Chapter 6 #2
“I like this,” I say. If I’m going to marry Alek – a man who kidnapped me – then I’m going to marry him in a dress that I feel good in. It’s the one nice thing I get to have a voice in the matter. No one is going to take that from me. Especially not an attitude filled sixteen year old.
“Then you should get it,” Amanda says.
“You just want to make the sale,” Susanna mutters. Amanda makes a point of ignoring her.
“I am going to get this one,” I say, feeling good about making a decision for myself for the first time in… well, my entire life.
Ian drops Nina and Susanna off at their house first before bringing me back to Alek’s home. Neither of the girls says goodbye to me. It’s clear that they don’t want to be friends. That they want nothing to do with me.
I bring home the wedding dress in a garment bag, hidden from Alek’s eyes. It’s such a surreal thought that I’m carrying my wedding dress with me, soon to be married to a man who kidnapped me.
Alek greets me in the foyer. “Did you try to run?”
“No. Ian would have stopped me.”
His eyes flick down to the garment bag. “You got a dress. Good. Because we’re going to be married tomorrow.”
The dress falls from my hands. Alek scowls but only picks it up and doesn’t scold me for it.
“Tomorrow?” I ask. “We’re going to be married… tomorrow?”
“Yes. It will be better to do it sooner rather than later. I don’t want Dimitri getting any ideas.” Meaning, he doesn’t want to risk Dimitri getting me back before he gets the chance to marry me.
“I’ll take you back to the cage,” he says. “You have a big day tomorrow.”
“How were you able to plan this so fast? Don’t weddings take weeks, months even to prepare?”
“I have contacts. A friend who owed me a favor. Everything will be ready for tomorrow. Don’t worry. I am going to give you a wonderful wedding.”
That’s not what I’m worried about and Alek knows it. I can see a teasing glint in his eye. It’s clear that he doesn’t care though. He wants me and he’s set on having me.
Alek brings me back to the cage where I feel like I can catch my breath. Slowly, my nerves dissipate and are replaced with a strange sense of calm. When I’m in the cage, nothing can hurt me.
But I also can’t deny that for the first time, I feel the urge to be in an open space.
Alek gives me a large spread of food for breakfast that I can’t even eat since I’m so nervous about our wedding. Which is today.
“Ian will drive you to the reception,” he explains over the kitchen table like we’re already a normal couple when we both know we’re the furthest thing from it. “I want you to surprise me with your dress today. Make it a proper wedding.”
“I know you want to marry me to get back at Dimitri. But why aren’t you married already?”
He gives me a curious look that makes me blush. “I just never found a woman I wanted to marry before.”
“But you’ve… dated, I’m assuming.” Why am I even asking this? It’s not like I care about Alek or his past. And yet, intrigue is coursing through me.
“I have. My fair share of women. But I never wanted to marry any of them.”
“Why?”
“Because I just… knew. We weren’t the right fit.”
I cling to my fork as if that will somehow protect me. “But you’re going to marry me. How do you know we’re the right fit? You’re only marrying me to get back at my brother.”
“Because from the first second I saw you, I knew you had to be mine. So I will make us fit.”
Through force. Violence. This is the kind of man I will be married to. And there’s no stopping it.
Once we finish breakfast, Ian drives me to the church where I’ll get ready to be married. I’m led into a room off to the side of the main chapel where I can change into my dress. I’m all alone, for which I’m grateful.
The dress fits perfectly. No need for any modifications.
My hair on the other hand…
I notice a small vanity table with a brush on it. I try to make my hair look good – though why I’m not sure. It’s not like I care about today. In fact, I don’t want today to happen at all. But it is happening and for some reason, I want to look good. I want my hair to match my dress.
So, I style it in a simple updo. Nothing major. Classic and elegant to match the dress.
When I step back to look myself over, I’m amazed at how pretty I look. How womanly.
My chest pangs though at the idea that Dimitri won’t be here today. Won’t walk me down the aisle.
Which only leads to thoughts of my father, who will never walk me down the aisle – not that I would have wanted him to.
Panic rips its way right through me. I can’t breathe. I can’t think. Before I know it, I’m on my knees, sucking in air. The image of my father stabbing my mother still haunts me every day. Will it ever stop?
The door opens and in walks Nina and Susanna. At least it’s not Alek. I can’t deal with him right now.
“Seriously,” Susanna says, her voice dripping with revulsion, “what is wrong with you? You’re always freaking out.”
“I can’t,” I whisper. “I can’t do this”
“Alek is waiting in the church for you,” Nina says, her tone not as acidic at Susanna’s. “You’re just going to stand him up?”
“He’s making me do this. He kidnapped me.”
Susanna rolls her eyes. “This again. You really need to stop with this narrative. It’s getting ridiculous.”
“It really is,” Nina agrees.
“We all know that you’re a gold digging whore who’s marrying Alek for his money. You met him in a day and decided to make your move. You’ll get no sympathy from me.”
