Pretty Lovely Lies
1. Chapter 1
Irap softly on the intricate, mahogany front door of Dominika’s house, my heart drumming with a mix of anticipation and anxiety. This place always feels like stepping into another world—one where the shadows of our past don”t linger in the corners, waiting to leap out. An ode to our former life, but without the toxic dangers.
The door swings open, revealing Dominika in all her polished grace.
The sight of her is a comfort. Her sharp, high cheekbones and icy blue eyes would normally intimidate, especially with the way her meticulously microbladed eyebrows boldly frame her face and her full lips exude a perpetually knowing look. But to me, they spell friendship and understanding. The unspoken bond of our shared childhood experience has tethered us together through many storms, and always will.
There was a time when I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to ever come here again or resume my friendship with Dominika, given how things were left off what feels like forever ago. But it’s not her fault she’s related to… him.
”Alina, darling! Come in, come in!” Dominika exclaims, her voice echoing off the marble floors. I step inside, the warmth from the grand foyer wrapping around me like a plush blanket.
She leads me through the hallways adorned with expensive art, to a sunlit parlor where a table is set with a platter of scones and a delicate porcelain teapot. It”s surreal, this opulence, compared to our scrappy childhood homes. And compared to the homelessness Yara and I experienced until recently.
”Sit down, make yourself comfortable,” Dominika gestures towards a velvet chair, her gold bracelets clinking softly. She pours tea into two intricately decorated porcelain cups, the steam curling up like little spirits dancing.
“So he knows I’m here? I was scared to come, but you insisted…”
“Listen, I don’t delve into my brother-in-law’s mind because that’s a scary place for anyone. But I do know he’s busy wrapping up a big business deal overseas. One of his key men is threatening a mutiny of sorts, and Marie is giving him a hell of a time. He won’t have a spare moment to give you a second thought.”
I smirk at the thought of such a powerful man facing such simple struggles as a nagging wife whom he can’t seem to get rid of. Even the wealthy put their pants on one leg at a time.
”One thing is certain. I need to get us out of here. I can’t keep putting her through this,” I confess, staring into the golden liquid, my thoughts drifting to Yara’s innocent face and the darkness that seems to follow us.
The irony, sitting here with the sister-in-law of the man who caused so much of our pain. But sometimes, we become the closest friends with the blood of our enemies. We’re drawn to what repels us. It”s a counterintuitive survival mechanism.
“You know, I’ve been thinking of you, Alina,” Dominika says, her voice warm despite her clipped speaking manner. ”Brainstorming ways to get you both out of this situation.”
“Well, I’m all ears,” I sigh. ”I’ve done everything I can think of. Reached out to agencies, applied for every type of assistance I could find.” I look down. ”Even panhandled. It at least got us into some fairly stable housing and I was able to find a part-time job, but that could be taken away at any moment and it”s hardly enough to make ends meet. I can’t risk having the rug pulled out from under Yara again, or your brother-in-law changing his mind.”
I shiver at the thought. Luchenko is cruel. He likes nothing more than putting me on a leash, letting me think that I’m free, and then yanking me back roughly just when I think I have the chance of truly getting away from him. And I worry that as Yara gets older, his sadistic streak is only going to get worse. There’s no way I would put her through what I was forced to endure. No fucking way.
Dominika reaches across the table, her hand warm on mine. ”I do have an idea for you, actually. You could try online dating. Find an American man who will take care of you. Eva did that, and now she’s happily married with three American babies and a massive mansion in the United States. Just think… wouldn’t that solve all your problems?” Her eyes shine with a mixture of hope and concern. “You’d be far away, and under someone else’s protection. Not even my brother-in-law would be able to fuck with you with those kind of resources under your fingertips.”
I sigh. “I suppose there’s a chance I could find someone that way. It’s just….”.
“Just what, Alina? I have all the patience in the world for you—you know that—but you’re running out of options. You’re doing so much better than last time I saw you, but like you say, it feels impermanent. Luchenko is unpredictable. I regret every day that I can’t do more, but as you know, things are… complicated.”
