steps, but no one noticed, because, she was of no importance, everyone lived their life as if Scarlett was not beaten just few hours ago.

Because, she didn't worth the worry. That's what she was, worthless.

"You will marry a man in two days." Jon grumbled as he finished his food, Scarlett, lost in her own thoughts jumped hearing his voice as she grabbed his place to place it in the sink.

"What? Excuse me." She softly muttered as she looked up from her lashes.

"Don't piss me, bastard! You will marry a man in two days. Capisci?" he hissed as he grabbed her jaw in his one hand and squeezed, hard.

(You understand?)

He threw her back as he clenched his fist, the urge to hit something or someone was unbearable, and now if, Scarlett didn't agree with what he had planned, he doesn't know where he would get a better punching bag other than Scarlett. The crockery in Scarlett' hand slipped as she couldn't bear the push, it was too much, too much for her to handle. But she gripped onto the counter for support, so she didn't fell.

"What? No! I will-." Before she could protest Jon had already had a fist ready, as he punched her in gut, and pulled the messy bun making Scarlett cry out as she bit her lips to scream, when she felt another blow to legs, she fell onto the broken pieces of the crockery as the broken pieces dug into her elbow and knees, she whimpered as she felt another blow aimed at her ribs, Jon hit her repeatedly, until she slumped down on the floor, breathing hard.

"Now you know better than to defy me. Bastardo." Scarlett whimpered as Jon spat at her and left the kitchen, she laid there till 3 o'clock in the morning, the pain was agonizing, the broken pieces dug into her skin making deep gashes, she stood up with great effort as she wheezed out, her right side of the rib, which had most of the blows, throbbed and she felt like someone was squeezing her chest.

Scarlett cleaned the mess as she dragged herself up the stairs, to her room in the attic, where she had a bed, with, fortunately, a mattress, she fell onto the bed, as she hazily picked the tablets from the drawer of the bedside table. She popped two and drank the water from the water she kept in a bottle, on the bedside table.

Darkness enveloped her in a cocoon warmth as she wrapped her blanket tightly around her, which was torn and very old.

That day she did not went to her mother' room to sleep, she slept on the bed, because for her mother' sake, she would have to go to work tomorrow and even have to prepare breakfast for the people.

She slept like an angelic broken baby.