Fractured vows

Serena sat on the cold tile floor of the gallery’s staff bathroom, knees drawn to her chest, the pregnancy test still clutched in her fist.

"This isn’t happening."

She pressed the heel of her free hand against her mouth to stifle the sob clawing its way up her raw throat. Every muscle in her body trembled, she was pregnant for Donato Vitale.

Denial crashed over her in waves. She rocked slowly, whispering to herself, “No, no, no I was careful. I......” But the lie died on her lips. Careful? She had let him come inside her again and again, night after night, lost in the sick choreography of hate and unwanted pleasure.

Minutes felt like hours. She didn’t know how long she stayed there, curled around the flat plane of her stomach as if the tiny spark inside could already feel her terror. Eventually, a soft knock rattled the door.

“Serena? You okay in there? You’ve been gone a while.” Priya’s voice, laced with worry.

Serena swallowed hard, before answering. “Yeah just bad Thai food. I’ll be out in a sec.”

She flushed the test watching those damning lines disappear into the plumbing felt like erasing evidence of a crime she hadn’t committed yet and splashed cold water on her face until her cheeks stung.

The rest of the afternoon passed in a haze. Between customers, flashbacks ambushed her .

She was six again, sitting in their tiny kitchen, legs swinging as her mother stirred pasta sauce. The silver necklace the same one now warm against Serena’s collarbone had glinted under the cheap fluorescent light as her mother leaned down to kiss her forehead.

Serena remembered the bruises on her mother’s arms, the way she would flinch at sudden noises. Her mother’s screams still echoed in her nightmares trapped, begging for the daughter she thought was inside.

“Earth to Serena.” Priya waved a hand in front of her face , two iced coffees in her other hand. “You zoning out again? That ‘neighbor’s dog’ must’ve really done a number on you.”

Serena accepted the coffee with a weak laugh, the scent turning her stomach. She set it down untouched. Her fingers drifted unconsciously to her abdomen, then jerked away as if burned. Priya noticed anyway, eyes narrowing.

“You sure it’s just that? You’re pale as a ghost, babe. And you barely touched lunch.”

“I’m fine promise.”

As the sun dipped lower, painting the gallery in warm golds that clashed with the storm inside her, Serena retreated to the back office under the pretense of cataloging new arrivals. Alone, the debate raged.

" Tell him."

The thought was immediate and revolting. Donato Vitale, the man who had choked her on his cock while someone else’s blood dried on his knuckles.

"Or use it as leverage."

The word sent a thrill through her veins.A child could be the key to make him obsessed in a new way.

The hypocrisy burned. She had scorned women who traded their bodies for power. Now here she was, contemplating trading her womb.

Another memory surfaced of her at fourteen, in the group home after the state took what little remained. Another girl, pregnant at fifteen by some older boyfriend who swore he would stay. Serena had held her hand through the tears, the fear. “I’ll keep it,” the girl had whispered. “It’ll be loved. Unlike us.” Serena had envied that fragile hope then but now it terrified her. Could she love a child born of violence? Or would every look at its face remind her of the man who ruined everything?

She pressed her forehead to the cool desk, breathing through another wave of nausea.

By closing time, she still had not made a decision. Priya hugged her goodbye, lingering a second too long. “Text me if you need anything, okay? Even if it’s just to vent about that damn dog.”

Serena managed a nod, watching her friend disappear down the avenue. She pulled out her phone with shaking fingers. Donato’s contact stared back.

She typed, deleted, typed again.

Serena: Need to see you tonight. It’s important.

The response came within seconds, as if he had been waiting.

Donato: On my way. Be naked when I get there.

Her stomach flipped. She shoved the phone away and headed for the subway.

Back in her apartment, the evidence of the morning’s destruction still lingered the tangled sheets. She didn’t strip as ordered. Instead, she changed into soft black lounge pants and a loose tank.

When the knock came she opened the door to find Donato filling the frame. Freshly showered, dark hair still damp, wearing a black button down that strained across his broad chest. Those ice blue eyes swept over her, narrowing at her clothed state.

"Didn't you see my message?” He stepped inside, kicking the door shut. One large hand immediately cupped her jaw, thumb brushing her lower lip. “I said naked.”

Serena caught his wrist, heart hammering. “Wait we need to talk.”

His expression shifted he let her pull his hand away but crowded her against the wall anyway, caging her with his body. The heat of him, the clean masculine scent layered over faint cologne, made her thighs clench involuntarily.

“Talk?” He leaned in, lips ghosting her ear. “You summon me after last night and want to talk? I can feel you trembling, Serena. Your body knows what it needs.”

She shoved at his chest, but it bought space. “I’m serious, Donato sit down.”

He studied her for a long moment, then obliged, sprawling on her couch.

Finally, she stopped in front of him. “I’m pregnant.”

His face went utterly still then he moved.

In one fluid motion he was on his feet, pulling her into his arms.

“Pregnant?” “With my child?"

Serena squeezed her eyes shut, hating how safe the embrace felt even as her mind recoiled. “Yes.”

He pulled back just enough to tilt her chin up, searching her face. “You’re keeping it.”

He dropped to one knee suddenly, pressing his forehead to her stomach in a gesture so unexpectedly tender it cracked something inside her. “Mine,” he whispered against the fabric. “Both of you.”

“You don’t go back to that gallery. You don’t take subways. You move in with me.”

“Slow down”

“No slowing down, Serena. You’re carrying a Vitale heir.

Serena slipped out of the hug."I am not going to keep it"

Donato's look changed."And why is that"

"Why would I want to keep the child we don't even know each other we just fuck each other". " I'll keep the baby on one condition."

Donato's face gleamed with curiosity." What is that?"

"We get married".