Chapter 10: A Villain's Tale
Trigger warning: there will be some vomit as well as more domestic abuse. Please read with caution.
Capucine had reported Emma missing, and was now appealing to find her. That meant Emma was technically a missing person.
At four o'clock on Tuesday morning, Marinette, unable to sleep, was watching the news on her phone. Capucine was crying (cough, cough) as she made her appeal.
"My Emma," she had sobbed, "means the world to me. And I just want her back. I just want my baby girl back."
Only Adrien would be thinking that, thought Marinette. Look at him, stuck in a prison cell, away from his good friends and only daughter. Look at him. He did nothing wrong. It was all attitudes that got him where he was. Hopefully today's police interviews would fix things, now that she and Capucine and Nino and Emma were being called in...
BLEARGH.
Oh no...
Marinette rushed into the bathroom, to see Emma being violently sick into the toilet.
BLEARGH.
She hastily grabbed an oversized nightgown and a face cloth from her room, and returned to see Emma vomit one more time.
BLEARGH.
The girl collapsed to her knees, retching and sobbing at the same time. Marinette reached out to her, and she jumped for a second before she recognised Marinette.
"Shh," said Marinette, more to soothe than anything else. "It's alright, Emma. Aunt Marinette's here."
Poor Emma had vomited down her pyjamas. Marinette closed her eyes as she took the vomit-stained clothes off, helped Emma into the oversized nightgown and dabbed her face clean.
"I'm sorry," croaked Emma, "I didn't mean to be sick on the floor."
"I can always clean it up later," reassured Marinette. "Come on, darling. Let's get you into my room."
Marinette carried Emma to her bed, and tucked her into the unused, cooler side. Then she remembered her hot-water bottle.
Marinette returned with the hot-water bottle and handed it to Emma. She whined a little bit in discomfort as she took it from Marinette, who sat down, picked her up and held her to her chest.
"What happened, princess?" she asked, rubbing Emma's stomach. "Did you have a bad dream?"
Emma nodded.
"My mum came in and told you that I was lying to you," she said, shaking with sobs, "and she tried to get you to hurt me. And you said no and then... my mum pushed you off the balcony and you didn't wake up and..."
"Oh, sweetheart," said Marinette, her heart sinking. "I'm right here. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. I'll look after you."
"Thank you, Aunt Marinette," murmured Emma, still sniffling. "Favourite cool aunt?"
"Favourite little girl, along with Martine," said Marinette. "I love you, Emma."
"I love you, Aunt Marinette," squeaked Emma, kissing Marinette's cheek. She stayed in that position for a few minutes, her honorary aunt's touch comforting her.
"Aunt Marinette?" she asked. "Why do people like my mum do bad things?"
Marinette thought a moment, then answered.
"It's a tough question, Em," said Marinette. "There are different reasons. One reason is that they themselves could be suffering. You want to hear one story? It's not as bad as what your mum did, but it's still because the bully suffered."
Emma nodded, wanting Marinette to tell her the story.
"When I was your age, there was a girl in my class. Chloe Bourgeois was her name."
"The one at the party the other day?"
"Good girl, that's the one," said Marinette. "Her father was the mayor at that time. She had always been... hard to get on with. She was demanding. She always wanted to do things her way. She made fun of us for all sorts of things - for not being rich, for being smart, for being in love - heck, she even made fun of our bodies sometimes."
"That's just silly," said Emma earnestly.
"I know, it's wrong to bully people for any reason," said Marinette. "Boy, it was hard. I was in the same class as she since we were in nursery. We were still in the same class when we were fourteen."
"But we didn't know why she was such a mean person until we were all teenagers," continued Marinette, squeezing Emma's shoulders. "See, her father was the mayor, and a very influential man in town - but that was until they found out he was not operating fairly."
"What does that mean?"
"He'd been accepting bribes - illegal money - from others," said Marinette, "and he was using his power as the mayor to get things for himself."
"Like how those Karens on TV say 'I am a doctor's daughter, do what I want you to do'?" said Emma inquisitively.
"That's right," said Marinette, smiling slightly at Emma's imitation. "And he had to step down as mayor. I think he even had to go to jail. But the point is, it was a hard time for Chloe, who now had to cope without all her father's money."
"Then, we found out more about her."
"Her mum didn't hit her, did she?" whimpered Emma nervously. Marinette massaged the girl's hair to quell her fears.
