Chapter 15 - Ilana
The worst part of it all was that I wasn’t lying.
My stomach still churned as we drove, the city lights blurring past the window while Avgust kept one hand on the wheel and the other resting firmly on my thigh, like he was anchoring me to the world.
Seeing that man again, the one from the auction, had cracked something open inside me.
Not fear exactly. But recognition. The reminder that my life hadn’t just changed, but it had collided headfirst with a war I had grown up around, whether I wanted to admit it or not.
Avgust glanced at me for the fifth time in two minutes.
“Are you still feeling sick?”
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. “A little.”
He didn’t push, and that somehow only made it worse.
Guilt sat heavy in my chest, curling tighter every time he adjusted the heat, every time he slowed at a turn so I wouldn’t feel dizzy, and every time he asked softly if I needed water.
He was protecting me. And I was hiding the most dangerous truth of all.
I was a Romanov.
It was my family that was planning to take over.
And if Avgust ever realized that, he wouldn’t hesitate to destroy each one of my brothers. He had to. This wasn’t just business to him. The Bratva demanded blood, loyalty, and survival. I stared out the window, pressing my fingers together to stop them from shaking as thoughts filled my brain.
What if they fought?
What if someone died? What if he died?
I couldn’t let any of it happen. Not now. Not ever. So I would wait, plan, and somehow try to protect both sides, even if it meant carrying this lie all alone just a little longer. He continued to drive, beginning to slow down a little.
“Ilana,” Avgust said, voice firm now, decisive. “I’ve made a decision.”
I turned towards him, heart stuttering.
“Tell me.”
“I am taking you to meet my family. My brothers and sister.”
My breath caught at the declaration. I hadn’t expected that.
“Tonight?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t look at me when he said it, but this thumb pressed reassuringly into my thigh. “You shouldn’t be alone right now when you are already dealing with so many emotions at the same time. Their company will help make you feel better.”
“Are you sure, Avgust?”
“You are my wife, Ilana,” Avgust glanced at me as he said the words, making me gasp yet again. “If anything, I am already rather late in introducing you to my family, who in extension are your family as well now.”
My heart suddenly felt lighter, as if the feeling of him hiding me away had been weighing on me. Before I could respond in acceptance or denial, he picked up his phone and dialed.
“Zhenya,” he said as soon as the line connected. The phone was on speaker so I could hear everything.
“Avgust Chernykh,” Zhenya exclaimed from the other end. “You disappear for weeks and do not pick up my calls and do not answer my messages, and now you have the balls to call me out of nowhere?”
I almost laughed at the way she spoke to Avgust, which made me realize they shared a rather friendly relationship. I had always thought I was close to my brothers, but our relationship had been formal from the very beginning.
“I called to tell you that I am coming home tonight. For dinner?”
“For dinner? You aren’t coming to stay?” Zhenya asked.
“I might stay as well.”
There was a pause on the other end. Then excitement crackled through the speaker.
“If you were ugly or awful, I could have held onto my anger for a little longer. But you know exactly what to say when,” Zhenya croaked.
“Now listen to me, I am also bringing someone important with me,” he added, and then turned to look at me. “Very, very important.”
I heard Zhenya squeal through the speaker, already knowing she expected him to bring a girl.
“I can’t wait to see you, brother.” Zhenya ended the call, and I finally allowed myself a small chuckle.
“How angry will she be when she finds out we got married without her present?” I asked, feeling a little excited to meet Zhenya and the other Chernykh siblings already.
“Devastated,” Avgust shook his head. “But she will get over it eventually. She is close to me and often gets demanding, but you will love her when you meet her.”
“I don’t doubt that for one second,” I replied in all honesty. He smiled, choosing not to reply, but I had no desire to stay silent anymore. “So I am someone very important?”
“You are the only one that is important, Ilana,” Avgust said, without missing a beat.
My heart almost melted.
“You’re going to be very safe with us, Ilana. I promise,” he said simply, as if stating an obvious fact.
And God help me, I believed him.
***
I had certainly not expected this. Whatever this was.
Laughter echoed through the house the moment we stepped inside. Real, warm, unguarded laughter. Not the hollow politeness I was used to in social settings and my own house. Not the obligatory laughter used only as a strategy.
