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Madame Pruitt clapped her hands in delight. “My dear, you are a vision! This dress was made for you.”
Zia blushed at the praise, a soft pink dusting her cheeks as she met Lev's eyes in the mirror. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, then as if suddenly remembering getting married to him wasn’t what she wanted, she frowned and looked away.
The disgusted expression on her face made Lev’s heart twist in his chest. Despite himself, he’d planned for this just to be a wedding. He had thought he would let her go after he brought Cillian down.
But another cruel plan blossomed in his head as he looked at her in that white dress. Zia wasn’t just going to be his wife for a short time—he was going to make her his forever.
Chapter 7 - Zia
Zia had always wanted to get married. She’d always wanted to fill her home with beautiful kids.
But all of those dreams had been with her ex-boyfriend. The man she loved, the man she believed loved her. Not with a monster like Lev Nikolai.
So much had happened in a matter of two days. Her dreams were ripped from her, and she’d been thrown into a life she hadn’t prepared for—a life married to the underboss of the Bratva.
How the hell was she supposed to cope with all of that? It was too much to bear.
She sat on the king-sized bed in the expensively furnished bedroom Lev told her now belonged to her. She peered around, taking in the monochrome décor. It was far more beautiful than where she lived and a lot better than the Airbnb she’d moved into.
Still, she hated it. The very thought of the person who occupied the room across her made her sick to her stomach.
It was all her fault. If she’d been firmer in refusing his help—if she’d not slept with him, none of this would have happened. Lev wouldn’t have gotten this stupid idea of forcing her into a marriage she didn’t want, all in the name of protecting her.
She had to escape his clutches somehow, but how?
Her mind spiraled with thoughts, but she couldn’t think of anything. She wasn’t familiar with the mafia world, but she knew enough to guess he had connections all over the world and that it would be damn easy to find her if she ran away.
A knock on the door reeled her back to the present. “Come in,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
The door creaked open, and a young woman around forty walked in. She had curly brown hair, just like Zia, and blue eyes that crinkled as she smiled. She reminded Zia so much of her own mother.
Fuck. Tears welled in her eyes. Her mother had wanted to see her walk down the aisle before she died. Her father didn’t even stay alive long enough to know what her first words were. She’d lost everything, and now she was going to lose herself too.
“What do you want?” she asked the woman, her voice a little harsher than she intended for it to be.
The woman didn’t seem to mind. She just kept smiling. “My name is Polina, child. I’m the housekeeper here.”
Zia felt a tang of guilt for the way she spoke, but fuck guilt. She was being forced to marry a man she didn’t want. It wasn’t the time for her to be considerate of his accomplices. “What are you doing here?”
“The priest is here,” Polina said quietly. “It’s time for you to come downstairs.”
“Really?” Air drained from Zia’s lungs. Everything felt even more real than it did minutes ago, and there was no escaping. She looked at the window, sighing at the fact that there was no way she could jump through Polina to the side and make a run for it. She would be caught before she made it to the road.
She had no choice. She had to marry him.
Flying up to her feet, she gathered the skirt of her gown and trudged out of the room, stomping down the stairs until she was in the foyer.
Polina walked elegantly behind her.
“Where is that pig you called a boss?” she asked angrily. She didn’t care about watching her tone or words. Lev chose to play these stupid games with her, so it would be right for him to expect her anger.
Polina’s brow shot up to her hairline.
Zia knew from Polina’s expression that no one had ever dared to call Lev a pig. But calling him that was nothing compared to who he really was.
“In the garden,” Polina answered, signaling to the white double doors that lead to the garden outside.
Zia marched to the door, flung it open, and walked to Lev, who was waiting for her by the altar.
