Lady in Red

Chapter 6

Welcome my wattpadians!

Well, over 600 reads is pretty cool :) Please remember to vote and comment when your finished reading and tell me what you think. Sometimes I need that extra boost.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter, you get to meet Monique's father !

DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN!

Enjoy :)

Milly x

Chapter 6

“Monique! Get your fat arse out of bed!” Victor bashed the palm of his hand against his daughter’s bedroom door, it was nearly eleven and the lazy little shit still hadn’t even gotten up yet. A scramble from inside the room indicated to Vic that Monique was awake, “Coming Daddy,” He heard her annoyingly high voice from behind the door. With a huff Vic turned and headed back to his spot on the couch.

Lifting the cold beer to his chapped lips he flicked the channels, nothing even remotely good was on the box, the football wasn’t even showing this afternoon! He really needed to stop being a tight arse and get Foxtel. Bringing a cigarette to his lips he lit the tip and threw the lighter back on to the side table. Blowing smoke rings he watched his daughter walk into the lounge. She looked like hell; dark circles looked harsh against her pretty blue eyes. Just like her mothers.

Vic shuddered at the thought of Hope. That woman was trouble, she always had been. Eighteen years ago they had first met; they were seventeen going on twenty one, he mentally chuckled at how naive they were. She was stunning, beautiful long mocha brown hair and sapphire blue eyes with long dark eyelashes that she only had to flutter to get him to do her bidding. She was smart though, if she wasn’t so involved with the wrong crowd, doing countless drugs, drinking and sex, she would have easily got into university and studied architecture like she had always wanted. She was crazy, like she had no off switch; they would party for days and never slow. That is until she fell pregnant with Monique. She and Vic had only been together a couple of months before she told him they were going to have a baby.

The memory of that day still haunted him, he was seventeen! Not ready from the commitment of a baby, that was why he left the first time. Months went by without him hearing from her, he partied and drank himself into an stupor, trying his hardest to forget Hope and his unborn child, trying to convince himself that the baby wasn’t even his, but to no reward, he knew Hope was faithful, even with no control of the substance infected body she would never sleep with another man.

Eight months of self destruction later, he finally heard from Hope. A baby girl, Victor had a daughter. He remembered the total shock and realisation that he, Victor Quinn, was a father. Monique Hope Quinn, born 17th of June 1994, 8lb 9oz and 52cm long. He still remembered every detail, the first picture Hope had sent him of his baby girl, so tiny wrapped up in a pink blanket with dark hair and rosy red lips. He knew he would die for her the second he saw that photograph.

Vic took a long drag on his cigarette as he remembered himself finally gathering up the courage to call Hope and beg to meet Monique and after what seemed like hours of swearing and yelling she finally agreed, only wanting what was best for their daughter. Their meeting went better than he had expected. Seeing Hope care for and coddle Monique was like watching an angel under a beacon of heaven’s light, and he fell even deeper in love with both his girls more than he ever thought possible.

When Monique turned two he and Hope finally reignited their flame and moved in together, the perfect little family. Hope had made him promise that he would leave the drinking and the drugs behind, not wanting to expose Monique to that world. Which Vic eagerly agreed, wanting to keep her safe, and he was determined to stay sober. But for some reason he could never hold down a job, working at everything from dish pig to a shelf stacker at the local supermarket. Four jobs he was fired, or “let go” from before he snapped. Monique was four when he first lashed out, he lost his temper when she had thrown a tantrum, he could even remember what she was upset about, all he remembered was everything seem to slow down, almost like he was watching himself in slow motion. He watched as his hand hit the little girls salt stained cheek, the shock on Monique’s face was the hardest thing to watch, her Daddy just hit her, the one man who was supposed to protect and love her unconditionally had hurt her. He hated himself for hurting his baby girl and swore he would never hurt her again. But, as time went on he got more and more frustrated, taking his frustrations out on Hope and Monique seemed to become uncontrollable.

Sick and tired of Vic’s mood swings, Hope kicked him out, and told him she didn’t want to see him again until he could figure himself out. So, he went back to what he knew best, dope. He was making good money, and when he went back to Hope to beg for her forgiveness, she reluctantly took him back; conveniently he had failed to mention what he was doing to make the money.

One night, when Monique was five, while on a deal, Vic was caught in a drug siege, arrested and taken into custody on possession and dealing charges. He had three hundred grams of cocaine on him at the night, earning him two years imprisonment with eighteen months parole. His phone call to Hope that night was the hardest thing he ever had to do; he knew Hope would struggle without him, the thought made him sick that he would leave his girls alone to fend for themselves. They screamed at each other through the phone for an hour before she said she never wanted to see him again.

Depressed and heartbroken, Vic spent six months thinking about Monique, how much he missed her pretty smile and her little giggle when he tickled her ribs. He knew he didn’t deserve her, but at least she would be happy and safe in her mother’s care.

As time went on, Vic felt himself begin to resent Hope, for keeping his baby girl away from him, for wasting his time as a father. With the hatred that grew for Hope, an aversion for Monique began to grow. He still loved his daughter, he still carried a small picture of her in his wallet as a reminder, but he didn’t like her. He knew in his heart it wasn’t fair on Monique, she was only a baby, but her mother had created a monster, he was an angry and repressed man.

The day he got the phone call from social services to say that Hope was dying in hospital, not expected to live through the night, he remembered the hit of emotions as they all came flooding back, and the anger came with it was what he felt the most. Finally Hope was out of the way and he could have Monique to himself. He could have his little girl back.

Victor looked up at his daughter sitting in the arm chair across from the couch; she rubbed her eyes, trying to rid them of the crust of sleep. She look so much like Hope it scared him, sometimes she would give a look and he would swear he saw a ghost. His resentment for Hope resurfaced every time he looked a Monique. She wasn’t his baby anymore, she was Hope.    

“Honey, we need some milk and stuff from the supermarket,” Vic began, watching Monique lift her weary eyes to meet his, “Could you go into town and do some shopping? I’m far too busy to worry about that today.” Monique’s face instantly lit up like addict being offered heroin. “Sure daddy,” she eagerly nodded her head. Vic tried his best to smile, “Just be back by four!” He shouted after her as she ran to the bathroom to shower and get ready. Crushing his empty can he rose from the couch and made his way to his room, he needed a hit.         He HHe