"I don't know," she said, "hopefully not, but she wasn't exactly a good mother either. She left Chloe and went to New York when she was only five, so Chloe didn't have a mother to love her."
"And her father, well, he wanted to make up for Chloe's mother's absence. So, he bought her expensive gifts. Chloe Bourgeois was the only girl in first grade who had a pony. By fourth grade, she was the only girl who had all the Barbie dolls in the collection. By the time her father fell from grace, she was the only girl who had gone out of the country on holiday. Thing is, her father bought her all those gifts, but he didn't do what he needed to do."
"What did he need to do, Aunt Marinette?"
"What he needed to do," said Marinette, "was actually be there for her. What he needed to do was to sit down and talk to Chloe about her day at school. What he needed to do was to talk to Chloe about feelings, like love and anger and sadness. What he needed to do was to sit down and have talks with Chloe whenever she did something wrong. What he needed to do was take her to the park, or for ice-cream, or to the fair, where she could play and have fun with normal kids like us."
"But he didn't do that?"
"He couldn't do that," said Marinette. "Honest or not, he was still the mayor, and a very busy man. And he couldn't be there for Chloe, so he bought her all those expensive gifts to make up for his absence, and her mother's absence too. Chloe had everything he thought she wanted, but what she really wanted was someone to be there for her."
"So Chloe was lonely?"
"That's right, Em," said Marinette, squeezing her shoulders again. "She had a lot of money, and things, and influence, but she didn't have any friends. You can have a lot of money and still be lonely."
"So, after we heard her story, it all began to make sense. Her father was in a bad place, her mother was missing, and because she didn't know how to cope, she behaved the way she did. We decided to become nicer to Chloe, now that we knew what was going on. It took some time, especially because Chloe was not only dealing with her father's trouble, but she was also being punished for bullying us way back. But by the end of the year, she wasn't as mean as she was. By the year after that, she'd become even nicer. And by the year after that, she was officially our friend."
"Chloe was, underneath it all, a very strong, good-hearted girl," finished Marinette, pressing a kiss to the side of Emma's head. "Different people cope with problems differently. Chloe didn't cope with her problems well at all in the beginning, but she changed. Now, I'm not saying that you need to automatically try to be nicer to your mum, but... maybe the reason she turned out like this was because she had a difficult life herself. Maybe she didn't have a happy family to go home to."
Emma curled up, closer to Marinette.
"Do you feel better now?" she asked.
"Yeah," whispered Emma, nodding. "I don't want my mum to hurt me. But I want her to be happy again."
"She'll have to go to jail, though," said Marinette, "but she can still get the help she needs."
"I'm not going to be like my mum," said Emma. "I have the best dad, the best friends, and the best Aunt Marinette."
Marinette was touched.
"Oh, Emma," she said gratefully, lifting Emma up into her lap and kissing her once more. "I'm glad. I just want you to grow up to be kind, and strong, and happy when you're big. Now, why don't we go back to sleep?"
She lowered the girl back onto the bed.
"We'll get ready to go to the police station soon, for the interviews," said Marinette. "You think you can handle that?"
Emma nodded and curled up under the sheets.
"Sleep tight," whispered Marinette. The hot-water bottle under her arm, Emma drifted off, back to sleep.
That morning, Capucine had arrived at work to a police officer, waiting for her.
"Capucine Agreste?" said the officer.
"That's me," said Capucine.
"I'm arresting you on suspicion of assault and battery, domestic violence and child abuse. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence," the officer told her.
"What do you think you're doing?" demanded Capucine. "I haven't done anything, my husband's the one who's beating on me, it's all over the news!"
"I know, ma'am," the officer replied, bundling Capucine into a police car. "We've just had some charges brought up against you, and we want to clarify them."
The atmosphere at the police station was calm. Emma, upon seeing her father, had practically thrown herself at him and was refusing to leave his side. Marinette and Nino (Alya was at work) were talking in hushed voices. The cops were getting their paperwork ready.
And then, restrained by handcuffs, Capucine came in.
Emma moved closer to Adrien, who protectively put his arms around his daughter.
"Well, now we're all here," said the sergeant. "Mr Agreste, we only just saw this video footage, but you say that your wife used to beat you regularly?"
"That is true," said Adrien. "All of our arguments would turn physical. They didn't start off too badly, at first."
Adrien stepped back in time.
