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“Sasha, be quiet!” my mother snapped, throwing her powder compact at the wall. It exploded showering the carpet with a translucent shimmer.
“You will marry Dominic Blanchi today. You will smile and be the perfect wife. Your union will allow us all to rest and finally end the bloodshed that has plagued us. The war that has taken so many will end–today.”
Her back was towards me, but I knew she was tearing up.. The only time she showed emotion was when she was talking about my brother.
Nikolai’s death was the only thing that ever made my mother sad. He had been her favorite—a living testament to the fact that she was a perfect mafia wife. A male heir was produced within the first year of her pregnancy; her job had been done.
I had come years later, a spare to be sold off. By that time, all of her love had been given, and I was left with scraps.
Her words tugged at the part of me that continued mourning my eldest brother’s death. Still, I did not believe I needed to give up my entire future to a dangerous man to solve decades of bloodshed, a point I continuously made to my parents as they planned my wedding over the last year.
But I didn’t get a chance to plead my case.
“Knock, knock,” my father said as he stepped into the bridal room.
His presence abruptly halted the conversation between my mother and me. Neither of us spoke. Neither of us wanted to upset him. That was the way things worked in our family. We all bent backward to ensure my father’s good mood and happiness.
As Pakhan, he was due our complete obedience.
Now, I’ll be expected to do the same for Dominic Blanchi,the thought nearly made me spew out the little bit of breakfast I’d managed to eat.
“Don’t you look lovely, my little princessa,” he said as he kissed both of my cheeks. The smell of his cologne enveloped me as I melted into his arms. Where my mother was cold and distant, my father was warm and loving.
My brother had been the future of the Bratva, but my father had always called me its crown jewel. I hadn’t realized until this moment what exactly that meant.
Even though he was the head of the Russian mafia syndicate in New York, he was a big affectionate teddy bear toward me. He’d given my the love my mother had withheld.
Until this moment, my father had been my hero. Now, he was the person selling me off to my captor.
I’d never hated him more.
“Papa,” I whispered. “Please.”
My father released me from his arms. “This is a proud day for our family,” he said, ignoring my pleas. “Katarina,” he turned toward my mother, “are we ready?”
She nodded, a big smile plastered on her face. I bit my tongue so hard I tasted the tang of blood as it filled my mouth. I wanted to scream out how unready I felt, but I knew there was no use. Now was the time to resign myself to my fate.
I had done everything possible to save myself, but it hadn’t worked.
Heart thumping, I took my father’s extended arm.This must be what it feels like to walk to the executioner’s block,I thought.
I caught one last look at myself in the mirror before my mother swung my veil over my face. I looked terrified.
Today, I would cease being Sasha Petrov, daughter to the Russian mob, and I would become Sasha Blanchi, the wife of one of the most dangerous men in the world.
***
“Do you, Sasha Ann, take Dominic Matteo to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love and obey from this day forward?”
My veil hid the tears that were streaming down my face.
Anyone close enough to hear my sobs would assume that I cried out of joy instead of anger and despair. Everyone wanted to pretend that this was like any other wedding, so they’d tell themselves some story about my anguish to make themselves feel better. Then, they’d go off and eat cake and drink the expensive booze I wasn’t even old enough to consume.
I hated the lot of them.
As far as I was concerned, the church was filled with people who’d failed me.
A squeeze of my hand by my soon-to-be husband brought my attention back to the priest’s words.
