Yay! Next chapter! The support for this has been great and I am so glad that you guys are enjoying reading so far. It makes me really happy knowing that my story is better than I had hoped I think I am in love with it as well it makes me happy to see it so well received! Anyways I hope you enjoy chapter 3 of my new baby~ ^u^
Madeline sat in her bedroom alone, long ago had she run out of tears and at this point only dry heaves and sobs could be heard she'd finally been reduced to wet sniffles, her wrist hurt pretty bad, it felt like it was broken and her face stung and burned. Elizabeta had been right about Ivan, she had warned her that he would just get worse and she had refused to listen because she thought she could 'fix' him. Maddie couldn't fix him, she had to get out of her and away from him. She knew in her heart that he would never just let her go but she had to find a way. The bedrooms door slammed open, making Maddie gasp and crawl into the corner beside the bed, ducking her head in defense.
"Oh don't be like that sweetie~" Ivan cooed, walking over and yanking her roughly up off the floor, making her stand in front of him.
"You can forgive me can't you podsolnichnik~?" He asked, his voice as sweet as honey with a vile and venomous undertone that made Madeline whimper in fear, keeping her mouth clamped shut so she would not anger him which she knew happened very easily.
"My dear, from now on you are going to keep your mouth closed and do only as I tell you to do. You do not speak unless you are spoken to, nor are you permitted to tell what goes on inside of this house or you will be punished. Do you understand?" He asked. Maddie still kept her head down with no word from her mouth, shaking in fear at the tone of Ivan's voice which only made the large Russian man even more angry and he grabbed her wrist and yanked her closer to him
"Perhaps you did not hear me! Do you understand!?" He growled in her face. Madeline whimpered
"Y-Yes! I-I understand! I'm sorry!" She cried, struggling to pull free from the Russian's bear trap grasp on her wrist. When he finally let go she fell back into the corner, hitting her head against the wall. If her wrist hadn't been broken before it most definitely was now. Ivan looked her wrist with a scowl.
"Come. We are going to take care of that but you fell in the kitchen. That's your story." Ivan said, grasping her other wrist and dragging her along to the car to take her to the hospital.
Gilbert sighed as he stood behind the counter of the coffee shop, leaned up against the counter in a daze with his mind wandering. He was brought back to reality when his younger brother flicked the back of his head
"Gilbert! Hallo!" he called out, waving his hand in front of his brother's face with a growl of annoyance
"Ouch! What the hell West! That hurt!" He growled. Ludwig sighed, shaking his head at his brother
"What's been going on with you lately? Ever since you came home yesterday you have been in this daydreamy state and you've hardly paid attention to anything at all. You spilled three coffees today, one of them on a customer, and it's only noon!" He huffed, crossing his arms and looking up at his brother with a soft sigh. Gilbert rubbed the back of his head
"It's this girl Lud. I met her yesterday in the shop, a friend of Liza's, and I can't get her out of my head but...the thing is..." He started, his voice lowering to a raspy whisper as he leaned close to Ludwig.
"she's dating this guy who's been hitting her and I am really worried for the poor girl. You should have seen that giant ass bruise on her shoulder." He said, frowning a little bit
"Some asshole like that doesn't deserve a sweet, beautiful girl like her..." He murmured. Ludwig smiled a little bit at his brother
"You like the girl don't you?" He asked
"I know why your saying those things and I get the daydreamy looks in your eyes when you get a minute to think to yourself. You are falling for that little girl." Ludwig said. Gilbert opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by a ding of the bell from the front door and Gilbert's eyes widened at seeing none other than little Madeline walking through the door, followed by a hulking Russian man. Madeline's pretty face didn't frame an equally beautiful smile like it had when he had seen her with her friend yesterday but instead she wore a frown and tear stained cheeks and dark circles around her eyes as well as a cast on her wrist. Gilbert felt his eyes widen at the cast on her arm and then he looked at the large man with her. That must be that cheating abusive bastard of a boyfriend that Madeline had been hurt by. Gilbert tapped Ludwig's shoulder and leaned to his ear
"Luddy. That's her! The little blonde girl that just walked in." He whispered, grabbing his brother's shoulder. Ludwig looked at Madeline and raised a brow
"Hmm. She is pretty." He said, looking at the blonde girl whose body was almost shaking as she sat beside the man. Gilbert frowned
"I'm going over there." He said in a low voice before his shoulder was grabbed by Ludwig
"What the hell is wrong with you!? Are you crazy? That guy looks like he would kill you if you so much as looked at that girl the wrong way!" Ludwig warned
"I'm not going to do anything. I'm just going to take their order." he said, jerking away from his brother and walking over to the table where the two sat together.