"Adrien!" cried Capucine. The two of them had been married for ten months now.
"Yes, Capsy?" said Adrien. "What's the matter?"
"Is it too much to ask for the dishes to be done?" snapped Capucine.
"Oh, uh, sorry about that," said Adrien. "I'll get them done now."
"And where's all the jam?" demanded Capucine.
"Uh, I didn't do anything with it," said Adrien honestly.
"You liar," hissed Capucine, with a venom he had never heard before. "You can never get things done WELL ENOUGH!"
And she slapped his face. Adrien gasped. So did Capucine.
"Oh, Adrikins," she gasped. "I'm so, so sorry!"
"Hey," said Adrien. "It's alright, okay? It was a mistake. Just don't do that to me again."
"I promise I won't," said Capucine, kissing him.
"Hey babe, I'm home," said Adrien. It was two years later, and Emma was still a baby.
"Hi," sighed Capucine, looking tired.
"How's our little Emma?" said Adrien lovingly, coming over to Emma's cot. The baby gurgled as Adrien plucked at her toes.
"Well," Adrien told himself aloud. "I've work to do, I'd better get started -"
CRASH.
The clock was on the floor, at Adrien's feet. Baby Emma was crying, Adrien was speechless, and Capucine was ranting.
"YOU USELESS HUSBAND!" she shouted. "YOU COME HOME FROM THE PUB HAVING DONE FUCK ALL, AND YOU LEAVE ME TO LOOK AFTER THE BABY! YOU'RE WORTHLESS!"
"And you're tired, Capsy," said Adrien, taken aback. "Here, go and get some rest. I'll take care of Emma."
Capucine stopped yelling, and quietly walked away. She would be diagnosed with postpartum depression later.
"Who were you talking to?" demanded Capucine, not long after that event.
"Capsy, I was on the phone with Nino," said Adrien firmly, putting his mobile phone down. "My friend."
"LIAR!" shouted Capucine, "You're cheating on me, aren't you? You've got another woman!"
"What are you on ab- WHOA!"
Capucine grabbed Adrien's phone and tossed it out the window. Adrien was horrified.
"Right," said Capucine, her voice now becoming sugary sweet. "I'm sorry, Adrikins. You wouldn't want to leave wifey's side, would you?"
She kissed Adrien, who, after some hesitation, kissed her back. Maybe he shouldn't talk to his friends so much, and focus on his wife, he thought. That was the day the gaslighting escalated.
"How does this school, Lakemore International School sound?" suggested Capucine.
"It looks good," answered Adrien, "but the fees are beyond our means."
"Well, can't we ask my dad for some money?" said Capucine.
"I've already told you," said Adrien firmly, "we can't bother anyone."
"ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT WE DEPRIVE OUR DAUGHTER OF AN EDUCATION?!" demanded Capucine furiously.
"The hell are you on about?" hit back Adrien, "I never said anything of the sort!"
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I HEARD!"
Capucine grabbed Adrien's arm and twisted it, eventually breaking it.
"You silly woman," shouted Adrien, "you broke my arm!"
"ALL I WANT IS THE BEST FOR MY DAUGHTER! raged Capucine, "is that too much to ask?"
"Any more of this bullshit, Capucine, and I'm calling the cops," Adrien snapped.
"Go ahead and try," sneered Capucine. "They won't believe you, because you are a man."
Adrien felt lower than he ever had before. No one would believe him, because he was a man.
He couldn't escape easily.
"Hey, Em," said Adrien, returning home from his office early one night. His 9-year-old daughter was pleased to see him, but something caught his eye.
There seemed to be a bruise on her neck, that would probably have led down to the small of her back. He was concerned. Where was this coming from?
"What happened to your neck?" he asked her, with a raised eyebrow. His daughter tensed a little bit.
"Um..." she paused, as though she was trying to come up with an excuse. "A bunch of guys were playing basketball earlier during recess, when the ball hit me from behind. It was an accident, and it didn't hurt that bad."
"Oh, okay," said Adrien. "Just asking."
Emma calmed.
"How'd you like a bedtime story tonight?" suggested Adrien. Emma grinned broadly.
"Cool!" she said. Adrien picked Emma up and put her on his shoulders, taking her to her room for a story - a rare chance at bonding nowadays.
That was the night Adrien began to suspect Capucine of hurting Emma. Said suspicion would come and go, until...
