Page 10 of Vow to Corrupt You (Gods of Corruption #1)

Serena

I storm inside the house, tears streaming down my face. The noise of Nikos’s convoy driving me here must’ve woken my parents because they stumble out of their room, both as startled as concerned.

“What happened, Serena?” Papà asks, but I don’t respond.

Instead, I run through the hallway and straight to my room.

My fortress. My shelter. My parents’ calls fading behind me.

I slam the door shut, locking it with trembling hands.

I don’t want to see or talk to anyone. Not now, when I feel like a head of cattle that’s been branded with a tattoo to mark ownership.

I sink to the floor, covering my face with my hands and letting the tears flow freely again.

My skin burns where the ink has settled.

I’m nothing more than Nikos’s property now.

Robbed of my own identity, of any will. My own body isn’t even mine anymore.

I never even wanted a tattoo. The pain was unbearable.

It was as if each agonizing needle pierce carved my loathing for him deeper into my flesh until it finally reached my very core.

I’ve never been a fan of adorning my body with something so permanent, something that stays forever.

I always thought that if I ever got a tattoo, it would be something meaningful, something deeply personal.

Most certainly, not the name of a man I despise.

But now, I have to wear his name inked on my skin like a constant display of his dominance over me.

It’s so inhumane what he did to me. He is inhumane, and to think it’s just the beginning.

.. How... how will I survive the rest of my life with him?

“Serena, what’s going on?” Gianna’s groggy voice makes my heart skip a beat.

I glance at the bed where she was sleeping. I didn’t expect her to still be here. She turns on the bedside lamp, and when the light falls on my tear-streaked face, her brows furrow. In an instant, she rushes over, sits on the floor beside me and embraces me in her arms.

“Oh boy, judging by your tears, it didn’t go well.” She gently strokes my hair, and I bury my face in her chest, choking on my tears. “Tell me what happened.”

“I hate him,” I shriek, my voice muffled against Gianna’s shoulder.

“Who, Claudio?”

“No, Nikos.”

I pull back slightly, wiping my tears with the back of my hand, and see her look of confusion. So then I tell her everything that happened.

“Why is he so twisted?” Tears start flowing down my face once again. “Why does he have to be so cruel? So barbaric?”

Gianna sighs, her gaze dripping with pity. “I’ve heard some rumors, but not much. People are scared to talk about him.”

Of course, they are. Now I see why.

“Tell me everything you know.” I grip her shoulder. “Please. I must know everything I can about this monster.” There must be a reason he’s so damaged. No one just is. There’s always a why to it, isn’t it?

Gianna nods, her brows still furrowing. “They say Nikos had a very traumatic childhood. His father abused him in ways people don’t even dare to talk about. That’s all I know.”

Traumatic childhood? Abusive father?

I’m appalled and pained at the same time. The image of the only heir to a powerful mafia family being abused by his own father never crossed my mind. The depths of pain that must lie beneath his cold, ruthless exterior are still no excuse.

“What about his mother? Why wouldn’t she protect her child from such abuse?”

Gianna’s expression turns somber—something I’d rarely see. “From what I’ve heard, Nikos was raised by his father. Supposedly, his mother passed away when he was just a little boy.”

My heart aches at the thought of a young boy, alone and vulnerable.

After all, he was once just a child too—and apparently, a child who had to endure so much darkness.

It’s painful. For once, I start to feel genuinely sorry for him.

At least, for the little boy version of him that it seems is no longer alive.

“There’s something more…” A slight tremor ripples through my stepsister’s voice, her teeth clamping down on her lip like a vise.

“More?” I press, afraid to hear what it might be.

Gianna looks around as if to make sure we’re alone. Can’t blame her. It took just one day with Nikos to become paranoid.

“People say Nikos’s father died under mysterious circumstances. Some even say his death was no accident.”

An arctic chill sweeps up my back like I am standing on the edge of a treacherous cliff. “What do you mean?”

Gianna’s voice lowers further. “There are rumors that Nikos might have had a hand in it. That he could have been involved in his father’s death.”

My blood runs cold. The implication is horrifying.

Now it feels like one misstep has sent me tumbling off that cliff.

I’m falling into a bleak abyss with no way out.

It’s my end. If Nikos was capable of such an unimaginable act, what does that mean for me?