But laughter that meant family.
Avgust guided me inside and led me towards the large glass doors at the other end of the massive living room.
The house was huge, immaculately designed, and beautiful paintings adorned the walls.
I wanted to stand and look at every single one of them, but I had no desire to look like a gawking idiot in front of Avgust’s family.
“Will everyone be here?” I asked, suddenly feeling nervous.
“Yes,” Avgust nodded, “I am sure Zhenya gathered all of the Chernykh siblings. But you don’t have to worry at all since it will be no one but our immediate family.”
“Easy for you to say.”
Avgust chuckled softly and finally pushed the glass doors open, several pairs of eyes turning to look at us all at once.
Their glances shifted between Avgust and me in surprise.
Except Timofey. Who was already looking at the whole thing with a smirk on his face as if he knew exactly what would unfold.
“Look who finally decided to come back home,” Lukyan said, standing up from the sofa and coming towards Avgust for a hug.
Avgust smiled and allowed the man to hug him, Iosif getting in line next. Once the brothers had moved away, a girl who looked about my age or a little younger walked towards Avgust, and the way she hugged him was enough to tell me that she was Zhenya.
“I have missed you,” she said, a happy smile spreading across her beautiful face.
“And I have missed all of you,” Avgust replied, moving back towards me, his hand sliding around my waist. Before anyone could ask any questions, he announced, “Everyone, please meet Ilana. My wife.”
Timofey let out a small chuckle while everyone else looked at Avgust as if he had lost his mind.
I could not blame them. If one of my brothers came home with a girl someday and suddenly said the woman was his wife, all of us siblings would be just as concerned and shocked.
Although the only thing that mattered was that there was no hesitation in his voice. No explanation. Just certainty.
“Welcome,” a woman said, walking towards us and squeezing my hands as if she had known me forever. There was a warmth in her, and I immediately liked her a lot. “I am Clara, Iosif’s wife, and it seems to me I finally have someone to rant with about the Chernykh men.”
“Hey, I thought you had me,” Zhenya quipped, but Clara shook her head.
“You are a little too loyal to your brothers,” Clara replied, and everyone burst into laughter.
Iosif walked ahead and wrapped his arm around his wife, exactly the way Avgust had his arm around me, and looked at the two of us.
“I’m glad you are here, Ilana. Welcome to the family. You are a Chernykh now,” Iosif said, nodding once, approval heavy in the gesture.
It only took a few seconds after that for everyone to surround me.
Timofey grinned and hugged me as we had been friends forever, but no one questioned the gesture, probably used to his flirtatious nature.
Zhenya and Misha hugged me outright and made me feel accepted immediately.
Lukyan congratulated me as well, holding my hands warmly.
For the first time in weeks, my chest felt… light.
Just as Ilana was done meeting everyone else, another girl entered who looked exactly Ilana’s age and quickly looked at everyone.
“I’m so sorry I am late,” the girl said, her gaze landing squarely on Ilana. “So you are the very special guest my brother was bringing home.”
“Ilana, this is Elisse,” Avgust made the introductions, “And Elisse, this is my wife, Ilana.”
“Wife?” Elisse’s eyes widened, but she quickly engulfed me in a hug. “So we are sisters now, and if you play your cards right, I might even like you more than I like Clara.”
“I heard that Elisse,” Clara said, making everyone laugh.
As we all sat down, they continued to talk over each other and teased Avgust mercilessly.
Zhenya and Clara fumbled over me, asking me if I was warm enough, hungry, or comfortable.
Someone pressed a glass of wine into my hand, and Avgust draped a small blanket over my exposed legs when he saw me shiver lightly.
No one looked at me like I was fragile or property, and no one asked any questions either.
I hadn’t realized how lonely I had been until that moment.
Even with my brothers in my life, I had never known a family like this. This was completely foreign to me.
“Ilana, have we bored you to death?” Zhenya asked from across the room. She was sitting beside Timofey.
“Absolutely not,” I answered quickly. “I just wanted to thank all of you for accepting me into your home.”
“You are Avgust’s wife, your place is in this house,” Iosif replied, a small smile dancing on his lips.
