DiegoI stare at Vanessa like she has three goddamn heads as we stand facing each other. "I'm sorry...what did you just say to me?" I ask calmly, but with a dangerous edge to my voice.Vanessa doesn't flinch. With defiance blazing in her eyes, she meets my gaze head on. "I said I want a divorce, Diego. She repeats the words coldly as if they mean nothing to her. "I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want you anymore."I let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, I think I may need to clean out my ears because what I'm hearing sounds like a load of bullshit."Her hand lands across my cheek with a sharp crack. It stings like a bitch, but my face doesn't move an inch. I grit my teeth and swallow down the surge of anger, knowing it's exactly what she wants. She looking for an excuse, any excuse, to walk away from me. To pack her shit and disappear to a place I won't be able to find her. But I'll never give her that satisfaction.I take a deep breath, and let it slowly. It's not just the slap that

VanessaThe two faint lines on the test stare back at me, confirming my worst fears—the reason why my period is so late. I'm pregnant. The uncertainty of whether this baby belongs to my husband or to my rapist tightens in my gut like a venomous snake. I sink to the floor, cradling my knees to my chest, allowing the tears to flow freely down my cheeks. My sobs echo off the tile walls, the anguish and loneliness too heavy to bear. Two months. It's been two months since Alicia was murdered, and her death is a constant weight on my chest. No matter how many times I try to blame Diego, I know that it's my fault she's gone. Celeste retaliated after I killed her son.And nothing will ever change that. Since the day she died, I've been a prisoner in my own mind. Most of the time, I feel hollow, but there are days when I just randomly break down. It feels like no progress has been made. There's still no justice for my sister, I have no fucking idea where my mom is, and Diego and I seem to

Diego Vanessa finally comes downstairs wearing the dress I had Danny pick up for her. Her hair, now straightened, falls gracefully to her upper back. The dress is red, with spaghetti straps and a thigh-high slit. It's a bit shorter than the sundresses she usually wears, but still long enough to keep her comfortable. When we first met, she was repulsed by dresses because of the bullshit her father instilled in her, but at least that's one thing that has improved in our time together. We just have to work on everything else Nathan ruined. Even now that she hates the collar, it glimmers proudly around her neck. "You look beautiful, Mama," I murmur, giving her a small smile. She barely glances at me, her eyes distant, as if she's dissociating. "Sure, whatever," she mutters. The car ride to my club is filled with a tense silence. Vanessa sits against the door, her gaze fixed on the scenery passing by. I notice her breath hitching, and her body is trembling slightly in the s