"But Mum," said Emma, "we've never been to a water park before!"
Adrien heard his 10-year-old daughter arguing with her mother.
"Emma, we've had this discussion before," snapped Capucine. "You are not going on any school trips!"
"But the teachers will look after us!" protested Emma. "Pleeease, let me go, just this once?"
"NO!" screamed Capucine.
"But-"
CRACK.
Fuck.
Adrien witnessed his wife raise her hand and use it to whack Emma round the face.
His suspicions, as much as he tried to dismiss them, were confirmed.
Since the night he first saw a bruise on her, she had worn nothing but long-sleeved shirts and long pants. He hadn't thought anything of it, but when he saw what happened, it all clicked.
Capucine was indeed abusing his daughter.
Hair flying to the side, Emma grabbed her cheek and whimpered in agony.
That was the final straw.
"Capucine?!" he demanded furiously. "What the fuck did you just do?"
"I'm so sorry, Adrihoney," said Capucine sweetly. "Emma was just acting up a little."
"And you just hit her," hissed Adrien. "In fact, you've been hitting her all along, haven't you?"
"Of course not!" laughed his wife.
"Don't lie to me!" shouted Adrien. "I stayed with you only because I thought Emma needed you! Well, apparently she could do without you. Yesterday, I went to check on her when she was in bed, and I saw a mark on her face! It all makes sense now, doesn't it?"
"SHUT UP, YOU STUPID BASTARD!" yelled Capucine. "DON'T TALK ABOUT THINGS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"
"IF I WAS THE ONE WHO WAS HITTING YOU, I'D BE BEHIND BARS!" retorted Adrien. "YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT TO ME, BUT DON'T YOU DARE LAY A FINGER ON EMMA!"
SMASH.
Down came a bottle of wine. Emma could only watch in horror.
Adrien now lay on the floor, bleeding from his head. Blood poured, but Adrien didn't lose consciousness.
"That's it," said Adrien. "I'm leaving you, and I'm taking Emma with me."
"Don't even think about going to the police," said Capucine. "They won't believe you, because you are a man."
Adrien ran through that sea of thoughts as he explained his side of the story to the sergeant.
"That is terrible, Mr Agreste," said the officer. "If you don't mind, could I see one of your marks?"
Adrien rolled his sleeve up, revealing scratches from a contused shoulder.
The officer looked horrified, and Emma looked away.
"LIES!" declared Capucine. "I did not lay a finger on Adrien or Emma!"
"Well, Ms Agreste," said the sergeant, "care to explain this?"
He showed Capucine the video evidence that Nino had obtained. Capucine was lost for words.
"It wasn't what you think it was!" she finally managed to protest.
"DON'T LIE TO US!" yelled Nino, springing to his feet. Emma, who was seated between Adrien and Marinette, grabbed each of their hands. Capucine made to walk towards her, but Adrien gave her a withering look that sat her down.
"This evidence couldn't have been edited," said Nino fiercely. "It showed exactly what we had to see. You can't play the victim anymore, Capucine."
"B-but-"
"Well, Ma'am," said the sergeant, "you'll be staying with us. We'll set a court date soon. In the meantime, Mr Agreste, you can have custody of your daughter."
Emma gave a small squeal of joy and threw herself into Adrien's arms again. Marinette and Nino leaned into the hug as Capucine was taken away.
"No," she cried. "No. Emma? Mummy loves you. Don't hate me! Please don't hate me!"
The following evening, Marinette decided to return to the prison to pay Capucine a visit; since Adrien wasn't ready to, she agreed to make the visit on his behalf. There she was, clad in prison uniform, looking despondent. She looked at her former friend with resentment.
"You're the one that got me into all of this," she snarled. "You took my Emma away from me."
"I wouldn't have had to if you didn't hit her the way you did," rejoined Marinette. "The poor girl was in hell. She'd be having nightmares, then she'd wake up at 4 in the morning, and she'd be crying, throwing up... and all this time, she was asking why you would do something like that."
"I don't want to talk to you, you traitor!" screeched Capucine.
"Well, Capucine, I want to talk to you," said Marinette, not backing down. "I want to know why you did all this. Not just to Emma, but also to Adrien."
Capucine paused. "You're not going to believe me, are you?"
"I want to hear everything," said Marinette. "Every single one of your reasons."
"A C?!" cried a woman with red hair.
