Chapter five | Ekaterina
Every attempt at ruining this marriage failed,
And I can't help the disappointment that's settling at the bottom of my stomach no matter how hard I try to not let it affect me "hey." My mother's voice sobers me up.
"Hi." I reply softly, wanting to desperately run away more than ever, she stands behind me and I look at her in the mirror, adjusting my veil as she plants a kiss on my forehead.
"You look beautiful, Katrina." She mutters and wipes away her tears, I blink a couple of times before standing up and taking her in a hug.
"I'll be fine." I tell her exactly what she wants to hear even if it's far from the truth, "come on, I need to go." I murmur into her shoulder and pull away.
Leaving her behind with my father is one of the hardest decisions I've ever made in my life, even though it's not technically my decision.
"Your husband is waiting outside." She says and I swallow the knot forming in my throat as I take a last look at myself.
The makeup artist my mother brought made sure to make me appear older than I'm, way older, I look like I'm in my thirties.
Or maybe I'm just exaggerating, my long blonde hair is styled perfectly to fall in waves around my shoulders and maybe that's the only thing I'm content about.
"Ekaterina." A familiar raspy voice catches my attention and my heart beats wildly in my chest.
"I'm coming," I call out to my husband, walking away from the mirror and letting out a deep breath as my fingers find the handle of the door.
And for a moment, any words I had in mind disappear the moment my eyes meet his gray ones, and I can't help it as my eyes roam all over him, his black dark hair is perfectly styled on his head.
His beard is trimmed freshly giving his jaw an edger look, the contours of his cutting cheekbones, and piercing eyes.
His Adam's apple pops as he swallows, opening his mouth slightly before closing it again, "you look beautiful." He says releasing another breath.
I shrug my shoulder and give him a weak smile "so do you." I murmur as more sadness settles on my chest.
he smirks, "unfortunately." I add and he raises an amused brow as the hardness in his expression softens a little.
"I shouldn't see you before the wedding, hmm?" He says as he clutches my hand in his, guiding me somewhere,
he looks so fucking satisfied it burns my chest to see him this happy while here I'm, miserable and feeling like the whole world is falling apart.
But who am I even kidding? Of course, he's happy, everything is happening just like his plans, marrying me because of a deal he made with my father, moving back to New York and completing his life as if nothing happened.
I'm the one who's going away from her family, I'm the one who won't complete her studies even if I had a slight chance to convince my father,
then it's all gone now, I'm the one who'll be locked up in a house with a stranger, a man I just knew.
"yeah because we're in love and you're gonna cry the moment you see the love of your life, fuck this stupid tradition, let's not act as if it's a real marriage, Alexander," I reply to his earlier statement with the anger I failed to suppress.
His footsteps pause and he turns in my direction, his eyes harder than ever and his jaw ticking as he speaks his next words,
"you're the only one capable of making this marriage bearable or just pure hell, and in both cases, I couldn't care less about your choice, Ekaterina, so raise your chin up and stop being a brat, I'm trying to make this work for your sake, hell, I don't even know why I fucking care," he says quietly,
His eyes full of heat and maybe anger, I can't even read his face, because the words are spoken with pure calmness, which is psychotic.
"you just said that you couldn't care less, then you say that you're trying to make this work for me?" I ask as a bitter laugh slips out of my mouth.
If he's waiting for me to admit that he's right then he'll have to wait forever, cause I don't know from what aspect forcing a woman into a marriage she doesn't want is him being a decent human.
He narrows his eyes at me and takes another step forward, "I said that I don't care about your decisions, however, I never said that I don't care about you as a person.....trust me for some unknown reason, I do." He says, irritation clear in his voice.
I don't know why I'm surprised that he's annoyed by the fact that he maybe 'cares' for me, "we'll be late." I mutter, changing the topic and he looks like he wants to slice me in half for a moment.
"We'll have this conversation another time," he promises as he takes my hand in his and starts walking, I swallow down any thoughts I had in mind as the isle comes in view and I see the smile on my father's face as he waits for me.
There's no way out.
*:･ﾟ✧*:･
"Your pulse is going crazy, calm down, no one will kill you." The asshole mutters in my ears and I discreetly remove my hands from his but he just clutches it harder,
"Why are you checking my pulse in the first place, and yes, can't you see how scary everyone looks?" I mutter, my eyes frantically scanning the crowd,
Mafia weddings are a bit different if you ask me considering the amount of guns on each table.
"Hey." His voice pulls me away from my racing thoughts,
"no one is going to hurt you, alright? You're my wife, and I'm right here, I'm not leaving you anywhere, got it? You're safe." Even though his tone is anything but soft but for some reason I feel like his words are sincere.
So I just nod as I fidget my fingers when I see Alexander's mother coming in our direction, she pulls him into a hug almost immediately.
And when they pull apart her eyes shift to mine, and her soft expression vanishes, "I haven't seen you last time, I was sick so I couldn't come." She says and I force a smile even when my anxiety perks in.
"Yeah no problem, it's nice to see you," I mutter politely as I shake her hand, she doesn't return the gesture which causes flames to find their way up my cheeks as I awkwardly pull my hand away.
She continues eyeing me like I'm some fucking doll for her son, "mother." Alexander's voice pulls me away from my murderous thoughts and I shift my gaze to him.
Surprisingly I could say that he's glaring at his mother, "I'd appreciate it if you treated Ekaterina with kindness." He mutters in a softer tone but his words are still stern.
She clears her throat, "oh honey I didn't mean to, she's a lovely girl." She murmurs and smiles a little, a moment later she just leaves.
That bitch.
Is that an inappropriate thought? Considering that she's my husband's mother?
"I'm sorry about her, she's....harsh." He says raising a brow and i nod unable to stop the words from slipping out of my mouth, "sounds familiar?" I ask and he narrows his eyes.
"That mouth of yours needs to be watched, sweetheart, because it'll get you in trouble one day." He says in a lower tone.
Causing goosebumps to spread all over my skin, oh good lord I need to get a grip, I fucking hate this.
"My legs are hurting, when is this over?" I ask impatiently and he straightens, buttoning his suit, "whenever you want it to be." He says and takes my hand.
Surprise blooms inside my mind and a laugh slips out of me, "are you serious?" I ask raising a brow, "am I ever joking?" He deadpans but I don't miss the amusement in his eyes.
"You're right, you never joke, wow, we're running away from the wedding," I mutter excitedly as adrenaline rush through my blood.
"It's your wedding, so it's only fair that you get to decide when it ends." He mutters, shrugging his shoulders, I just smile.
And maybe it's the first genuine smile I've had in days.