Chapter Seven
Sofiya
My father leads me back into the living room with Dimitri and my mom. Dimitri looks stern while my mom looks worried. But that’s nothing new.
“Is everything all right?” Dimitri asks.
“Everything is good,” Ivan responds. “Sofiya knows her duty to you as your wife. I was just reminding her of that. Polina, I think it’s best that we go now.”
“Go? But we just got here. I want to make sure Sofiya is all right.”
“And she is. I think Dimitri and Sofiya want to spend time together, just the two of them. We should go. We can see that Sofiya is all right. No point in staying.”
Mom ignores Ivan and walks right over to me, grabbing my arms. “If something is wrong, tell me. I’ll get you out right now.”
“You won’t be doing that,” Dimitri says. The moment he speaks, it’s like an ice field descends over the entire room.
“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” Polina snaps back.
“Sofiya is my wife now. Which mean she belongs to me. She is staying.”
“Sofiya is my daughter and if you’re hurting her, I have the right to know. I have the right to take her from this house. The right to save her.”
“Polina,” Dad warns. “Stop this. Dimitri is a powerful man. More powerful than I am. You can’t speak to him like this.”
“To save my daughter I will.”
Dimitri walks right over to my mom and stares her down. To her credit, she glares right back at him. “Sofiya is staying here. She is safe. Have I cut her up into tiny pieces? No. Have I beat her to an inch of her life? No.”
“Just because you don’t beat her, doesn’t mean you don’t hurt her. Emotional abuse is a real thing.”
“Not in our world,” he murmurs, “and you know it. Sofiya is mine now. Your husband gave her to me. You don’t have a say in this matter, Polina. I know you care for your daughter and it’s commendable. I care for Sofiya too. I want what’s best for her.”
Meaning, he wants me to be fully submitted to him.
I’m not na?ve. I know there’s a form of abuse going on. Dimitri has tied me up or locked me away and spanked me too many times for our marriage to be a healthy one.
And yet, I don’t hate him as much as I should. It’s a mixture of confusing emotions. I want to run away from him while I also want to run right into his arms.
Some of my mom’s anger dissipates. “Sofiya.” She turns her back to Dimitri, not caring at all if it’s considered rude. “Just tell me if you’re all right. That’s all I need to know.”
I want to tell my mom that I’m not all right. That I’m confused and alone and also desperate for my husband. But those are things I need to figure out. I can’t worry her.
“I’m all right,” I say.
“You lie.”
“Mom –,”
“No. I know when you’re lying. And you’re lying right now. You’re not fine. You’re coming home with me.” She whirls around to face Dimitri. “And you can’t stop me.”
“I can,” he warns in a tone that sends a chill down my spine.
Dad grabs her arms. “Polina. Be careful. Dimitri could hurt you.”
“Kill me, you mean? You would kill your own wife’s mother? You think that will win my daughter over to your side?”
Dimitri doesn’t say a word because he knows she’s right. He can never hurt my parents if he wants me to be his. I’ll never forgive him for it, no matter how he makes me feel.
“Exactly,” Mom says, practically spitting in his face. “Sofiya, come on. You’re coming home with us.”
I’m frozen, unsure of what to do. If I leave with my parents, I’ll risk Dimitri’s punishment. But if I go with my parents, then maybe I’d be safe again and I could put all these confusing emotions behind me.
“She can’t,” Ivan says. “You know that, my darling, Sofiya has to stay here with Dimitri.”
All the anger leaves her eyes and her shoulders slump. “Ivan, please save our daughter.”
“I am. I’m saving us by not taking her back home. You can tell that she’s fine.”
“She’s not fine.”
“She is. She has to be. We have to trust Dimitri that he’s taking care of her. That is all. Dimitri is my new business partner. Be smart about this.”
Mom shoots Dimitri another glare. “If you hurt my daughter, I will personally kill you.”
Dimitri doesn’t even look fazed because he knows that it would be close to impossible for my mom to kill him. As women in a mafia world, we’re powerless to the men in it.
She throws her arms back around me, squeezing me tight. “Stay safe, Sofiya. Please.”
“Mom,” I sob as the tears finally hit me. I can’t hold them back if I tried.
“I’ll always find a way to protect you.”
I cling to my mom harder, crying all the pain and fear and pleasure out of me that I’ve experienced in such a short amount of time.
“We should go, Polina,” Dad says, tugging her away from me.
“Mom!” I reach my hand out to her but Dad keeps pulling her away from me. Seeing my parents was a mistake because now all I want is to be with them again.
