A/N: First of all, thank you to all of my reviewers for the first chapter of the story! Artemis630, devilsangels11287, CynDLou12, and mryann, you shall recieve many digital hugs! *Squish* I also hope that I get better, thank you for the good wishes! Now onto Chapter 2 of Fragmented! -Natasha
Fragmented
By Natasha Conley
Chapter 2
Serena felt as tears dropped from her dampened eyes. She continued to stare at the screen of her phone. She was shocked that not only had he missed their one year wedding anniversary last month, but that he had chosen his work over their relationship again! On today of all days! When it was the five year mark of the day that he told her loved her. On the day they had first become a couple. Darien had said all those years ago that no one and nothing was more important to him than her.
"It was all a lie." Serena concluded under her breath. Carefully she placed her daughter onto the floor, her body shaking. First she had been sad, but now Serena wanted nothing more than to shriek, to cry, and let all the pent up frustration out.
Rini started to twist and turn her tiny body on the floor, tossing her legs and arms into the air. Her face contorted into a cry from the lost comfort of her mother's warmth. But Serena didn't care.
Phone in hand, she stood up. Rini was crying, and Darien was late on the only day she truly needed him to be there for her. To just show her that he actually gave a damn. Now it was clear to her that he really didn't.
"I HATE THIS!"
She tossed her phone across the room, watching as it hit the mirror and shattered the wall hanging into little shards of glass. The glass flew all over the place, landing everywhere besides Serena and her daughter. Her chest raised up and down in a fast, erratic rhythm as she tried to control her breathing.
Rini's cries surrounded Serena.
Serena felt as though she was on the brink of insanity. It was all the poor girl could hear as she tried to come to grips with her emotions. She wanted to punch a wall, she wanted to throw her child across the room out of anger. Serena wouldn't though. She was so frustrated with the fact that she couldn't just put her baby down without the kid freaking out. It was especially worse when she needed to take a break.
Feeling she could not safely compose herself in order to hold her little girl, Serena slid slowly to the ground. Sobs of sheer frustration escaped from her throat. Serena let the tears flow down while she held her face in her hands, listening to the baby as she cried from the other side of the living room.
…
He stood on the other side of the door, scared silly to enter his own apartment. He couldn't stop thinking about all the mistakes he'd made over the years in order to build his reputation as a doctor. All the birthdays, dinners, and anniversaries he'd missed.
Darien listened through the wood to see if there was any reaction to worry about if he entered through the door. He heard nothing. There was no indication from outside the apartment to show any immediate consequences for the choice he'd made three hours previously.
Taking a deep breath, Darien turned the key to the door and let himself in.
The poor doctor wasn't ready for the mess in his apartment. He was used to the garbage, the dishes, and even the clutter, but the shattered glass surprised him. It was dangerous.
He furled his eyebrows, anger building in his chest as he rushed into the living room to see if there had been a break in. He felt the urge to protect, to defend his family and things, but was relieved to walk in on Serena eating the last slice of dinner instead.
"Well, hi there, honey." Serena said, smirking as she popped the last piece of pepperoni in her mouth.
Darien curled his fists, squeezing them tight before releasing them again. Serena wanted to argue, and understandably so, but he wasn't in the mood at nearly eleven in the evening. Instead, he just walked away, heading towards their bedroom.
"What?" Serena asked, standing herself up, and stomping towards him. "No, 'Happy Anniversary, honey'? No, 'I'm sorry for not showing up, yet again'?"
"I'm sorry, honey." Darien stopped to turns towards her, feeling tired and wary. "Now I'm going to go to sleep."
Serena slammed the wall with her hand, feeling her eyes well up, but held her tears back. She didn't want him to see her cry. He didn't deserve that satisfaction. At least that's how she thought he saw things when she cried.
But Darien noticed her expression, and every heart string that was still intact broke. He didn't know what to do. After all, he couldn't just leave his job, could he? Darien had to support his wife and daughter. He needed to pay for the mortgage and Serena's college courses. He couldn't just stop doing his job for one day. If he had chosen to come home, the man that he saved could have died. There were so many reasons, but he knew she wouldn't hear them.
So, he said nothing.
"Darien, you don't care at all," Serena said under her breath. She glared at him. "All you care about is your job. As long as you get to do what you love, it doesn't matter how it affects anyone else. You're so selfish!"
Darien had to say something now. "That's not true, I care about you,"
Serena laughed, mocking him as she continued on. "Yeah, okay. You care so much about me that you never notice anything that I do to try to make you happy. You're never around to notice!"
Don't say anything, his mind screamed, but his mouth went autopilot on him. His feelings bubbled up and boiled over.
"Serena, this house is trashed!" Darien hollered. "All I want you to do to make me happy is clean our house and take care of our daughter! You can't even seem to handle that! So, why should I do the things you want me to do?"
It was getting harder for Serena to hold the tears back. She felt like she was going to crack, but instead, she turned to face the wall and bite her lower lip. This method didn't really work all the time, but so far it was working, or at least, right now it was.
"I just want you to be home, Darien."
"Well, why would I want to be home with a woman who acts like a total bitch whenever I'm around?" He asked. "Honestly, why would anyone want to come home to that?"
Darien knew he had won the fight. He knew Serena would break down and let him go to sleep now. He just wanted the argument to be over with. Darien wanted to win it for once. He was sick of feeling like he was just the bad guy and not the hero to the only woman he'd ever loved. She made him feel like a heartless monster when everything he did, he did for her.
One watery tear fell from her eyelashes, sliding down her cheek. She glared at him. He didn't want to be home because of her, the thought rung through her mind continuously, like it would never stop. She felt like someone was stabbing her in the stomach again and again. Butterflies flew from her stomach and into her lungs, suffocating her as the creatures tried to escape.
They were silent, looking at each other, waiting for the other to apologize. Expecting for the other to admit to being wrong, but of course that didn't happen. They were both too strong-willed for that.
Finally, Serena whispered, "Then I'll leave."
Darien's eyes widened.
"No." Darien said, grabbing her arms, squeezing them with his large hands. "No, you can't leave me."
"Let go, Darien." Serena said coldly. "I would hate to keep you from staying in your own house."
Instead of releasing her from his hold, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and pressed her against him, refusing to let go. "Please. Serena, please stay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."
Serena rolled her eyes. "Of course you meant it, otherwise you wouldn't have said it."
"I'll do anything." Darien pleaded. "Just stay with me."
Serena slipped out of his grasp. She ignored as his face fell even further. She grabbed a suitcase from their master closet, and began tossing clothes into it.
Darien didn't know what to do or how to fix this. He couldn't force her to stay. She would have to take Rini because he had to pay for the bills. He had to work.
Darien felt hopeless. He sat on the couch, trying to keep his emotions in check.
When Serena came out of Rini's room, with bags and his baby in tow, Darien's heart broke. He asked one more time. "Please?"
"Darien, don't. I can't live like this anymore. I need some space." Her voice was unwavering. She spoke the words with a finality that made him realize she was not going to change her mind.
He cried. He couldn't hold back anymore, and his nose began to run. His cheeks became soaked. "Serena, are you leaving me?"
She thought for a moment, brushing the baby's hair with her fingers before saying, "No."
"Where are you going?"
"Raye's."
Darien asked his final question. "When will you be back?"
She rolled the suitcase to the front door, and opened it to let herself out. The seconds turned to hours while Darien waited for his answer. When he heard it, his heart died.
"I don't know."
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Did you love it? Did you hate it? Please, let me know! I'd love to hear your feedback! Until next time! -Natasha