“But please don’t be mistaken that I am not angry with the two of you,” Zhenya added, “You got married without me present for the ceremony and then did not even tell me about the whole thing for weeks, I am sure. I will always be holding this over your head.”
“We didn’t really have a ceremony,” Avgust shrugged.
“What, why?” Clara asked, her eyes narrowing.
“The circumstances were not as happy as one might think,” Avgust replied, glancing at me as if silently asking for approval with his eyes. I only smiled, letting him know I did not have a problem with him sharing the truth with his family. If anything, they had a right to know.
“I think we all need to hear this story. You two have kept us curious long enough,” Lukyan added, the weight of his gaze heavy on me.
“I found Ilana at the auction. She was up for bidding, so I bought her,” Avgust said, simple and true.
Everyone went silent for a few seconds, staring at Avgust as if wondering if this was actually true or just a jest. When neither Avgust nor I added anything further, everyone finally believed it was true.
“The auction, which was a couple of months ago?” Iosif asked.
“Oh, good god, Ilana. I am so sorry. That sounds horrible,” Clara added, standing up from beside Iosif and coming to sit beside me as if her presence would bring me comfort. It did.
“It was,” I nodded, “But I am much better now. Avgust has helped me get out of it and come back to life.”
“What were you doing at the auction in the first place, Avgust?” Elisse asked.
“Scouting for the new family. The Romanovs. I had a hunch that they might be there, but they weren’t.”
My breath caught in my throat at the mention of my family, but I tried my best not to let it show on my face. I had no idea Avgust had come looking for my brothers at the auction; instead, he had found me.
“Wait, so you got her out of that auction and married her just like that?” Zhenya asked, confusion on her face.
“How else could he have married her?” Timofey asked, leaning forward.
“By arranging a proper ceremony at least.”
“He married her for protection, Zhenya,” Elisse explained, “You know how Bratva protection works.”
“Well, from the looks of it, the marriage isn’t purely based on protection anymore,” Timofey added, everyone’s gaze landing squarely on Avgust’s hand, which was entwined with mine.
I tried to pull my hand away, but Avgust only held it tighter, his small smile deepening while he looked at me.
My cheeks turned scarlet as everyone around us chuckled softly, clearly happy for us.
I had never been the center of attention in this manner, and all of it felt surreal.
But with Avgust on my side, I did not feel a single unpleasant emotion.
“You are right, Tim, it isn’t,” Avgust replied, still holding my gaze as if he meant every single word.
“In that case, maybe we can have a ceremony now, and the two of you can get married again!” Zhenya said, looking at the two of us with an expectant gaze.
“No.”
“We can think about it.”
Both Avgust and I spoke at the same time, and Zhenya clapped, clearly only focusing on what I had said. As everyone around us busied in their conversations again, Lukyan turned to look at me, his gaze pointed and sharp.
“So,” he said casually. “Where are you from, Ilana?”
I smiled, rehearsed ease sliding into place. “I’ve moved around.”
“I’m sorry you somehow ended up at the auction,” he said lightly. “It is certainly not common for a woman to land at a place such as that unless she is part of a revenge scheme related to her family or someone she’s associated with.”
My fingers tightened around my glass, but my smile didn’t falter.
The Chernykhs had accepted me, but I cannot expect them to trust me so easily.
They had every right to question me and my past in order to protect their own.
After all, Avgust was their brother, and right now I was nothing more than a stranger to them.
Before I could answer, Avgust leaned forward, clearly listening in to the conversation.
“That’s enough,” he said calmly, dangerously. His arm came around my shoulders, possessive and final. “She doesn’t owe an explanation about her past to you or anyone. All you have to do is look at her and accept her as my wife.”
The room had fallen silent during the exchange, all eyes on Avgust and Lukyan. Lukyan studied the two of us for a long moment and nodded.
“That is fair. I shouldn’t pry unnecessarily.”
Avgust pressed his lips briefly to my temple, and I swallowed the guilt that rose sharp and sudden.
He had not only welcomed me into his life but also made me feel welcome in his family, and I was sitting in the Chernykh house with a secret that could burn it all down.
Before my thoughts went any further, Clara came back inside the lounge. I hadn’t even seen her leave.
“Dinner is served,” she said, and everyone stood up to move towards the dining room.