Madeline sighed as she and Ivan walked through the door of the little coffee shop together, her head down and her body shaking as she sat down by him at the table. He had brought her here since they were done with the hospital and he figured she could have a 'reward' for behaving so well. She looked up and saw the waiter from yesterday, her eyes widening as he walked up to the table.
"What can I get the two of you?" Gilbert asked. Maddie could hear something off about his voice, it almost seemed angry and he was almost assaulting Ivan with his words. Ivan looked up at Gilbert with an almost too cheerful smile
"I will just have a black coffee." He responded
"What about you Madeline?" Gilbert asked, looking down at the little blonde girl. Ivan frowned at the mention of Maddie's name
"How do you know my girlfriend's name?" he asked. Gilbert looked at Ivan
"She was in here with a friend of mine yesterday, Elizabeta. She introduced us." He said
"What would you like Madeline?" Gilbert asked. Madeline gulped
"W-White chocolate hot chocolate with a drizzle of maple syrup..." Maddie answered quietly. She could feel Ivan's death glares from over her head as Gilbert walked away from the two of them. She was in for it when she got home with Ivan. He was an extremely jealous guy that would usually snap any guy's neck who even talked to Madeline but now he could take that anger out on her.
"Who is that boy?" Ivan asked Maddie causing the small blonde to shiver in fear with a small whimper
"N-No one Ivan. Just a waiter that Elizabeta was friend's with in college that works here, n-nothing else...I-I promise." She whimpered softly, making sure to keep head down and her yes on her hands which were folded in her lap. Ivan huffed
"I do not like the way he looks at you. You do not speak to him from now on do you understand." Ivan commanded. Madeline swallowed hard and nodded
"Yes Ivan..." She murmured softly. Ivan smiled at her
"Good girl~" He cooed, rubbing her back. Madeline forced back tears with a soft whimper. She didn't want to stop talking to Gilbert just because Ivan 'didn't like the way he was looking at her'. Gilbert had been the only one who had actually brought a smile to her face ,an actual genuine smile, in months. She liked to talk to Gilbert even if she hadn't really said much of anything other than maybe a 'hi' if that much. Gilbert was a really kind guy from what Liz had told her on the way home and in a way she wished that he was the one she was dating right now instead of Ivan. Ivan sighed
"I'll be right back Madeline. I am going to go to the restroom." Ivan said, getting up and walking away just as Gilbert walked up with their drinks, setting them on the table.
"One White Chocolate with Maple and one coffee, black, just like your boyfriend's soul." Gilbert joked, smiling at Maddie as she let out a small giggle at his comment
"You know...You should be careful what you say to Ivan. He can get a bit...touchy..." Madeline said softly. Gilbert shrugged a little bit
"Hey, some people are worth getting a black eye for." Gilbert said with a smile, winking at madeline and making her flush pink as he left the let her thoughts drift until Ivan came back, Maddie almost burning her lips as she drank her coffee. The soft pain of the burning drink down her throat was almost relieving from the real pain she felt right now, her eyes and face burning, the pain in her wrist almost gone from the pain meds and of course the emotional scarring from Ivan's terrible words and actions. Maddie was in pain but then she had felt the sweet burning in her cheeks when Gilbert had spoken to her that made her almost melt like this chocolate. Maybe this place could become her refuge, her little shelter from all the terrible pain that had kept her imprisoned for all this time. This coffee shop was Madeline's safe, happy, retreat.