Page 116 of Betrayal and Vows

Then he signals the guards.

“Kill him,” he says simply. “Get rid of the body. I’ve got a wedding… a bride-to-be waiting for me.”

He turns on his heel and walks out, just as casually as he walked in.

The door slams shut behind him.

Guns click. The guards raise their weapons.

Now, I die.

But I’m not afraid.

I’mfurious.

“Come on, then,” I snarl. “Do it.”

Because if I die here, chained and bleeding, I swear on everything I’ve ever loved?—

I’ll haunt this fucking house until Mikhail chokes on my name.

Chapter 20

Lena

I’m living a nightmare.

I cannot believe this is happening.

My heart feels as if it has crumbled into a million pieces.

I can’t breathe.

And now I’m supposed to eat bread.

Salt stings the cut on my lip.

The cut was my own fault. I bit down too hard, trying to stop myself from crying.

We kneel on the silk cushions like proper little dolls.

The Parental Blessing ceremony is another tradition in a long line of Russian ways.

It’s stupid.

All of this is ridiculous.

Mikhail and I face our parents.

The ceremonial table is laid out with embroidered cloths, the traditional loaf of bread, the salt dish.

A bottle of vodka sits nearby, as if any amount of alcohol could dull the sharpness of this day.

If I thought being black-out drunk would stop the wedding, I would down that entire bottle.

But that would only leave me vulnerable.

I have to remain in control of my body.