Shattered Legacy

Lyla Rose

_________

The medical report lies on the coffee table, the word "infertile" staring up at me in cold, clinical black and white.

Across the room, Vincent lounges on the couch with his soon-to-be wife curled in his lap like she belongs there. 

"You're divorcing me for an heir?" I laugh bitterly, the sound hollow in the icy air between us.

"You can't give me what I need." He growls, his voice low and detached, like he's already let go of me.

My heart feels like it’s splintering apart, but I force a smile anyway, even as tears claw at the backs of my eyes, begging to fall.

"We can adopt. Vincent, please… you don’t have to leave me just because I can’t have children.” I plead desperately.

"Adoption isn't an option, a Ricci needs a blood heir."

"I'm marrying Maria." His hand gently cups Maria’s cheek as he kisses her. His tongue swirls in her mouth, claiming her with a hunger he never once showed me, and my heart shatters in a million pieces.

The kiss breaks with a filthy pop of saliva, and he rests his forehead against hers.

Why can’t he see how much he’s hurting me… and why can’t I let him go, even after seeing him with her?

“Don’t say that.”

I push myself up and reach out to him with a trembling hand. “I don’t want you marrying her.” My fingers brush his chest gently, but he pulls away, his eyes colder than ever.

Maria smirks at me, kissing his throat as her hands trail across his chest. "You should stop looking at him like he still belongs to you, Rose," she says softly, the mockery in her voice sharper than if she had shouted. "It's getting pathetic."

My jaw clenches, fury burning through my chest, but I force myself to stay silent. I refuse to give her the satisfaction of seeing me break.

"Don't be selfish, Rose. You can't give me what I need. Maria is beautiful, experienced, fertile, and from a powerful Italian family. She'll give me the heir I need." He kisses Maria’s forehead.

The words land like a punch to the gut.

Maria clears her throat and stands up from his lap, then leans down and kisses his lips firmly. I clench my fist, heartbreak and fury churning in my chest. How could he betray me like this?

"Join me for dinner, love," she says softly before turning toward me with a mocking smile.

"You should learn to let go gracefully, Rose," she sneers, smoothing a hand down the front of her dress. "Clinging to a man who already chose someone else is embarrassing."

My jaw clenches so tightly it hurts. Every instinct inside me screams to slap the smirk off her face and remind her exactly who she is in this house.

Maria tilts her head slightly, her eyes flicking toward the medical report on the table. "A mafia Don needs a future. You can't really blame him for choosing one."

Then she smiles at me one last time and walks away, crushing whatever little hope I’d still been stupid enough to cling to.

He stares at me for a long moment, his face softening just for a second, like he's about to give in. But then it hardens again, like a mask snapping back into place.

He rises and steps closer. 

"Take me to a doctor. Maybe there's a way to fix my infertility." The words spill out before I can stop them, my voice trembling as I look up at him, praying for even the slightest hint of mercy.

He lets out a bitter laugh. "Three different doctors, Rose. Specialists. They all said the same thing. You'll never carry a child. The damage is permanent."

He leans down, his face inches from mine, and for the first time in a long while, I see it, the weariness, the cold frustration in his eyes. "But if you want to waste more time and money on false hope, go ahead. The wedding is still tomorrow."

"Why are you so desperate to leave me?" I croak out, the pain in my chest suffocating me.

His expression crumbles for a split second, the mask slipping to reveal something beneath... something human.

"Because... because I'm falling apart without an heir." The words come out rough, as if they're tearing him open. He pulls away from me, his back to me now, his voice distant but thick with something like regret.

"I need a son. A Ricci heir. And you can't give that to me." He starts walking towards the door, his steps heavy, like each one is a final nail in the coffin of what we were.

"Don't leave me, Vincent." My voice cracks.

He pauses, his hand on the door handle.

“The wedding is at noon tomorrow. Maria will be my bride. She was always meant to be.”

The door creaks open, and he steps into the hallway, never looking back.

"Goodbye, Rose."

The door slams shut with a deafening finality.

I stand there for a moment, the silence engulfing me, suffocating me. Then, my fury rises, the pain turning into something darker.

"You can't leave me. I will kill Maria if you marry her!"

He slams the door open again, the fury in his eyes matching mine.

In a flash, he slams me against the wall, his large hand gripping my throat, his fingers digging into my skin.

"What did you just say?" he demands. "Say it again... I dare you." His face is so close I can feel his breath on my lips, and I'm drowning in his eyes, in the heat of his rage. "My family would kill you for even thinking about her."

"I will kill her before you marry her... You can't divorce me." The words come out cold, detached, but inside I’m breaking.

He stares at me, shocked by my sudden violence, then throws his head back and laughs, a low, mocking sound that makes my blood boil. He releases my throat, but his fingers leave a burn.

"God, I love you sometimes." His hands grab my face roughly, pulling me closer. "But you're insane if you think I'll let you kill my bride."

His hands drop from my face as he steps back.

"I'll carve her open, and you won't be able to do a damn thing," I warn through clenched teeth and I mean every word.

He freezes, his body stiffening as he slowly turns to face me. "Rose, I swear to God, if you lay a finger on Maria, I will lock you up in the basement and throw away the key. You will never see the light of day again." He jabs a finger in my direction, his eyes wild. "Do not test me on this."