Jonathan The moment I opened the bedroom door something came at me. I ducked in time to miss the water bottle from hitting me in the face as it hit the half opened door and dropped down on the floor. Brows drawn I looked down at the item and when I looked up she was in my face. “Who the fuck do you think you are!” She gritted out as she pressed her palms on my chest and pushed me back. And when I didn’t back away like she had expected, she curled those delicate fingers into fists and hit me with them. A throat cleared behind me, I turned my head slightly to find Lachlan and Jasper looking at me and then at the woman who was hitting me with their eyes wide open and brows arched up on their foreheads. I slammed the door in their faces and curled my fingers around her wrists as I turned us around and slammed her back agai
MilaI had been cooped in that room for hours and the only interaction I’d had was with Mrs Gracia who had come up with a tray of snacks and encouraged me to eat but I had been too tense to even think about food. The thought of eating anything had made me feel sick. But I had thanked the kind lady nonetheless and had told her I would eat when I'd feel like it. I hadn’t touched anything on that tray as I had been too busy pacing the room, worrying where Jonathan was and what was taking him so long to come to me.I had guessed that it was Jonathan’s old room courtesy of the picturesof him with his brother on the mantle above the fireplace and another with him and an old man in front of a winery. But what I hadn’t known was why the hell I was here. And that particular question had been driving me crazy.
Mila The wedding day should be the best day of any woman’s life, but for me it has been nothing but something forced upon me that has turned it into the worst day of my life. This is the second time I was being prepared to be a bride. And this time too I’d prefer to run away rather than attend my own wedding. “Would you like us to pin your hair up?” One of the girls asked, I think her name is Jean. I shrugged as another silent tear escaped my eye. Good, I was pathetic. I was an emotional wreck and there was no hiding it. Jonathan had promised me that he would take care of my brother before escorting me back to this room where the two girls were waiting to do the magic and turn me into a good looking bride. I wonder if they could do tricks to my aching heart too. A tissue appeared in front of me and I dutifully took it as I wi
Mila The girls came back right away after Jonathan left and Jean fussed over my smeared kohl as she tried to wipe it and do the under eyes again. Mira came to me with a dress in her hand. “Shall we?” She asked. I nodded and stood up, untying the robe I was wearing. Ten minutes later the dress was glued to my skin as Jean pulled the laces tight over the corset I was fitted into. Mira clapped her hands. “Prevoskhodno!” Excellent! She said with a big smile on her face, at least someone was happy because I wasn't. She held out four inch silver heels and then proceeded to sit on the floor as she helped me into them. “You look very beautiful, Miss.” Jean said as she finally stepped back after pulling all my hair back from my shoulders, she had decided to straighten them instead of putting it up together in an updo.
Jonathan“What the hell was that for?” My best friend demanded as I flexed my fingers after punching him.“You know.” I gritted out, feeling myself getting more worked up as I thought about it.He laughed, the sound cold and bitter. “This is about her brother, isn’t it?” I remained silent. He wiped the blood trickling from the side of his mouth as he said, “I did what I had to do. What you weren’t doing.”“And what would that be?” I didn’t wait for his answer as I said, “Going against my wishes.”He shrugged. “You told me he must look like a part.”“But I didn’t say to hurt him.” The sight of Dante had surprised even me. I had specifically told not to hurt
Mila I tuned out the ceremony with every word from the Priest's mouth. I felt going far away from the present until Jonathan’s words pulled me out of my daze when he said in his deep voice filling me with surprise. “I wrote my own vows.” Gazing up, I met his grey eyes as he pulled me closer, holding the fingers of both my hands in his, his thumbs making small circles at the back of my hands. I felt a tremor run through me as he started speaking, “Io, Jonathan Byrne Sokolov, giuro di proteggerti, Carmella Sicilian, per il resto della mia vita.” I, Jonathan Byrne Sokolov, vow to protect you, Carmella Sicilian, for the rest of my life. I stared at him as the Italian words registered in my mind. My mind spun and my heart beat double it’s rhythm. “Giuro che ti amerò sempre, ti amerò e ti metterò al di sopra di ogni altra cosa..” I vow I will always
JonathanI watched as her eyes rolled back in her head and she crumpled down. Before she could hit the floor I caught her and gathered her in my arms, securing her soft body against mine. I picked her up, ignoring that Lachlan and Jasper were currently disarming her father and dragging him away as I had asked them to. Her brother however didn’t care about his father, instead he came forward with a scowl on his face as he demanded, “What happened to her?”“She fainted.” I said, feeling his eyes glaring at me. Although he was younger than Mila, his eyes were a carbon copy of hers as he glared at me. “What?” I gritted out, not liking the way he was looking at me like I was responsible for her unconsciousness.“She shouldn’t have ever met you.” He announced. I didn’t say anything as I stepped down from th
MilaI watched as his grey eyes hardened and he looked furious. Good. I was too. And I wasn’t just furious, I was heartbroken. I was tired. I was sad. I hated the man I loved. And all I wanted right now was to curl up on the floor and give up even as my body wanted to step further and hide into his chest.He stood up and closed the distance between us as he said, “I didn’t marry you just because of our family’s rivalry. I married you because I love you. I married you because I wanted to keep you safe. I married you to keep your brother safe because he is important to you.”I swallowed the rush of tears and suppressed the way my heart soaked up his words, and looked away from him. I said, “It doesn’t matter. You knew….” I took a shaky breath as I continued, “You knew that this was going to happen and you di