"Mum, I'm so sorry," said her daughter, "I'll try my best next time..."
"Next time isn't good enough, Capucine!" shouted the mother. "I pay all of my salary for your education and you come back with C's?"
"I said I'd try my best!" protested Capucine.
"DON'T TAKE THAT TONE ON ME, YOUNG LADY!"
Capucine's mother pinned her against the fridge and took out a wooden spoon. Fifteen times it went against her buttocks. Fifteen times Capucine yelped in agony.
"Wait until your father hears about this," snarled her mother.
"Capucine!" called her mother, while her aunt was visiting. "Get some juice for your aunt, will you?"
"Okay, okay," said Capucine, bustling around in the kitchen.
"Hurry up!" called her mother again, in a raised voice.
"I'm coming," said Capucine. She rushed into the room, carrying a jug of juice, when - thump.
Capucine tripped and fell. The jug broke in two as it collided with the floor, spilling juice all over.
"YOU STUPID GIRL!" screamed her mother, and slapped Capucine's face. "That's it! Take a broom! No food for you until you're done!"
"B-but-"
"I SAID GET THAT BROOM NOW, YOU INCOMPETENT GIRL!" shouted Capucine's mother in her face. Capucine, now shaking with sobs, took the broom and began to clean up the mess. Her aunt watched in horror.
"Helene, don't you think you were a bit hard on her?" she asked.
"Say what you will," snapped Capucine. "This girl needs to learn."
"But it's Christmas!" begged Capucine. "You can't leave me on Christmas!"
"I'm sorry, sweetie," said Capucine's father. "I have to work. I promise, when I come back, I'll give you a lot of gifts."
He kissed his daughter and went to work, not to return until night-time. That was the third consecutive Christmas Capucine wouldn't see her father. He wouldn't be back for days afterwards.
"WHAT?!" cried Capucine. "B-but I have nowhere to go!"
"Well, you're 18 now," said Helene. "And I'm not providing for you anymore. I can't look after you any longer, Capucine, so you can like it or lump it."
"B-but-"
"No buts," said Helene. "I want you to pack your things and clear out. You have 15 minutes."
Capucine was happier than she'd been in a long time.
She didn't have much, she was living in a squalid flat, and her job at the local soup kitchen only paid enough for her to get by.
But she was away from her dysfunctional home. No more dreading her mother. No more missing her father.
All was well in the world...
Knock knock knock.
Capucine answered it, and nearly fainted.
"Mum?" she exclaimed.
"No time for dilly-dallying, Capucine," said Helene. "You're 23 now, it's about time you married."
"I thought you said you wanted me out of your life," snapped her daughter.
"Well, I'm still your mother," retorted Helene.
"The one who beat me around for the slightest mistakes? The one who humiliated me in front of people? The one who kicked me out without a second thought five years ago? I needed you and you were never there for me," snapped Capucine.
CRACK.
Nothing had changed.
"YOU WILL GET MARRIED WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!" shouted Helene. "In fact," she added, "I've already found a husband for you!"
"YOU WHAT?" screeched Capucine incredulously.
"This is Adrien Agreste, one of your potential suitors," said Helene, later that day. "He's the son of one of Paris' most prominent fashion designers.
"It's nice to meet you, Capucine," said Adrien politely.
"Uh, it's nice to meet you too, A-Adrien," answered Capucine.
"Now," said her mother, "you will be getting married next month. I expect both of you to be faithful to each other."
"We will, Mrs Le Marx," promised Adrien. Capucine was nervous as hell. Could she do this?
"Mmm, that was good," said Capucine, as Adrien fed her a small scoop of ice-cream. At that point, she and Adrien had been married for two months.
"Agreed," said Adrien. "Y'know, I don't think this arranged marriage was as bad as we thought."
"I know," said Capucine. "Besides, it's not like we can't do what we want to do..."
She leant into Adrien and began to kiss him. He kissed her back.
The marriage was indeed better than either of them - and Helene for that matter - had expected.
"Adrien!" cried Capucine. It had been eight more months, Capucine was having a bad day all day, and the dishes were still in the sink.
"Yes, Capsy?" said Adrien sympathetically. "What's the matter?"
"Is it too much to ask for the dishes to be done?" snapped Capucine.
"Oh, uh, sorry about that," said Adrien. "I'll get them done now."
"And where's all the jam?" demanded Capucine.
