The condom

The story opens with 4-month-old Dante's voice narrating from beyond, introducing his tragic tale. We flash back to his parents' first meeting at a gas station, where Dominique uses her sexuality to attract Jamal, a flashy drug dealer. Their encounter leads to a motel room where Dominique secretly sabotages a condom with a safety pin, deliberately getting pregnant to trap Jamal financially. Four months later, Dominique has weaponized the pregnancy, after refusing to get an abortion, and threatening Jamal with violence from her connections, forcing him into reluctant fatherhood. Despite their toxic relationship, Jamal begins developing genuine love for his son, fighting for custody through legal channels. Meanwhile, Dominique proves to be a catastrophically negligent mother. She leaves dangerous objects within Dante's reach, lives in squalor, and most disturbingly, she begins adding vodka to his baby formula to keep him sedated while she prostitutes herself for money. The infant regularly vomits from the alcohol but she continues the abuse. The climax occurs on a Saturday night when Dominique leaves Dante alone in a bathtub while intoxicated from the spiked formula. She exits to meet clients, and the drowsy infant slides underwater and drowns. Hours later, his grandmother Tamala discovers his lifeless body.