TW 🚨 Profanity, Threats...
Three weeks had passed and June was recovering well. Fears of a possible infection from her stitches had subsided, allowing Scarlett to dive back into work more actively, relying on her mother to care for her convalescing daughter while Rose was at school.
Scarlett paced nervously, clad in an elegant black trousers, a cream shirt, and a matching jacket. She wore light makeup following her facial treatment. Glancing anxiously at the ticking clock; Lizzie was running late and they needed to head to the courthouse as soon as possible. Rose was with her father, Cosmo was with Colin's mother, and Lizzie would look after June until they returned from that ordeal.
"As usual, she's not answering the phone," Scarlett sighed, looking at her husband. Vanessa was in the dining room with her niece June, who was watching cartoons. The doorbell rang and Melanie opened the door to find a blushing Lizzie with a guilty look.
"Scarlett's going to kill me, right? There was terrible traffic, and I had to stop to fill up the car because it decided to run dry," Lizzie explained.
"Lizzie!" Scarlett exclaimed as she came down the stairs.
"Scarlett, remember I'm your daughter's godmother, the aunt to your children, and your friend," Lizzie said humorously, as she saw Scarlett roll her eyes. The tension was palpable, though Scarlett tried to keep it from her children.
June looked away from the cartoons to see the newcomer. "Lizzie!"
"How's my little monkey?" Lizzie rushed over, making Vanessa laugh.
"Good, mom lets me play a bit in the garden. But I can't run or jump yet," June pouted.
"You'll be able to soon," Lizzie smiled, kissing her goddaughter's forehead. "Once you're better, we have plans to fulfill."
"Dance and cookies!"
"That's right," Lizzie winked.
Scarlett approached her daughter to smother her face with kisses, eliciting bell-like laughter from June.
"Be good, little love bug," she stroked her cheek and looked at Lizzie. "Please, if your phone's half dead, use my chargers. If anything happens, call me, Colin, Chris, or my mom."
"Scarlett, everything will be fine," Lizzie murmured, embracing her friend and sensing her nervousness, not just about leaving June but also about facing the ordeal of the trial.
"Thank you," Scarlett brushed her hand across her face, nodding to compose herself and smiled again at her little one, who was frowning in a way that Scarlett was beginning to understand-a sign that something was bothering her and she couldn't quite grasp it. "Little bug, mom's okay. Have fun with Lizzie, keep an eye on her so she doesn't turn the house upside down. I trust you."
"I promise, mom! I'll keep watch!"
As soon as they stepped out the door, Lizzie sat down beside her goddaughter and theatrically mimed an indignant scene, which only made June laugh harder.
"What are you laughing at, little monkey?"
"You're big and I have to keep an eye on you!" June exclaimed, sticking her tongue out cheekily.
"I would tickle you right now, you little rascal," Lizzie said, tapping her goddaughter's nose. "What are we watching?"
"Monsters Inc."
"I love that one!" Lizzie smiled, rummaging through her bag. "Want some?" she asked, raising her eyebrows dramatically, making June laugh again as she saw the bag of sweets.
"Yes!" June's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"But don't tell your mom, she'll scold me for filling you with sugar."
"It's a secret, shhhh," June pressed her finger to her lips, sealing their complicity with a whisper.
Meanwhile, Colin was driving, and Scarlett stared out the window, her stomach tied in knots. In the backseat, her sister Vanessa was talking, but Scarlett was barely paying attention, neither to her nor to their mother's remarks, until Colin squeezed her knee, snapping her back to the present.
"Scarlett, breathe," he whispered gently.
Scarlett bit her lip to hold herself back; just the thought of confronting the villain who had kidnapped her daughters and harmed the youngest filled her with rage.
The car came to a stop and Scarlett exhaled deeply, more deeply than she thought possible, and turned to her husband with a serious expression.
"Hold me back, because if I get a shot at him, I'm going to go for it," she warned with tense urgency.
Colin squeezed her knee again in a silent pact. As they got out of the car, he quickly moved to her side, taking her hand. Melanie and Vanessa positioned themselves on the other side, while at the courthouse entrance, Chris was talking to Harold, the lawyer.
"Scarlett," Harold greeted her with a formal tone.
"Harold," she replied sternly.
Chris, watching Scarlett's tense face, knew his friend well and could see that her apparent composure was just a facade. He hugged her, feeling her tension overflow.
Once inside, Scarlett's piercing green eyes scanned the room looking for one particular person. She felt frustrated not finding her, yet relieved at the same time.
"Let's go in," Harold suggested cautiously.
As the trial began and the details of the incident echoed through the courtroom, tears trickled down Melanie's cheeks. Scarlett maintained a tense demeanor, her jaw clenched, and her eyes shooting daggers at Nick's back, while Colin continued to support his wife, who had turned into a bundle of nerves.
The first to testify were the witnesses: the young woman who had entertained Cosmo and the teachers who had handed the girls over to the supposed policeman. Even an officer who had been at Scarlett's house watching the events unfold live also gave his testimony.
Harold watched his client, uncertain whether to change the strategy and risk everything without Scarlett taking the stand. This idea gained momentum until Nick Perry took the stand and changed everything.
"You falsified the paperwork so the Smiths could replace their deceased daughter with the stolen child," Harold accused.
