The Missing Piece // Scarlett Johansson x Daughter

Bitter and Sweet

"They say justice is equal for all; that girl shot me in cold blood."

"You killed a police officer, and that will be judged in another trial. You shot the girl and threatened my client, Mrs. Johansson. Do you deny the evidence?"

"The girl should be dead. It's all your fault! Because of you, Mariah will go to prison and I'll never see her again. She would have realized that I was the perfect man for her, that I could have offered her more than Carter ever did. I'm a computer genius. I would have taken care of the kids for her, stepped into the role of father if needed, but that damn girl ruined everything. She got what she deserved, and my only regret is not having managed to kill her."

"You son of a bitch, if I'd had the gun instead of my daughter, you'd be dead by now!" Scarlett exploded, her voice laced with fury, unable to stand his slandering of her innocent child any longer. "If they hadn't taken my daughter, none of this would have happened! You helped falsify those papers; you're just as guilty, asshole! Grow up, own your mistakes, and stop blaming a little girl who was just a victim of kidnapping and abuse."

"Order in the court!" the judge roared, before turning to Harold. "Control your client, please."

Harold nodded, swallowing his anxiety before approaching Scarlett, whose supporters were trying, without success, to calm her down.

"Scarlett, please, take a seat," he urged quietly, his eyes pleading. "Just a little longer, or maybe step outside for a bit of air."

Scarlett's anger was palpable, her fists clenched tightly, as she fought the urge to leap up and confront him physically.

Colin stood, placing himself between his wife and the courtroom, trying to redirect her focus. "Scarlett, why don't you go outside for a while with Chris and your mom?"

Though Colin wished he could go with her, he stayed behind, ready to testify about what he had seen from the van along with the police technician, understanding that Scarlett, in her current state, was in no condition to take the stand.

Outside the courtroom, the tension remained high as Chris and Melanie both worked to soothe Scarlett, helping her regain her composure in the fresh air.

"I'll kill him, I swear I'll kill him, with my own hands or by hiring someone in prison," Scarlett rambled, shocking Melanie. "I swear it, he won't get out, I won't give him the chance to hurt my daughters again."

Chris cleared his throat and shook his friend to snap her out of it. "Scarlett, look at me."

Her green eyes flickered. "Your daughters are fine, all three of your kids are fine, and no one is going to harm them again," he spoke fervently to offer her some relief.

Melanie was completely pale, the threat her daughter had uttered echoing in her head. She looked around to make sure no one had heard them. Being such a famous actress, she couldn't even imagine what would happen if such words were leaked to the press, especially if taken completely out of context. Despite how seriously her daughter had said it, surely her daughter wasn't capable of such an act, right?

"Chris almost killed my daughter," she broke down crying. "He hurt them, almost made me lose her forever, he kept talking and..."

"I know, don't torment yourself anymore. I know. What did you expect from a criminal of that ilk? He'll get what he deserves, his actions won't go unpunished."

"Sweetie," Melanie said, rubbing her daughter's tense arms. "Do you want us to call Lizzie?"

Scarlett sighed. "Wait a moment, Mom, I don't want June to see me so upset."

Meanwhile, at Scarlett's house, Lizzie was rubbing her stomach. "I'm too old to keep eating this junk," she murmured, noticing the stomach pains, eyeing the bag that now contained just two candies left.