a
my wedd
I dreamt about my mother blinking away tears of joy when she saw me in a veil that floated down my back, the gossamer material caressing my bare shoulders. My best friend Ilsa
to be the happie
an staring back at me in the full-length mirror, se
, and as an actress, I prided myself on
stared back with other emotions
here. I was alone, and the only person who had once acco
was for
g for me to be released from the terrible fate that awaited me, and if I knew anyt
ane couldn't move them. Outwardly I was the picture-perfect bride. No expenses had been spared. The und
ld have chosen, but it exuded the wealth
ection could hide the
e. And I was a captive
archetti Mafia, save a young Russian girl-Sveta Orlov-who had been ripped from her family at the expense of her maniacal father.
up. Sveta had been killed. Ilsa and Roman had been forced to tak
t would have be
so w
bout to mar
l Kir
ngerous and powerful. He had made me do terrible, shameful things in the short time that I knew
o...Oh God. I didn't wa
was going t
based on what he said to me, based on what he had made me do, I knew th
f contacting anyone. My cell phone had been taken away when I was kidnapped from my apartme
rson. But there was no way in
pages. Those showed a woman who enjoyed life, one who seemed
I wore was from thrift shops all around LA. I just knew which ones r
ces that everyone else wanted to go to. I had the gift
told me. My long blonde hair was just like any other girl in LA; my pale body helpe
because getting acting gigs
ilms that had paid enough for me to pay my rent in
that was my past. I had missed those appointments. And if anything,
s about to play the bigge
ad to do this. I had to make sure that no one believed me to be anyone else other than Svet
he had been thrust into. They knew me as a girl who spoke no English, and it
ctives in college or
church I had been brought to earlier was one I recognized, the Holy Transfiguration Russian Orthodox Church. It was one I had film
wooden doors, and my heart threatened to beat out o
me on? Doubtful. She would tell me that I was c
aring my vision once more. I wasn't going to cry. Not today. I had already cried enough since I had
nd ornate carvings that were at the end of a long aisle. Surprisingly the wooden pews were packed with guests, all sta
ly here. I wante
tually cared about me waiti
emptiness and dread. I wanted to cry
wanted to remember. Not a waki
the music in the large sanctuary. No one spoke, no one whispered, as if they
rew in my stomach. He was there, waiting
be marrying a poor girl from a blue-collar family that could barely rub two coins
this, at least the biggest jok
scading down the steps behind me. Only then did I allow
ontrast to his tanned skin underneath. His dark brown hair was slicked back on his head, exposing his wide forehead and a set of high cheekbones dusted wit
g I saw staring back at me was inky coldness. The man before me wasn't
n his body that could even u
way. She had given me their complete, sordid tale and how he had turned from a col
ing to that hope. This man was born and bred to
of a
his broad shoulders to the tapered waist and everything in between. As my eyes roamed over
I would never
, danger, and se
ments, he would
sband. Not Naomi Spencer's husba
is throat, and Gavri
he said i
ght it was a useless elective years ago, and now, that usel
n his. His touch was warm, and I tried to foo
knew b
at ease. He'd made me do unspeakable things before this day. And the thought o
so he couldn't see the indecision there behind my veil. I wasn't very religious and had
he protocol. Each time, though, Gavril helped me ri
ing me without my consent. Any woman wo
aught as I stared at them, wondering why I thought he wouldn't wear one. Gavril didn't seem like the
f power for him. Little did he know that nothin
dead. Gavril wasn't going to ge
the smaller circle. He took it and slid it onto my hand. The ring itself was simple and elegant.family
n though it was light and airy, it felt like it weighedre
sitated. There were so many other things I would have liked to do with the ring, and each one would have resulted in m
e ring on his finger, past his scarre
s hand cupped the back of my neck and pulled the vei
th, swallowing my small yelps of resistance. His rough hand pulled me closer, and I felt his
ess and
ath do
as
To use.
re
it. We we
3M
164k
1M
185k
205k
207k