If he indeed was capable of murdering his own father… He’s… broken beyond repair. I’m doomed.

How do I find my way out of this madness?

The neckline of the fitted wedding dress I’m wearing covers the tattoo on my collarbone that I unconsciously trace with my fingertips.

The bold, much bigger ‘Ν’ is followed by that slender ‘ικ?λαο?.’ Nikolaos written in Greek.

Though the delicate, sheer fabric with intricate embroidery veils this imprint of his self-proclaimed reign over my existence, I still see it as if it were burning its way out.

It’s engraved in my mind. The rounded neckline, with the long sleeves that create a bell shape at the cuffs, is very proper.

But the back of the dress has a dramatic open design with horizontal straps that show off a small section of skin.

“This is your last chance to escape this madness,” Gianna’s hushed whisper snaps me back to the dreadful reality.

I stare back at my reflection in the mirror of the church’s bridal room.

It’s the first time I’ve left my bedroom in days.

I was scared that even something as basic as breathing could put me— or those close to me —in trouble.

Today, I had no choice but to come out of my fortress.

It’s my wedding day. For any other woman, it would be the happiest day ever.

To me, it feels like being trapped in a labyrinthine nightmare I can’t find a way out of.

That’s the thing. There’s no way out. The only way out ends in people dying.

“Remember what happened last time I tried to do something behind his back?” I meet Gianna’s gaze in the mirror’s reflection.

This wedding is just a formality. I already belong to Nikos on a level far more complicated than marriage could ever bind me. The ink beneath my dress screams ownership louder than any wedding ring ever could, boldly declaring his territorial hold over me.

“I don’t understand you, either of you.” Valeria’s scoff reaches me from behind. “It’s a privilege to be chosen as Mrs. Romano. You’ll have power, wealth, everything you’ve ever dreamed of.”

My gaze hardens as I turn to face my older stepsister, who is standing by the window. “Everything you have ever dreamed of. Everything except for love. You seem to forget that tiny detail, but why am I even surprised? You don’t know what love is.”

Valeria’s eyes roll back, and her lack of support makes the weight of the impending ceremony press down on my chest even more.

“Please. You’re acting as if you didn’t want this,” Valeria mocks.

“I didn’t! And I told you that already.” I can barely contain my anger.

How could anyone want this life?

All this marriage will bring me is the darkness of the Romano dynasty. Today, I will become the wife of a monster, a prisoner to his power and will. Today. Officially. Irrevocably.

“But we all know how badly you wanted it.” Gianna’s cheeks sink in.

I know she tries to keep her tongue on a leash when it comes to her sister, but she can’t any longer.

Her lilac dress rustles as she turns to face Valeria.

“Is that why you’re dressed like that? It’s a bit too revealing for your sister’s wedding day, don’t you think? ”

I eye Valeria’s minty dress, which barely covers her ass and has such a deep cut, her boobs might spill out if she moves too vigorously. It’s in complete contrast to my modest but elegant wedding gown that covers most of my body.

“Why?” A sneer creeps across my sister’s face as her gaze bounces back to me. “Are you scared that Nikos might change his mind and choose me instead? After all, he doesn’t love you. He chose you based on your appearance alone.”

“Enough,” I snap, my fists clenched. It’s not a game or a competition to me.

I’d do anything to trade places with Valeria if I could, so we both could have the life we wanted.

She could have him, his twisted mind, and all the luxury that comes along with his trappings, and I could have my freedom back.

My father lurks at the door, his face a mask of sorrow. “It’s time,” he speaks with grief as if he were leading me out to the courtroom to plead guilty rather than to the altar to say ‘I do’ to my ‘happily ever after’.

I take a deep breath—as if it were my last. It will be once I step through that door because my life, as I know it, will cease to exist. The room feels colder, the walls closing in, trapping me. I feel like I need to run, but there’s nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. There’s no escape.

“Serena,” Gianna grabs my hands. She tries her best to offer a reassuring smile, though it barely reaches her eyes. “You’ll get through this. You’re stronger than you know.”

I nod, trying to draw strength from her words. But deep down, I know my new life is now shrouded in darkness.

I’m strong. I will endure this. I will endure... everything.

My father walks me down the aisle; with each step, my heart races faster.

