Darkness Chapter 52: part 2

**Nelly**

I might kill my husband. No, not might...will kill him. He wants me to wear a damn ass uncomfortable formal dress tomorrow night. He does realize I'm pregnant and hormonal, and I can cut his balls off 10 different ways? Ugh!!!! Who the fuck is this damn Count anyway. I'm sure he's some stuffy ass old guy who has a harem of women.

The seamstress comes to help me with one of my dresses to alter it so I can fix my fat ass and whale belly in an oh-so-flattering dress. I put the dress on and started to cry as it, of course, didn't fit. The lady is trying to calm me while her assistant gets measurements and starts to take the dress apart. Oh yeah, this is gonna look so good…NOT!

Vincent enters, “Hey, beautiful…”

I interject, “Get out! I look horrible!”

“They aren't done yet, baby. It'll be fine. I promise. Stephen will love you,” he urges.

“Sure, I love this dress. He'll see me like every other vampire or worse yet as a babymaker.”

I don't mean to be harsh with him but I can't help it. I'm scared to go out and meet other vampires. I'm not normal to them. And I don't want to endanger our family because of it.

He dismisses the seamstress and pulls me close to him, his voice filled with urgency. "Nelly," he says, his eyes pleading with me. I try to pull away, but he holds me tight. "No...we need to fix this now. I know I made a mistake before I left. I should have asked you instead of demanding you stay home. I realize that now. I love you more than anything, Nelly. I can't bear the thought of losing you to Peter. He wants to see me suffer because of Bianca."

My heart races as I reveal the truth. "He admitted to me that he killed her."

He pulls away from me, shock written all over his face. "What?!"

"He said if he couldn't have her, neither could you. He's been covering it up all this time. He's always been a threat." With that, he storms out of the room, leaving me to ponder the truth. I always knew he still carried a torch for Bianca, but now I wonder if I'm just a replacement for her, an obligation he feels he must fulfill. I pray that's not the case.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I contemplated the possibility. I handed the dress over to the seamstress to complete, then retreated to the solitude of my room. The thought of facing him was unbearable. I felt a mix of emotions - used, ashamed, and foolish for allowing myself to be drawn to him, knowing he still grieved for her after all this time.

I clutched my stomach, feeling a surge of emotions. Would this child be our savior, or the end of us?

I knew deep down that I had to escape. The pain of leaving him was more excruciating than any cruel words he had ever uttered. It was the look in his eyes when he mentioned Bianca. He was still captivated by her, still holding onto a ghost of a woman. He was in love with a mere shadow of a goodbye. I can't live in the past and not be loved. I won't let this child feel that way either. I have to move on.

I will force myself to attend the ball, plaster on a fake smile, but I have already made up my mind to leave. I needed to get away, to start anew. My heart was heavy with longing for Vincent. The mere thought of another man's touch made me sick to my stomach. I wept myself to sleep, knowing deep down that Vincent's absence from our bed confirmed my worst fears. Actions speak far louder than words.