I’m still on an emotional high from our secret escape and a wedding that was nothing like I might have dreamed of, but everything I could have wished for. It was so perfect. So beautiful. And I’m still glowing from the few days I got to spend with him in Hawaii afterwards. I can’t wait to go back, after we have our public wedding, but for now, everything is perfect. My heart is happy.
When I arrive at the studio, my assistant is already there. Belle grins and rushes towards me, throwing her arms around me. “Congratulations, Mrs. Andreev.”
My heart somersaults. It’s the first time I’ve heard someone besides Yulian call me that. “Thank you, Belle. Did Yulian tell you?” I ask, curious how she found out.
“He sent you a bunch of flowers. They arrived while you were at the fabric shop; they’re on your desk. The envelope said, ‘to my beautiful wife,’ and I ended up arguing with the delivery guy, thinking they had the wrong place,” she giggles. “But then Yulian came in, not knowing you had an errand to run this morning and hoping he could catch you on his way to his meeting—anyways, he’s so excited and proud.”
I knit my brows, trying to keep up with the way she tells stories. “So, he told you?” I ask, confused.
“Oh, yes, he heard me arguing with the flower guy, and he came over to set me straight. But I can see him practically glowing with pride. He kept calling you ‘my wife’ over and over again. He wanted to stay and have a coffee with you, but he had to get to the meeting.”
“Thanks, Belle,” I grin. “Did you set up my meetings for this week? I wanted to see Mrs. Thompson about her daughter’s graduation dress.”
“She’s coming here on Wednesday.”
“Excellent.”
I make my way to the back of the studio, and the seamstress, Lacey, stands up to hug me, too. “Congratulations, Mrs. Andreev. We are so happy for you,” she says professionally. She’s so sweet, but she likes to maintain a business atmosphere at all times, which I appreciate.
Being called Mrs. Andreev has me up on a higher high than before.
I’m glowing with pride.
Just after lunch, my sister calls me at the studio.
“Kat, Yulian told me. I can’t believe it, I’m so excited for you.” She’s whispering into the phone.
“Why are you talking so softly?” I laugh.
“Well, obviously it’s all a bit secret at the moment, isn’t it? I’m hiding in my room with the door closed, sneakily calling you to congratulate you without our dumbass brothers hearing me,” she giggles.
“Right, so Yulian told you? I did tell him that you and I were super close. I told him that you knew about us.” Secretly, I’m thrilled he told her. I was still weighing up the risks, but he made the choice for me because he’s too excited to keep it quiet.
It makes me laugh when I think about it—him going around telling everyone he can.
Marie asks me all about the wedding and our time in Hawaii, and I tell her every detail I can recall. “I’ll send you somephotos that we had taken during the ceremony and afterwards. It was so beautiful, Mar. I wish you had been there. But you’ll definitely be at the next one. The big one.”
“Not only will I be there, but I’ll be the maid of honor, right?” she laughs.
“Of course,” I agree immediately.
This moment is bittersweet for me.
I love sharing it with her, but I wish I could share my happiness with my whole family.
It’s horrible to think that if I told my brothers, they would have nothing good to say to me, only bitterness and accusations of betrayal. I hope that one day soon we can work our way through this misunderstanding. I want my family back. I don’t want to lose them. And I don’t want to put Marie at risk because she’s still in contact with me.
If my brothers ultimately shun me, I’ll have to keep her safe by keeping my distance from her until she’s old enough to escape their smothering protection.
“I don’t want to get you in trouble, Marie. You better get off the phone,” I say reluctantly.
“Pfft,” she scoffs. “They can only try to keep me away from you. I don’t care what they want. You’re my sister. Sisters stick together no matter what. Let’s meet up soon. They don’t have to know about it. I’ll make arrangements to go shopping, and we can meet at the mall for lunch. They never bother me when I go to the mall,” she suggests.
“That’s perfect. I can’t wait to see you!”
Usually, I’m in the studio until after five. Lacey and Belle leave before me, and I lock up after laying out my tasks for the next morning. I like this time alone, as it’s my way of clearing mythoughts to start the next day fresh. But today, Yulian arrives at the studio before four o’clock.
He walks through the door and scoops me into his arms.