"Uh, I didn't do anything with it," her husband replied - he wasn't lying.
"You liar," hissed Capucine; she was out of control. "You can never get things done WELL ENOUGH!"
And she slapped his face for the first time. Adrien gasped. So did Capucine.
"Oh, Adrikins," she gasped. "I'm so, so sorry!"
"Hey," said Adrien. "It's alright, okay? It was a mistake. Just don't do that to me again."
"I promise I won't," said Capucine, kissing him.
Little did either of them know that this was the first of many violent acts that would follow.
The machines beeped as Helene Le Marx's breaths drew to a close. She had been stricken by cancer a year earlier and was now close to death. Capucine, her father, and Adrien watched as Helene slipped away.
Helene's health had deteriorated throughout the year - she had become immobile and incontinent due to the inoperable tumour that had spread throughout her. However, she hadn't changed one bit personality-wise: Capucine and Adrien were still - partly at least - under her jurisdiction.
"Have a child," she'd been telling Capucine, even in her delirium. "Have a child. I want grandbabies."
Capucine hadn't wanted to have a child at first: she feared that she would turn out like her mother. Some of her abusive tendencies had made themselves known in some heated arguments with Adrien. She knew that when she was angry, there was no stopping her, and she didn't want to continue the vicious cycle.
Yet, she and her father had talked about it. The day she got the positive pregnancy test results, she and her father had had a serious, almost intense discussion.
"I don't want to hurt her," said Capucine. "I don't want to make the mistakes mum made. Perhaps I could abort?"
"No need for that," said her father sternly. "My darling, I know you're nervous about making the mistakes she made, but I'm sure you'll be a great mother. And no matter what, I'll be there for you."
Adrien had been as supportive as possible, too.
"Capsy," he said, "it's alright to feel nervous about becoming a mother. Heck, I'm nervous too - I'm going to be a dad! We'll stick through this together."
The support she got from her father and Adrien motivated Capucine to have a child. Her mind was changing, and she wasn't so reluctant to start a family anymore.
Capucine was heavily pregnant when her mother died. Her fears were forgotten and replaced with a wave of indescribable, strong love when Emilie Helene, or Emma for short, was born on the 16th of October, a number of weeks later. Little did she know, however, that her worst fears would come true.
Capucine was now sobbing profusely. Marinette gave her a hug and patted her on the back.
"Capucine, I believe you," she said. "I'm sorry you went through all of that. And I understand you were worried about hurting Emma."
"I love her," sobbed Capucine, "I do. I just didn't know what to do sometimes. I just want to make up for everything."
She looked around. "I guess this is the only option," she said gloomily.
"You're very brave," said Marinette. She said her goodbyes to Capucine and they parted ways. Marinette also managed to talk to the sergeant from yesterday about Capucine's story, and he agreed to arrange for her to get help.
Marinette visited Adrien and Emma, who had moved back into their flat, on the way home. She had bought some food from her parents' bakery, to share it with them.
It was a good time. Marinette had dinner with Adrien and Emma, before they had a game of Snakes and Ladders and a movie. Then, after Emma had gone to bed, Marinette told Adrien all that Capucine had told her.
Adrien was shattered.
"Oh no," he lamented. "I should have been there for her more. I should have encouraged her to take it slowly. And Emma, I should have spent more time with her, I could have put a stop to the abuse if I had."
"Adrien," said Marinette, "what happened is not your fault. It's easy to think that, but you aren't to blame for it, and neither is Emma. Don't say anything otherwise. Capucine will do the right thing, and she has agreed to get help. Speaking of which, how are the two of you coping?"
"All this has put me off relationships," said Adrien, "I don't want to try romance anytime soon. I sometimes have nightmares. And Emma, so does she. She used to wet her bed a few times a week when she was younger. She grew out of that by the time she was about 7, but the nightmares never stopped: we'd both wake up screaming some nights. You say she threw up once?"
"Only a few days ago," said Marinette. "I'm not a professional, but I think you need to talk to someone about what you've been through."
"I will," said Adrien. "And Marinette? Thank you. For being there for me. For telling me it wasn't my fault. For looking after my girl. And for not hating Capucine."
"I'm glad I could help, Adrien," said Marinette. "I'm glad I could help."
Whew, that's the longest chapter I've ever written! How did I do Capucine's backstory? Let me know. Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome. Stay tuned for the epilogue!