The Don And His Flower

25

Pregnant.

"Imani."

A child.

"Imani, open the door."

A baby.

The thuds on the door increased. The door knob rattled as the sound of her husband's footsteps faded and came back. Imani had her suspicions. Wondering why she felt so drained, so exhausted and nauseous the last few weeks.

There was something part of her, growing inside her..again.

The screws fell out one by one. The knob just falling right after.

And she wasn't even sure if it was real.

Imani whimpered, body numb with clammy hands as she hugged her knees to her chest. The vision that she had was glossy.

The door finally opened. Breathing heavily, was her concerned husband. The relief was slight as he saw she wasn't physically harmed.

"Flower." He breathed out.

Her silence did cause him some nerves to tingle, until the next attention he gave was the sink. The man held his breath, looking at the results. He understood her distance, understood why she couldn't open the door but had to call him. She needed to know it was all real, not just an illusion.

Valis looked back at his wife, watching how quiet the nineteen year old woman was.

Imani sat on the floor, her back against the tub as she looked at the pair of black socks that warmed her husband's feet. He stood at the sink, hands gripped the edges as he looked at all five sticks from the packaging.

All saying positive.

He looked back over to the side, his wife with a pained look in her eyes. Red and swollen, she can't stop crying. This was supposed to be a moment where she was supposed to be happy. Her husband was supposed to be happy. But all he felt was failure.

He didn't know how to console a woman like Imani Kholodov. He didn't know how to even react to such a sensitive moment like this. She wasn't happy, he knew that. She was supposed to be a happy expecting mother.

Instead all she felt was violated.

Violated to remember her assault. Violated to remember the things those men did to her. Violated to remember the deceased child she birthed.

So long after getting better. She was possibly carrying another child, and was violated to worry about the what ifs. What if the same thing happened? Would this child even survive inside her this time?

She was pregnant.

"Imani."

He was in front of her, his voice calm but even she saw the pain in his eyes. It wasn't about his failure to console his flower. She read through him in ways she doesn't intend to. Imani knew what he was refusing to tell her.

Valis Kholodov wasn't going to make her raise a child that she didn't want.

Imani knew he wasn't going for it.

"Imani, baby."

Perhaps he'll demand his ring back, give her the courtesy of leaving in private when everyone isn't awake. He'll kick her out into the night like a stray that can't follow rules.

Warm palms caressed her face, the pad of his thumbs wiping a strand of hair from her lips. She closed her eyes, accepting his kiss. "I'm here baby."

For how long?

Her throat wouldn't let her voice her screams. Just a soft cry as she felt his arms around her body. His legs straightened as he picked her up to stand.

"Talk to me, flower. Tell me what to do."

"I hate it. I-I can't," she whimpered, his lips against hers as they stood in the bathroom. "I can't, Valis."

Her fingers grabbed his sleeves, fisting the black material as she wept in his arms. All he did was kiss her tears, rocking them slowly.

"I know baby. Tell me, tell me all of it."

"I don't even know..oh God. What if..Valis." She let her tears get wiped by the man. His head to hers as he gripped her waist. He blocked her view of the five sticks on the sink, leading her out of the bathroom. "Tell me, Imani."

"I can't keep it, Valis. Not if..oh God. I don't know what to do." She whimpered, letting him smell her neck.

Imani felt awful, she was disgusted with herself. Unsure of what to do. She couldn't feel love looking at those results. Not if there was a massive balance leaning towards the same thing repeating.

"Not one person, will harm you Imani Kholodov. I can only promise you that. Under my living being, under my dark soul, not one person, dead or alive. Not one of them will touch you."

She cried, wanting to believe his words. She tried to remember his oath, his promise underneath the willow tree. But her pain was too much. "I want them dead..I want them back to life so you can kill them all over again." She sobbed, his lips on her scarred flesh.

He nodded, held her while she walked backwards, another cry while she fell back into the soft bed. "I know, baby. I wish for that moment every single day. What do we do now?"

What does she do? What does Imani do about the life that's possibly growing inside of her?

"I don't know, oh God. I'm so scared, Valis."

Few hours had passed when Valis took up the half eaten foods, watching the final tear leave her eye. Much needed sleep took her under a spell as Valis had made sure to intend for her. Grabbing the cup he inspected the small remains of powder at the bottom, leaving to go clean up the mess.

Valis felt useless. In ways he didn't think possible, he couldn't do any of it. He couldn't do anything but coddle and drug her back to sleep.

The man only hoped that what he was doing to her wasn't causing his child any pain.

His child.

One he couldn't find in his heart to be happy about, no matter how hard he tried. The low claps of thunder made his hand scrub harder, the small stain fading so slowly as he rinsed it.

It wasn't until a sudden crack made the man freeze, two sharp pieces of a white plate in his hand, broken in half.

The man sighed slowly, trying to calm his nerves as he threw it away, finishing the dishes and drying his hands.

He took a shower and got dressed, watching the slumber overcome Imani. Not a single sign of stress or fear overlooked her face. He sat on the edge of the bed, phone in hand as he listened to the faint claps of thunder with tricking rain outside the compound.

The vibration in his phone made his heart thump. Breath hitched he looked back at his wife, looking at the small of her lower stomach rise and fall.

We have the guard down here.

Michael Kholodov is in the basement too, sir.