Then the priest is declaring us husband and wife. That’s it. We’re married. It all still feels like it’s happening to someone else.
After the vows are said, Andrei leads me over to a table set with water for me and wine for him and food I can’t imagine eating. My stomach is still doing somersaults. When I sit down, I’m shocked to see Kendra sitting across from me, a radiant smile on her face.
“Oh, my God,” I say, reaching for her. “What are you doing here?”
“Your husband invited me,” she winks, emphasizing the word husband.
I can’t believe it. He’s set all of this up so beautifully. It’s more than I could have ever imagined, even in the wedding dress thatwas too big a few weeks ago and is now a little too snug around the middle.
My father sits beside me, squeezing my hand under the table every now and then. Despite everything, it feels like a real wedding. This feels like a real reception.
Until Andrei stands.
The room quiets instantly, though I think it’s more because of his commanding presence and not because he’s the groom. When he begins to speak, everyone listens carefully. I finally take a moment to look around the room and realize that, besides Kendra and my father, I don’t recognize a single person here. I think most of them must be Andrei’s men.
He begins to speak, voice calm and clear, carrying easily through the space. I try to focus on the words he’s saying, but I’m too distracted by the looks on their faces. Then, two soldiers step forward, dragging someone between them. It’s an unsettling sight. My father grabs my hand again and Kendra gasps.
The bruised, bloody man with his hands bound behind his back is Kostya.
I look around again, trying to see how Andrei’s men are reacting to this, but they’re all smiling and laughing. In their eyes, Kostya’s getting what’s coming to him. Maybe he is. Maybe he deserves all this. It’s no less jarring to see.
“Kostya Belov, you and your thugs attempted to end my life on several occasions,” Andrei says in a calm and even voice. “You threatened my business, and you threatened my life. Everyone present here now knows what you did and who you are. From here on out, you have a black spot on your name. Your associates have already been dealt with, and your business is gone.”
“Please,” Kostya whimpers, before turning to me with one good eye. The other is swollen shut. “Please, Alina?—”
Before he can let out another word, one of Andrei’s men whips him across the face with the butt of his gun. Kostya whimpers and Andrei snaps to have him dragged away.
Andrei sits down, looking satisfied. He looks at me with expectation, but I don’t know what to say. Instead, I look down at the ring on my finger, watching as the light catches the diamonds and makes them dance.
“Well,” I murmur quietly, my voice unsteady, “as wedding presents go, I liked the ring better.”
30
ANDREI
The drive back to the penthouse is silent with the weight of a brewing argument. After the display I put on for her, she was ready to leave. I knew it would be too much for her to stomach, but I couldn’t stop myself. He deserved no less than what he got. It was the perfect public forum to punish him for his crimes. At least I thought so. My wife does not seem to agree.
Alina sits beside me in the backseat, hands folded loosely in her lap, the diamond on her finger catching stray flashes of streetlight each time we pass beneath another signal. The ring looks unreal against her skin. It fits her perfectly, like it was always meant to sit on her finger.
She’s my wife now. Tonight should feel joyous for so many reasons, but the victory is hollow. I know she’s angry. I’m angry too. Not at her, but at this situation. After everything I’ve been able to uncover in the last few days, this victory feels almost hollow.
When we get to the penthouse, she walks inside without a single backward glance. She goes into her room and slams her door shut. I guess the honeymoon is already over. Just as I’m about togo back to my room for the night, I hear her door open, and she comes out in a pair of sweatpants, her face scrubbed clean of the makeup. She looks radiant. And pissed.
“Why did you do that at our wedding?” she nearly shouts.
“I thought you would be happy,” I say, ignoring the way my pulse spikes when she says “our wedding.”
“Why would that make me happy?” she spits back. “Kendra was horrified. I have so many things to explain to her now. I wanted her left in the dark about all of this.”
“Yes, well, that’s your MO, isn’t it?” I say harshly. “You love keeping people in the dark!”
“And do you understand why?” she seethes. “Because of what you did tonight. Because you punish people who don’t do exactly what you want them to do.”
“That isn’t fair, Alina,” I say to her back as she stomps to the kitchen and grabs a bottle of water from the fridge. “Kostya tried to kill me. He tried to kill you. He got exactly what he deserved.”
“But I didn’t need to see that!” she shouts, turning on me. “And you could have at least warned me it was going to happen. You could have told me that you found out it was him. You could have said more than ten goddamn words to me for the last few days.”
“And you could have told me you were pregnant,” I say before I can stop myself. “You should have trusted me with that news.”
