Chapter Twenty-Three
How did I get here?
Everything happened so fast—from the moment I witnessed that incident at Meridian Solutions to the day he told me I was going to be his wife. So much time had passed, and it felt like only yesterday that I was running around the city chasing stories for my research assignment.
How did I get here?
The cathedral doors parted, revealing the few guests seated in the pews, their heads turning to face me. Dressed in a white lace that hugged me in the right places, I walked down the aisle, my heels clicking softly against the floor.
My heart was hammering in my chest, my sweaty palms brushing against the fabric of my expensive gown. Soft piano keys drifted through the air, adding ambiance to the whole scene as we approached the groom waiting at the altar.
He was resplendent in an impeccably tailored dark suit with a bow tie that fit his neck. His dark hair was combed to perfection, his steel-gray eyes pinned on me as he stood there with a blank expression on his face.
The closer I drew to him, the more I realized I was about to bind myself to him forever. But there was nothing I could do at this point—my fate had been sealed. Apparently, the Tarasov men had a history of marrying women who became pregnant with their children.
I was just another victim of the Tarasov devils’ manipulation.
This union would benefit him the most. He was getting married to the one woman he wanted to keep for himself. And she would give birth to his child. The heir to his empire. Our union was structured and strategic, designed to stabilize political exposure.
From what I gathered, being married would elevate his status within the Bratva ranks. Higher status meant more exposure. More exposure meant more lucrative deals. More lucrative deals meant more money. More money meant more power and influence.
These and many more were what he stood to gain from this union. And what did I get in return?
A life of misery, pain, and regret.
At least before this issue of marriage came up, there was a small chance that, sometime in the foreseeable future, he would let me go if I played my cards right. But right now, that small chance was gone forever.
He’d made it pretty clear that I was going to be his wife and that divorce was not an option. The only consolation here was that I would no longer be his prisoner but his wife.
What difference would that make if he still controlled everything I did?
This was not how I thought my life was going to turn out. I thought I had it all figured out. I had the roadmap to achieving my goals, and I was working really hard to make a name for myself.
Until everything fell apart when I stumbled upon that incident at Meridian Solutions.
I curse the day I stepped into that building.
I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn’t realize when I reached the altar. He extended his arm, and I took it; then he helped me up the long steps.
“Dearly beloved,” the priest began, his voice loud and audible. “We are gathered here today to witness the union of…”
My hands were shaking as I stood across from Rodion, tears stinging my eyes. I held still, refusing to break down at a time like this. The last thing I wanted was to draw unwanted attention to myself and be remembered as the bride who wept on her wedding day.
Not that I gave a fuck about any of those unfamiliar faces in the cathedral anyway. A part of me simply didn’t want to embarrass Rodion; I just wanted to get this over and done with.
He noticed my unease and reached out to take my hand. His fingers closed around mine in a way that said he had me without having to say it out loud. Rodion looked into my eyes with a soft expression that somehow managed to calm my nerves by a fraction.
He didn’t say a single word, but his grip and the look in his eyes were more reassuring than I would care to admit.
When it was time for the vows and the priest threw that life-changing question at me, I almost froze. I almost forgot I was supposed to respond.
It wasn’t until Rodion squeezed gently against my fingers and the priest conspicuously cleared his throat that I snapped back to reality.
I blinked once. “I do.”
He faced Rodion, and while repeating the same question to him, his voice slowly faded into the background. I could almost hear the sound of my heart pounding against my ribs, and my breathing suddenly became shallow.
A knot tightened in my chest, and my knees buckled beneath me. I could feel my anxiety spiking like I was about to have a panic attack.
“With the power vested in me…I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the priest declared. “You may kiss the bride.”
Rodion, realizing how breathless I was, pulled me in, but instead of kissing me on the lips. He planted a small kiss on my forehead. His hand around my waist was strangely comforting, and the longer I stayed in his arms, the calmer I felt.
While the small crowd erupted into a heavy round of applause that filled the air, I stayed there in his arms, wondering how the same man responsible for my pain and anxiety seemed to also be the cure.
He didn’t offer any words of consolation or reassurance, but there was something about the way he held me that I hadn’t fully understood yet. I felt it for the first time, a strange kind of safety and peace in his arms.
How was that even possible?
Everything that had gone wrong in my life over the past few weeks was his fault. Yet in his arms, none of that mattered. Why?
The more I tried to make sense of it, the more I failed to understand it. The one thing that I understood perfectly well, though, was that my fate had been sealed for life now.
I was officially his wife—before God and before man. The minute we were pronounced husband and wife, I ceased to be Aria Bennett. In that moment, his last name was transferred to me, and I became Aria Tarasov.
This was a new chapter of my miserable life, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for it.