The rat and the reckoning

Donato’s boots squelched against the blood slick concrete as he stepped into the slaughterhouse. He was still covered in the remnants of the night’s work crimson flecks drying on his tailored black shirt, a smear across his jaw like war paint. His knuckles were split open, raw and throbbing, but the pain only fed the fire roaring in his chest.A rat in his organization.The thought alone made his lip curl into a snarl. He rolled his shoulders, the heavy gold chain around his neck catching the dim light as he stalked deeper into the killing floor. His lieutenants were already lined up on their knees in a row, wrists tied behind their backs, faces pale under the harsh lighting. Four men who had sworn blood oaths to him. One of them had sold information to the fucking Albanians.“Which one of you worthless cunts thought you could play both sides?” Donato’s voice was low, almost conversational, but every man present knew that tone. It was the calm before the blade fell.No one spoke. Sil

The morning after

Serena laid motionless on the tangled sheets,like a broken doll discarded after the storm. Her body was a map of every inch claimed and ruined. Deep bruises in the perfect shape of Donato Vitale’s fingerprints bloomed across the pale skin of her hips, the undersides of her breasts, and the soft flesh of her inner thighs. Her throat burned, raw from hours of choking on him, screaming his name against her will. Between her legs she throbbed, swollen and tender, still leaking the evidence of his final, brutal release onto the already stained sheets. She didn’t move for a long time. The ceiling above her blurred as silent tears slipped from the corners of her eyes and vanished into her hair. Donato had left barely an hour ago. He had kissed her forehead before slipping out into the night still streaked with someone else’s blood. The scent of violence had clung to his skin, mixing with sweat and sex. The apartment was quiet now, save for the distant growl of early traffic and the mad

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

All Chapters of Contracted sin: Chapter 11 - Chapter 13

The rat and the reckoning

The morning after

Fractured vows