Epilogue II Four years later… Jonathan “What are you doing?” I questioned as my wife entered my home office and closed the door behind her. I was still angry at her for going out during the curfew with her friends but this woman wasn’t someone you could stay mad at. In the four years since we have been together I could write a book on the things she had made me angry for and on the other hand I can count it on three fingers for the times I had managed to keep up my anger and hold back from her for more than an hour. But yesterday was one of those few days which sent me to a point of no return. I glared at her as once again the cold fear gritted me when I had re
Epilogue Seven months later… Capetown Mila I slid out of the bed, my hand going to my protruding belly where our son was currently playing football with my bladder. I patted softly as I muttered, “Stop it, little cub, mama is awake.” I looked across the room at the small digital clock and realized that it was four in the morning. Even before I woke up I knew Jonathan wasn't in the bed with me. In the last few months he had focused on me and in expanding his wine business as much as h
MilaI married into a family of lunatics, I just prayed and hoped to god that this lunacy doesn’t affect my baby.The moment Jasper walked inside the door I knew something was wrong and he confirmed it when he said that he was taking me to the airport. Why? Because my husband wanted me safe which includes keeping me away from him and sending me to a corner of the world where no one could find me. I was all for it until I had something to lose. And for me that was Jonathan and for my baby it’s father.So like a nice human being, I kindly asked Jasper to take me back to my husband but very unkindly he repeated my husband’s words to me, “I am sorry, Mrs Sokolov but he also said, ‘If she doesn’t obey, drug her’ and I really do not want to do it.”Because I am a really good p
JonathanWhen I reached upstairs I found my brother standing in his bedroom. He asked without facing me, “Why did you keep all of this?”Emotions clogged my throat as I thought about all the years I spent cursing our fate. Wishing that it had been me instead of him. Praying that he would come back. And now looking at him, I couldn’t form words. Without saying anything, I closed the distance between us and hugged him from behind.There was a moment where he stood still and I doubted that he even breathed, before he turned around and hugged me properly. “I couldn’t seal it all away. I missed you every single day for twelve years, Jeremy. And I can’t explain it in words how happy I am that you are here.”He patted my back and when we parted I watched him blinking away his tears
JonathanThe funeral was a big fanfare. Not because all those people who attended my father’s funeral were his friends or respected him, only because they were showing their loyalty to the Sokolov family to not have any repercussions. The ruling family of the Russian mafia. And even then most of them weren’t here to bid goodbye to my dead father, no, they were here to see the man who had come back from the dead.They were here to speculate and show their surprise and their sympathy. Sympathy on how a father who mourned his son to his last breath didn’t get to see him alive. They blamed it on fate. But I say it was Karma. They were here to wonder how a man like Gerard Sokolov could die in his sleep. Because they didn’t know that he was killed, murdered by his own daughter in law.“Knyaz.”
JeremiahI stood at the threshold of the room that was kept as a souvenir where I lost a part of me. A part that makes me hate my own reflection and a part that made me fill with deep seated bitterness that refused to leave me. Because of which now I could no longer look at my own reflection without feeling rage and disgust at what I see and when I see it only feel the need to cause mayhem.From what I had heard, my father kept it as a reminder to get revenge from the man who was responsible for his loss of a wife and his heir.But me... seeing this, all I wanted to do was to alight it once again so that I wouldn’t have to recall the heat I had felt, the blow to my head, the sender of betrayal that had consumed me, the blood that had seeped out of my mother from the bullet between her chest. Like me, she hadn’t expected that.
Mila I barged through the circle of men, pushing them aside, ignoring their curses and warnings. My feet came to a sudden halt and my stomach recoiled at what I saw. My husband was on his knees with his hands tied behind his back, with bruises marring his beautiful face. This beautiful, god like man was here, in this position because of me. For me. His stormy grey eyes darkened as they fell on me. “What the fuck are you doing here?” He gritted out from the corner of his mouth that was bleeding along with a gash near his eyebrow. “Jona—” Rough hands grabbed me from either side, held my arms in tight grip as they pulled me back, imprisoning me. “Don't touch her.” Jonathan growled. Then his head snapped to the side and he said, “I broke the rule. I killed my father, leave her out of this.” I was trying
MilaI turned toJasper as Jonathan stepped out of the car, making my stomach squeeze painfully in dread. “What is he doing?” Instead of answering me, Jasper pulled the car from the curb and started to drive, his jaw clenching and unclenching as his fingers tightened on the steering wheel.“Oh... No...”I turned around at the horrified gasp from Sia. With my knees on the passenger seat I put my hand on the leather seat and turned around to look out through the rear window just in time to see how a group of men holding assault rifles circled around my husband and one of them punched him hard in the stomach.“Stop the fucking car!” I yelled at Jasper and tried to pull at his arm. My heart was screaming to get my husband back by my side.He easily shrugged
Jonathan My brave, beautiful and stupid wife. God, how I wished to kiss her and throttle her at the same time. “Jasper, remember what I told you yesterday morning,” I said to Jasper, meeting his eyes in the rear-view mirror. He nodded silently. My wife was right, he would listen to her and do everything she says. But not if it meant putting her in harm's way and this new running away mission she was on would definitely get her killed and everyone in this car. “What?” Mila demanded. “What did you say to him?” When I didn’t give her an answer she turned to Jasper. “What did he tell you to do?” Jasper too remained silent but of course, my little mouse wasn’t one to stay quiet. If she wanted something she would get it done just like she made a fool of myself just so she could get on with her fanci