"Mariah is an exceptional mother; she doesn't deserve to rot in jail. She provided a home for that ungrateful child; Mariah just wanted to complete her family," Nick defended.
"Kidnapping, Mr. Perry, is a crime."
"My God, Johansson could have more children, she is a fertile woman!" Perry exclaimed. "Mariah had difficulties after the twins."
"We are not here to debate fertility or lack thereof; the case is that abducting a minor is a crime. There is no justification for stealing a child, Mr. Perry."
"What kind of circus is this?" Perry was furious. "That girl shot me, I demand my rights!"
"Mr. Perry, in this trial, you are charged with indirectly collaborating in the kidnapping carried out by the Smiths, the kidnapping of my client Scarlett Johansson's daughters, and shooting a little girl who could have died. You are not in a position to demand anything."
"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.
June continued nibbling on one of the candies; her stomach felt full, yet she kept eating despite the discomfort. She began to fidget nervously, and Lizzie diverted her gaze from the TV to look at her.
"Are you okay, sweetie?"
"Aunt Lizzie, I need to go to the bathroom," said June, grimacing in discomfort.
Lizzie quickly got up to help June stand up, concerned at her pained expression.
"I need to poop!"
Determined, Lizzie picked her up and rushed to the bathroom, helping her with her clothes and setting her on the toilet.
"Ouch..."
Lizzie nervously bit her fingers. "Your mom is going to throw me into the pool," Lizzie said with a tense smile. "I should have closed the bag halfway. I'm such a mess," she confessed, as anxiety began to overwhelm her.
June swung her feet while sitting on the toilet, listening to Lizzie. "Don't say that," she responded sweetly. Soon after, she came out of the bathroom and the first thing she did was hug her godmother's legs. "To me, you're the best, I love you, Aunt Lizzie."
"Even though I made your tummy hurt?" Lizzie asked, looking at her with concern.
June smiled broadly. "Sure, we ate the portion of candies that would have been Rose's," she said, placing her hand on her waist and looking at Lizzie conspiratorially. "But I'm fine now, it doesn't hurt, I just needed to poop. Aunt Lizzie, maybe you should go too, it'll probably make you feel better."
Lizzie couldn't help but laugh at June's serious advice. The idea that her overload of sweets could be so simply resolved seemed both absurd and endearing.
"Well, if that's all it takes, who am I to argue with the wisdom of my little doctor?" Lizzie joked, winking at June, who laughed heartily.
"Come on, Aunt Lizzie! I can walk you to the bathroom door to make sure you feel better too," June proposed, grabbing Lizzie's hand and pulling her along with childish enthusiasm.
The front door opened, and all Scarlett wanted was to envelop her little one in a hug and breathe in her baby scent, the only way she believed she could soothe her inner storm.
"How's my little love bug?" Without waiting any longer, she picked up June in her arms, and the girl wrapped around her to plant a kiss on her mom's cheek.
"Great! I had a lot of fun with Aunt Lizzie. Now she needs to go poop, and I was keeping her company."
Chris burst out laughing, as did Scarlett, while Lizzie blushed intensely.
"Lizzie, we're all friends here, go ahead and poop," Chris urged amid laughter. "Good thing Scarjo's got some good air freshener."
Lizzie, hurried and even more embarrassed, playfully swatted at Chris.
That innocent, spontaneous laughter was just what Scarlett needed, a release of tension thanks to the innocence and sincerity of her daughter.
Hi, lovely people! 🌼How's your week going? I hope you've enjoyed the update. If you liked it, don't forget to hit the star or leave a comment.🌟 💬"The Missing Piece" is nearing its end; only two chapters left. 😢This leads me to ask you something: I have several stories in mind, so don't worry. 🎉🥰My dilemma is that I don't know which one to publish first.🤔 I'll give you a brief summary of three of them, and please vote for the one you'd like to see first.📝
Options:
1. Shattered Heart: Scarlett was in a live interview when her sister Vanessa calls, devastated. Adhara, the six-month-old daughter of Scarlett and Colin, has vanished in the park while with their grandmother and little Cosmo. As it all unfolded live, it became a news sensation, and four years have passed. Let me tell you that this story will be completely different from June's; Adhara is a broken toy who will struggle to trust and bond, and she won't adapt easily.
2. Spotlight Strain: At 14, Lily, Scarlett Johansson's younger sister, lives with her mother Melanie Sloan and her 16-year-old sister Fenan in an apartment in Manhattan, New York. She is a teenager who loves acting and is part of the theater club at her public school. She's also a cheerleader and the life of the party, always dragging her sister Fenan from one place to another. One day, she gets a chance to jump into the movies, an opportunity she can't miss, which will further strain the already complicated relationship between Scarlett and her.
3. Marvel Universe and Multiverses: Eternal Widow: It's been five years since Black Widow's sacrifice. But someone from her past did the unthinkable: reopening the Red Room and experimenting with new, more ruthless and ambitious projects than before. One of these projects has been released, and now Hydra 02 is after her, while Nie lives on the streets as a vagrant who no one ever looks at twice, causing the occasional mishap, until Spider-Man has a peculiar encounter with her.
I'll be reading to see what you vote for. Take care and love each other a lot! Much love ❤️. See you in the next update.