The moment my parents leave, a coldness seeps over my entire body.
“You disappoint me, Sofiya.”
A sudden intense rage shoots itself through me and before I can stop myself, I turn to Dimitri and…
Slap him right across the face.
He looks stunned. Clearly, he never expected me to do that.
“I disappoint you?” I spit out. “You disappoint me. You locked me in a cage. You tied me to a bed. You’ve spanked me almost every day since we’ve been married.
And for what? To break me down? To make me into your perfect wife?
I was ready to be your perfect wife, Dimitri.
I was taught how to be. If you would just show me love and kindness, I would give it right back to you.
You wouldn’t have to fight me to get me to submit.
I’d show you respect if you showed me some in return.
But you’re incapable of it. And now you asked me to lie to my parents.
No. I will never lie to them again. You are not a good man.
My dad gave me to you as a form of payment.
I was used and abused. And I’m tired of it.
I want to be with my parents again. With my mom again.
So, no. I didn’t disappoint you, Dimitri.
You have failed me. And you can’t even see it. ”
He stares at me for a long moment, breathing heavy, before a cold expression overtakes his features. “Are you done?”
I flinch. “Is that all you can say to me?”
“I just want to make sure you’re done with your outburst. Before I punish you for it.”
“Did you not hear a word I just said?”
“I did. And you have a good point. If I wanted your love, I would have shown you love. But it’s not your love I want.
It’s your submission. And to get that, I have to break you.
Your mother is a bold woman, talking to me the way she did.
I could have easily killed her but I won’t.
She’s just fighting for her daughter. I will not fault her for that. ”
“And me? I’m fighting for myself. Do I not get a free pass in that regard?”
“Your mother is not my wife. You are. So no, you do not get a free pass. Now, are you done?”
It takes everything inside of me not to scream at him. But I promised my father I would endure. For his sake. For my mother’s sake.
“I’m done,” I force the words out.
“Good. Now, you will go back down to the basement and wait for me there.”
I storm out of the living room and stop at the basement door in the foyer. From here, I can’t see Dimitri, which means he can’t see me either.
Before I even know what I’m doing, I head for the front door and walk right out of it. I am going to spend more time with my parents and Dimitri can’t stop me. I will not become a shell of my former self.
He will learn to show me respect or…
I’m not even sure what the outcome will be but I know it won’t be good.
I run from the house. With no money on me, I have no way to pay for a cab. But I do have my cell phone in the pocket of my dress and I call one of my old high school friends to come pick me up.
Beth tells me that she’ll be right there.
Since I’m in a wealthy neighborhood, there isn’t much around except for large mansions.
I have nowhere to hide when Dimitri eventually comes looking for me.
And he will come looking. I’ll have to face the consequences then but for right now, I just need to see my parents again.
I need to know that my dad will keep me safe.
I hunker down near a shrub and stay out of the way of the road. Beth arrives within fifteen minutes since she lives around this area.
“Sofiya, are you all right?” she asks. I don’t start breathing normally again until we’re far enough away from Dimitri’s house.
“What’s going on? I’m shocked you’re back from your honeymoon so soon.
” Beth was at the wedding but with Dimitri controlling me, I didn’t get the chance to talk to her at all.
“Things are not going great with me and my husband. That’s all I can say. Take me to my parents’ house.”
“Got it. But are you ok?”
“I’m fine,” I lie. Fortunately, Beth can’t tell that I’m lying like my mother can.
Beth pulls up to my parents’ house – which is only a twenty minute drive from Dimitri’s. It’s too close but it will have to do. “Sofiya, you would tell me if you weren’t ok, right?”
“Yes,” I lie again. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Of course.”
I hurry up to the front door and pound on it. My mom answers. When she sees me, she doesn’t hesitate to pull me inside.
“Sofiya, what are you doing here? Did Dimitri try to hurt you?”
I’m not sure what Dimitri would have done to me in that basement and I don’t want to find out.
“Just keep me safe,” I beg, clinging to her. “Please.”
“Of course. I knew he was a bad man. Keeping me from my own daughter? No. I will not stand for it. Let’s get you situated back in your old room. I haven’t changed anything yet.”
She ushers me towards the stairs when my dad enters the foyer.
“What is the meaning of this?” he asks. “Sofiya, you shouldn’t be here. How did you get here anyway?”
“Took a cab,” I lie. No sense in getting Beth in trouble.
Dad shakes his head. The disappointment on his face is apparent. “I’m taking you back to Dimitri.”