I force myself to move forward, passing dozens of guests I’ve never seen before.

I assume they must be Nikos’s associates, if you can even call them that.

There aren’t many guests on my side. The only people I invited are Chiara and her brother Domenico—my cousins from my father’s side, with whom I’m the closest—but I’m so stressed I can’t even spot them.

A cold shudder sweeps through my body as my gaze locks with Nikos’s.

His eyes bore into mine with such possessiveness that everyone else seems to disappear.

It’s as if they’re not here, as if it’s just me and him.

My father beside me, Gianna at the altar as my bridesmaid, Dimitris standing by Nikos as his best man, even the priest—all of them vanish.

“Take good care of my daughter, Mr. Romano.” Reaching Nikos’ side, my father offers my hand to him.

A dark smile pulls at Nikos’s lips, his eyes glinting with amusement as if he’s plotting every terrible thing he can think of with me cast as the lead. “I will.”

I stand before him, struggling to steady my breath. His all-black tuxedo mirrors the darkness of his soul. He’s handsome, almost godlike—if only he weren’t known as the rotten God of Corruption.

The priest’s deep voice snaps me back to reality. “Now, Mr. Romano, please repeat after me—”

“First, the bride,” Nikos commands, and the priest coughs but nods.

“Of course,” the priest turns to me. “Please, repeat after me,” he recites the vows I’m to say.

“I, Serena, take you, Nikolaos, as my husband. I promise to be faithful to you, to love and respect you, in sickness and in health, in wealth and in poverty, and to be with you all the days of my life.”

The words taste like signing up for a lifelong partnership with the Grim Reaper. I can’t help but feel like I’ve stumbled into a gothic novel instead of a wedding ceremony. A twisted fairytale where happily ever after means eternal damnation.

“Now, Mr. Romano…” The priest glances at him cautiously.

Nikos looks at me with a wicked gleam that makes my skin crawl.

“I, Nikolaos, claim you, Serena, as mine.” Claim me?

What is he saying? Those are not the wedding vows.

“I vow,” he smiles viciously, “to corrupt you until you fit my own darkness, to bend you until you’re molded into what I desire, to break you down until you can no longer tell where you end, and I begin. ”

A cold shudder races down my spine at his twisted vows of corruption, coercion, chaos that await me.

“I vow to be everything you crave, everything you fear, everything you cannot escape. You will know no life but mine, no touch but mine, no love but mine,” he continues, his tone carrying equal parts darkness and possessiveness.

“I pledge to bring ruin to any who dare to covet what is mine. Any man who dares to touch, or even dream of touching what is mine, will face wrath so ruthless that death will seem merciful, and their blood shall stain the ground you walk on.” His smile freezes me like ice spreading through my veins.

“I am your damnation and your salvation. Your nightmare and your reality.”

His gaze drops to the wedding band he slides on my finger before it casts upward again. Its dark intensity makes my skin crawl.

I was wrong. He doesn’t have a tainted heart. He has no heart at all.

Though his wicked smirk is still there, his eyes reflect danger. He takes out a pocket knife, and the world seems to stand still. My heart races at the horror that awaits me.

What is he going to do? Is he going to kill me? Was it his twisted plan all along? My life for Salvatore’s?

None of the guests or the priest dares to even twitch at his words.

Crimson blood wells up as Nikos draws a blade across his lips, making a slight cut.

He steps closer to me, a sickening wave of dread washing over me. The knife’s cold edge grazes my bottom lip, followed by a sharp sting of pain that is nothing in comparison to the fear consuming me.

“I vow upon the blood that runs through my veins to possess you, but to also protect you.”

Is this some twisted, dark ritual? A blood oath? What are we? Vampires?

Before I can fully process his words, his lips collide with mine in a forceful kiss. The metallic tang of blood makes it feel as though I’ve just tasted the pomegranate seeds of Persephone, binding me to him forever .

Pulling away, his eyes lock onto mine, the coppery taste lingering in my mouth.

“As our blood mingles, so do our lives intertwine,” he murmurs darkly, his lips now stained with our blood. “In the presence of the God you worship, the priest, and all gathered here, I declare you mine until death do us part.” I guess we don’t need the priest for this part.

After all, it’s apparent that Nikos is above all. His word is the law, its own religion—and he… he is the God.