Mina 8:17 PM: Seriously, where are you?
I take a deep breath and start typing back. I've been messaging her off and on, but Vadim doesn't know it. When he looks up at me, I make it look like I'm playing a game, not typing. Mina has asked me three times why I'm not at work and each time, I have dodged the question because I don’t know what to tell her, but I'm starting to get antsy.
Danica 8:18 PM: I know this sounds crazy, but I got married this morning…
No way I could actually tell her what's going on. If I did, Vadim would kill me, and probably her too. It's bad enough that I'm in this situation. I don’t want to drag anyone else to hell with me.
Mina 8:18 PM: WHAT?! To who??
Mina thought I was nuts when I mentioned being willing to date a man Vadim's age. He's easily forty-something, though that's not the reason I'm so sick to my stomach over this, obviously. What would she think if I told her the truth?
Danica 8:19 PM: Remember that guy from the diner? Vadim?
God, I want to tell her the truth so bad because part of me hopes if I did, she'd send in the cavalry. But how would that end up, anyway? State protection of witnesses wouldn't be able to move fast enough to shelter me from Vadim or his men. I'd be dead before my second breath.
So I can't let on exactly what's happening. I have to make Mina think everything is wonderful even though I'm silently screaming for help.
Mina 8:20 PM: Are you serious right now? You met him like three days ago!
Danica 8:21 PM: I know it's crazy…
I stop short of what I really want to say—that he fucking forced me to do this and hasn't let me out of his sight since, like he knows the instant he turns his back, I'll run.
Mina 8:21 PM: Danica this is insane. Are you okay? Do you need me to come over?
If I say yes, my pain is probably over—because either I'll be dead, or I'll be rescued. But then I may have to run for the rest of my life. My heart sinks ever so slightly as I type my response and wish to God I could tell her the truth.
Danica 8:22 PM: It's okay. I have to go… I can't talk now.
I turn off my phone before Mina can respond again. If fight or flight is supposed to prepare you for battle, then a war must be ready to start. My heart hammers, my shoulders are as tight as a piano string, and I can barely breathe as I clutch my phone in a death grip.
"Sit down," Vadim says from where he's leaning against the kitchen counter. "You're making me nervous with all that pacing." He's been annoyed with me all evening, especially when I refused his chicken and vegetables he tried to make me eat. He wants this to feel domestic and not like I'm his prisoner. And I hate him for it all the more.
"I have to go to work," I say and keep pacing. "My shift started two hours ago."
"No, you don't." Vadim crosses his arms. "There's no need for you to work anymore. I can pay for whatever you need."
"Yes. I. Do." I stop walking and turn to glare at him after accentuating every word. I will never live like I'm his prisoner no matter how much he’d like that. "An annulment will end your cash flow to me eventually." I put my hands on my hips. "I'll still need a job after that. I can't just quit now. Do you realize how difficult it was for me to find that job to begin with?"
His scowl is dirty and my shoulders are squared. Men hate being told when they're wrong, and it's even worse when it's true. This time on both counts, I have put him in his place. My job is not negotiable. He might've found a way to bully me into this marriage with threats, and the ring is beyond my comfort zone but probably necessary. As for living with him, I see his point and I still hate it, but this is a line I will not let him cross.
"Fine," he finally says. "But not today."
"I have a shift today." Shirking my responsibility at the diner was never part of this plan in any way. If Mina is asking for me, it means the boss probably is too, and the cook. They've become like a family to me. If I don’t show up, they'll start wondering what's wrong. Vadim doesn't really want that sort of attention, but he never lets me get that explanation out.
"No." Vadim walks over and takes my phone out of my hand. He's so strong he could do whatever he wants to me. It's frightening. "You're taking a few days off."
"Give that back." I try to grab it, but he holds it above his head where I can't reach. "That's mine."
"You just got married." Vadim powers the phone on and scrolls through my contacts with his free hand. "Your boss will understand."
"Don't you dare." I jump trying to get the phone, but he's too tall. "Vadim, I'm serious. You can't do that. I need that job."
He finds what he's looking for and puts the phone to his ear, holding me back with one hand, though I try to reach to steal it from him. I can hear it ringing and my stomach drops. He's actually calling my boss and there's nothing I can do to stop him.
"Hello… Yes…" Vadim glares at me but he keeps talking. "I'm calling for Danica Petrovic-Gravitch to let you know she won't be in today."
I want to die. I want to disappear into the floor and never exist again. The boss is going to think I've lost my mind.
