Carina felt she was a fairly observant person. Growing up without a mother and a bipolar father for the better part of her childhood, she had to be.
So, when she first started seeing Maya, she noticed some strange things.
Like how Maya flinched at loud noises. How she tensed up whenever someone other than her touched her. How she took a while to let Carina in.
Carina knew very little about Maya's childhood. She knew her father was hard on her, but that was about all Maya would say before changing the subject.
However, one night after the two spent some quality time, Carina noticed some things and decided to ask about them.
"Where did you get these scars, bella?" She asked, kissing the scar on her forehead, the one on her arm.
She immediately felt her girlfriend tense and try to pull away. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Maya." Carina said quickly.
"No, it's okay," The blonde said. "My....dad, he didn't like when I lost. When I did, he would get mad and push me or throw a plate at me. This one on my forehead is when he threw a plate at my head."
Carina inhaled sharply. She had assumed that Maya was physically and mentally abused, but to hear her admit it out loud was hard to hear.
"I'm so sorry, bella." Carina whispered, kissing the scar on her forehead once more. "He stopped physically doing it when I was 10 because from then on I decided I would never lose again." Maya said, seeking comfort in Carina's arms.
"Have you ever told anyone?" The Italian asked. Maya shook her head. "They know my dad is a dick, but they don't know anything else. Please don't say anything." Maya replied.
"I won't, bambina, do not worry. Is...did he hit your mama or your fratellino?" Carina asked.
"No. He didn't really pay any attention to them, which was good. I tried to keep his attention on me so they wouldn't have to deal with him, too." The firefighter explained.
"You're such a good person, you know that?" Carina asked, pressing a kiss to Maya's hair. "Not really." Maya shrugged.
It hurt Carina to know that Maya had such low self esteem. She knew it obviously stemmed off of how she grew up, but she just wanted Maya to see herself the way she did.
"You are. Protecting your mama and baby brother is a very noble thing to do. Just trust me when I say you are a good person."
"I do trust you. More than anyone." Maya smiled, nuzzling into Carina's neck.