Susanna’s words cut me right to the core. Never in my life has anyone said anything so mean to me before. It makes me break down into tears.
“Get yourself together,” Nina says. “Alek is waiting for you. He sent us in here to get you. So come on.”
Susanna claps her hands together. “Chop, chop.”
They’re not going to leave. Alek will storm inside this room to get me if I don’t come out. So, I have no choice but to force my tears to stop and stand up.
Susanna eyes me over. “You know, I think you’re dress needs some fixing.”
“What do you mean?” I whisper.
Without a word, she grabs the off-the-shoulder strap and tears it right off, ripping part of the dress.
I stumble back with a gasp.
Even Nina looks surprised by this. “Susanna… Alek wants Katya to look her best.”
“So I’m helping with that. This dress looked terrible on her anyway,” She grabs my other strap and rips it straight down, leaving behind a large tear in the dress.
“Stop,” I snap, jerking away from her. “You’re ruining the dress.”
“Good. It looked terrible on you. Anything else will just be an improvement.” She grabs the skirt of the dress and I jerk back but in the process, it makes a large chunk of it get ripped away.
The skirt is torn. When I look at myself in the mirror again, I’m ashamed to see how ugly the dress looks.
This perfect dress that I chose. The one thing I could have in my life.
And Susanna just ruined it.
“There,” she says with a vindictive grin. “So much better.”
“Alek is not going to be happy about this,” Nina says.
“Do I look like I care what Alek thinks?” She throws me a wink. “Have fun out there.” Susanna skips from the room, looking positively pleased with herself.
Nina hesitates. “Uh… I didn’t know she was going to do that.” With no apology of her own, she saunters out of the room.
I collapse onto a chair and sob my entire eyes out. My perfect dress is ruined. The one good thing I had going for me.
And now, I have no choice but to pull myself together and go out there and face Alek with a torn dress.
After taking a few breaths, I head towards the main part of the church.
The doors are open so I can see into the large room.
It’s filled with people. So many people.
I never expected Alek would be able to get this many people to show up for our wedding in the span of a day.
There has to be at least fifty people here.
And I know why: he wants to rub this day in Dimitri’s face.
Alek is at the end of the aisle, waiting for me, looking handsome in a navy suit. Too handsome for his own good. It makes me hate him while it also makes me desire him.
His eyes notice and take me in as a smirk crosses his face… right before he sees my dress. Sees how torn it is and his smile slips from his face.
Before I can even take a step, Alek storms down the aisle to me. Everyone in the room notices and murmurs to themselves.
“What is the meaning of this?” he asks, grabbing my arm. “Why is your dress like… this?”
“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” I whisper, fighting back my tears.
“No? So, this isn’t how the dress is supposed to look?”
“No.”
“So then why does it look like this?”
“Susanna ripped it.”
Alek sucks in a breath. “Susanna? I doubt she would do this.”
“Well, she did. I’m not lying to you. I wouldn’t ruin my own wedding dress. I don’t want you to hurt me. I have no incentive to do this. Yet, I have every incentive to make you happy.”
“You’re worried I’d hurt you?”
“Well, you did… spank me,” I whisper. “I thought you might do it again. I didn’t ruin my dress, Alek. It was Susanna. You can ask her and Nina. They were both there.”
“I will.” He storms back into the church and motions at Nina and Susanna to follow him. More and more murmurs fill the room as the guests look around, wondering what is happening.
Alek comes back into the foyer with Nina and Susanna. “Did you ruin Katya’s dress?”
Susanna blinks before she gives him a sweet smile. “No.”
“No?” He turns to Nina. “Katya claims that Susanna ruined her dress. Is that true?”
Nina looks between her sister, me, and back at Alek before she shakes her head. “Susanna is telling the truth. She didn’t ruin Katya’s dress. Both me and Susanna saw Katya rip her own dress to shreds. She claims you kidnapped her. She’s not happy to be here.”
All the air leaves my body. It’s not like I thought Nina and I were friends but the fact that she so quickly turned on me makes me feel betrayed. Hurt. Beaten down.
Alek runs a hand over his face. “Someone is not telling the truth here. That much is obvious. Nina, Susanna, go back to your seats. We’ll talk later.”
Both girls give me a smug smile before walking away.
“They’re lying,” I say. “Susanna ripped my dress. I don’t want you to hurt me. I wouldn’t do this to myself. I… I really liked this dress.”
“I believe you.”
His admission catches me off guard. “You do?”
“I do. I know that Susanna and Nina can be… difficult at times. And I can see the fear in your eyes. You didn’t do this to your dress.” He holds his arm out to me.
“What are you doing?”
“We’re going to walk down the aisle together and we’re going to get married. You’ll become mine.”
“But my dress…”
“There’s no stopping it now. I want you, Katya, even if you were naked right before me. I am going to marry you today. Nothing is going to stop me.” He grabs my arm and places it through his. “Now, let us get married.”