CHAPTER 002

The pregnancy report lay on the floor in front of me, a cruel reminder of the life I had imagined, the future I had dreamed of. 

I reached for it with trembling hands, clutching it to my chest as if it could somehow protect me from the pain.

But it couldn’t. Nothing could.

I didn't know how long I sat there, crying until I had no tears left. The house was silent again, but it was a different kind of silence now—heavy and oppressive, like a weight pressing down on my chest.

Eventually, I forced myself to stand, my legs shaky and unsteady. I walked to the bed, staring at the rumpled sheets, the evidence of their affair.

My stomach churned, and a gurgling feeling to retch filled my insides and I turned to the bathroom, my stomach twisting even more at the sight before me.

Condoms, panties, drugs...

Everything was in full display before me, and I could only close my eyes, throwing up everything inside me. Before walking back into the bedroom.

I grabbed the sheets, yanking them off the bed with a violence that surprised even me. I threw them into the corner as if getting rid of them could erase what had happened. But it couldn’t. Nothing could.

I sank onto the bare mattress, my mind racing. What now? What was I supposed to do? I was pregnant, carrying a child that was supposed to be a symbol of our love, our future. But now… now everything was different.

I thought about leaving, packing my things, and walking out the door. But where would I go? And how could I face the world, knowing what had happened?

I had no one to run to, no one to go to, and I'd promised myself that I'd do whatever it was that it took, to make sure it didn't live a life like mine. Even if it meant staying with the man who betrayed me in the worst way ever.

I laid down on the mattress, curling into a ball, my arms wrapped protectively around my stomach. My baby—our baby—was still there, a tiny life growing inside me. And as much as I wanted to hate Diego, to hate Lillian, I couldn’t hate this child. It was innocent, blameless.

I closed my eyes, tears slipping down my cheeks once more. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “I’m so sorry, little one.”

And then, exhausted, I let the darkness take me.

.

.

.

My eyes fluttered open to the sight of Dominic seated in the room, staring at me like I was some sort of plague that he badly wanted to get rid of.

"Why did you come home?" He asked, adjusting in the chair.

I sat up straight, but the smell of their sweat still retched in my stomach.

"I don't understand, are you mad that I caught you cheating on me with Lillian or is there something else?" I asked, staring at him in the eye.

"I'm asking you why you came home at that fuckin time! Aurora," He yelled, and I could feel my body trembling with the intensity of his growl.

"Don't tell me, you're mad because I caught you cheating, because if that is what it is then..."

"Then what? Are you going to leave? Tell me you want a divorce?" He threatened, walking closer.

"And what if I do? Tell you that I want a divorce, what are you going to do about it, have your minions come here to beat me, or you might even kill me so you can have Lillian become your wife," I retorted, standing up to his height. 

He stilled and then came the familiar smirk on his face, followed by the sudden yank of my hair.

Dominic's fingers tightened in my hair, yanking me forward until I could feel the heat of his breath against my skin. My scalp burned, and my neck strained at an unnatural angle, but I could only manage a small whimper.

“You think you can talk back to me?” he spat, his grip tightening. “You’re nothing, Aurora. Nothing without me.” my eyes brimmed with tears with the pain that shot through my skull

"P—please," I begged, the words barely leaving my mouth before his hand struck my cheek with a sickening crack. The force sent me stumbling back, my vision blurring for a moment as pain exploded across my face.

I held my hands over my stomach protectively.

"Look at you," he sneered. "Still acting like you have a choice, like you have somewhere else to go."

I swallowed the coppery taste of blood, my cheek throbbing. My mind screamed at me to run, to do something, but my body was frozen in place.

Dominic stepped closer, his presence suffocating. He grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my skin hard enough to bruise.

"You’re mine," he growled. "And you’ll stay here, where you belong. Got it?"

I glared at him, refusing to nod, refusing to submit. My silence made his eyes darken with rage. His grip tightened, and then—another blow. My head snapped to the side, my knees buckling beneath me as I hit the floor.

Tears burned my eyes, and it took only one blink for it to come rushing down on my face.

He crouched down beside me, his fingers tilting my chin up so I had no choice but to look at him.

"You're going to be a good girl from now on," he said, his voice mockingly soft. "Or things will get worse."

I wanted to spit in his face. I wanted to claw at his skin and make him feel even a fraction of the pain he had caused me.

But I had to be what he wanted.

For my baby

"I understand," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

His smirk widened, satisfied, as he finally released me and stood to his full height.

"Good," he said, stepping over me like I was nothing more than an obstacle in his path. "Clean yourself up.”