Dominika is the queen of understatements. My childhood best friend, from the worst part of town just like me, but she took a very different path. Marrying her childhood sweetheart didn”t sound like a runway to financial success, but he joined a powerful enterprise and quickly worked his way up the ranks. Alongside his stepbrother. His cruel stepbrother, Luchenko, who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. Dominika is one of the lucky ones, that”s for sure.
“You’re so lucky, meeting Aleksandr when you were both so young. High school sweethearts.” I smile to emphasize I”m truly happy for my friend. I could never resent her for being with a good man, or having a life that seems like the polar opposite of everything bad about mine.
“I know,” Dominika smiles, but it’s small, as if her successes make her feel guilty. “Not many people get to say they met the love of their life when they were both so young. Or that they can live in a place like this with everything they need. I’m grateful every day. I just want you to find the same happiness. Especially after all you’ve been through.”
My brain mulls over Dominika’s suggestion of meeting an American man online, and immediately begins to fill in the blanks with lots of ‘what if’ scenarios. It”s something I”ve considered before, but there have always been reasons I”ve pushed the idea out of my head. Just like, until now, I”ve pushed aside ideas like dancing in a club or setting up some kind of webcam business. Still, things are becoming increasingly desperate as Yara gets older. I need to open my mind, to consider options that were previously closed off.
“But what about my mother?” The worry for her wellbeing has etched permanent lines on my forehead. “If she’s still here, Luchenko could use her as a pawn. You know how he can get when he doesn”t know where I am for any period of time. I can’t let her be treated like that. I’ll be terrified the entire time I’m over there. Who knows how low he would sink if he felt like he could never reach us again?”
“You can bring her with you,” my friend shrugs. ”She might have to wait for a while, for immigration processes to go through. But you’ll be able to fly her over to live with you eventually.” Dominika”s voice is reassuring, but it doesn”t quite reach the tight knot of fear in my chest.
I think about my mother, aging in her cramped apartment. She’s always taken care of me as best as she could, and I’m embarrassed I haven’t been able to return the favor in her later years. There were many times she snuck Yara and I into her tiny residence in the government-run eldercare facility, even when it could have risked her being thrown out onto the streets herself. When she insisted on sharing her meager food rations when she risks running out herself. I find myself distancing myself from her occasionally so she doesn”t put herself at risk for me and Yara. Compared to her, we”re young and capable, resourceful, and I hate to lean on someone who also has nothing.
“But how do I know I can trust these men online?” The question tumbles from my lips before I can stop it, revealing the quiver of uncertainty beneath my brave mask. ”I could be leaving one problem for another, just far away from everything and everyone I know.”
“How do you know you can trust the men you meet in person? Is that really any better, or more of a guarantee they’ll treat you well?” Dominika counters, her bold eyebrows knitting together in gentle reproach. “I think we both know that’s not the case.”
Her eyes scan toward a photo on the mantel, a family picture that I always try not to focus on. She’s right, though. I met Luchenko in person, in what could be described as a more traditional way, and look where that got me. That said, if all of the horrible things hadn’t happened, Yara wouldn’t exist. So, despite the pain I had to endure, I wouldn’t change anything for the world.
“I don”t know…” I bite my lower lip. ”It just seems too risky, especially with a child to think about.” I wrap my hands tighter around the teacup, seeking comfort in its warmth.
“You can deal with a broken heart, Alina. You’ve done it before and you can do it again.” She says it with such conviction, as if believing in me enough for both of us. ”This isn”t about falling in love. Think of it as a transaction of sorts. It”s about keeping you and Yara safe.”
“Maybe you’re right,” I sigh. “Besides, it feels like I’ve tried just about everything else. It’s time for a change, and I’ll do anything to give Yara the life that she deserves.”
Dominika nods. “Just be careful, Alina. I know I’m the one suggesting this, but there are risks attached. Vet people thoroughly, and trust your gut.” She pauses and scans the room, as if she”s suddenly concerned our conversation is under surveillance. Which is a definite possibility. ”The last thing any of us need is another Luchenko in our lives.”