The whole table erupted in laughter.
He looked around at everyone, amused. “You think I’m joking.”
Everyone laughed harder.
Except me. I could barely muster a smile. I registered, dimly, a piece of cake being set in front of me and coffee being served, but I didn’t touch either.
Axel let go of my wrist and then put his arm behind my chair. I felt boxed in by his presence, but I dutifully kept my smile plastered to my face.
Around me, everyone talked and ate their dessert, and someone asked the staff for a couple bottles of vodka. And then the shots started flowing.
I stiffened when Axel leaned over and whispered in my ear, “This is where you act happy.”
I immediately pasted a huge smile on my face and leaned back into him. He responded by putting his arm around my shoulder and pulling me closer.
“What are we going to do?” I whispered between clenched teeth.
He kissed my temple. “We’ll figure it out.”
When the focushad shifted away from us and everyone was leaving the table, Axel stood up and offered his hand.
While my uncle looked on approvingly, I put my hand in Axel’s and let him lead me out to the gardens. The late evening sun had started to set, and despite it being spring, it was already getting cool outside. A breeze blew through my sweater and immediately chilled me. I shivered in response.
Without a word, Axel slipped off his suit jacket and put it around my shoulders. Immediately it cut the wind, and I was enveloped in his scent. I hated how tempted I was to bury my face in the fabric and take deep, calming breaths. It made no sense.
When we moved behind a hedge, away from any windows of the house and protected from the breeze, he spoke. “Your uncle told me he expects a proposal within the next week. They want to put out invitations.”
My throat tightened, and his words made me feel dizzy with disbelief. I turned toward him, my words more pleading than angry. “Can’t you make this go away?”
He watched me without expression. “What exactly do you want me to do?”
“Refuse to marry me,” I told him.
“These are the unfortunate consequences of your actions.”
“No.”
“Your uncle wants this union, and he wants to believe you’re happy.”
“Well, I’m not happy!” I shot back. “This is crazy. We can’t get married.”
His expression was impossible to read. “You started this.”
My eyes widened. “I started this to avoid getting married.”
“You told your uncle you were in love with me. What did you think would happen?”
That shut me up. We stood there in silence. My mind raced, but it went nowhere.
“I can’t think right now,” I told him. “I can’t even make sense of this.”
“Your objective was to avoid Sergei and move to Canada, and that’s happening. My objective is not to derail my career. We can achieve all that if we get married.”
I couldn’t even hide how his words shocked me. Not two weeks ago, Axel had been completely against this fake story and had all but demanded that I confess the truth to Grisha.
Which I selfishly refused to do.
How had we gotten to this point so quickly? I crossed my arms. “Are you listening to yourself?”
