Chapter 20 – Cassandra
“The wedding will be in a week,” Rafael said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “The old Kamarov church on the hill. All Bratva traditions.”
I stood in his office, my hands clasped in front of me, my mind spinning.
A week.
Seven days to prepare for a marriage I’d never asked for, to a man I was falling for but didn’t trust me, in a church that belonged to a family I’d spent two years trying to destroy.
The irony was so sharp it cut.
“Do you understand?” Rafael asked, his dark eyes studying my face.
I nodded. “Yes.”
What else could I say? No? That I wasn’t ready? That I was terrified of standing in front of Drew and promising forever when I knew my lies were going to catch up with me?
Rafael would put a bullet in my head before I finished the sentence.
“Good.” He leaned back in his chair, his expression softening just slightly. “This is for the best, Cassandra. For you. For the baby. For all of us.”
I wanted to believe him.
Wanted to believe that this wasn’t just about control, about legitimizing Bratva blood, about making sure I stayed in line.
But I knew better.
“Dismissed,” Rafael said, waving a hand.
I walked out of his office on shaky legs, my mind reeling.
I was getting married.
In a week.
To Drew Kamarov.
And somehow, despite everything—despite the lies, the betrayal, the secrets eating me alive—I’d said yes.
***
Hailey and Barbara were over the moon.
“Oh my God, oh my God, oh myGod!” Barbara squealed when I told them, practically jumping out of her seat in the upscale restaurant where we’d met for lunch.
Hailey grinned like a devil, her hazel eyes sparkling. “I knew it. Iknewsomething was going on with you two.”
“It’s not—” I started, but Barbara cut me off.
“Not what? Not romantic? Not perfect? Girl, you’re marrying a six-foot-three Russian who looks like he walked out of a damn action movie. This is a fairy tale.”
I forced a smile, my chest tight. “It’s complicated.”
“Everything’s complicated,” Hailey said, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand. “But you love him, don’t you?”
I opened my mouth to deny it, to throw up the walls I’d built so carefully around my heart.
But the truth slipped out before I could stop it.
