~Editor's Pick~
Freya
All of my life I've been a burden. My father didn’t love me. Hated the way that I looked. Spent all of his time trying to convince me to change. Brothers who bullied me. And a mother I never knew.
Marrying Victor Abdulov is the only truth I know. But, a past I didn’t know about is going to get me killed. I hated my husband, until I fell in love with him. I never got to tell him, and now it is going to be too late.
Victor
I did not want a wife.
I did not want to fall in love.
I just wanted to be a Brigadier and serve Ivan Volkov. He had given me the chance to make shit right. But, my wife is so much more than I could have imagined, and I was a dick to her. I need to make it right. People are out to take her from me, and I am willing to follow her to the ends of the earth to keep her alive.
I didn’t want her, now I don’t think I can breathe without her. In vows, we always say, until death do we part, because we expect a lifetime together—not a love that ends before we know it.
My stomach growled again, just as Victor turned, holding the tray of food.
“Breakfast is ready.”
I’m not used to Victor being so … friendly. He seemed quite cheery and approachable. I didn’t know if I wanted him to yell at me, so I could convince myself that he is in fact the same person.
Following him to the dining room table, I saw a bowl and a plate set up for each of us, complete with a fork, spoon, and a butter knife.
“Have your pick,” he said.
All I wanted was to sip my coffee. “I’ll just have some coffee to start.”
He nodded his head, then reached out and started to fill his bowl to the top, and even dome it with fruit. Before he even started eating the fruit, he took a slice of toast, some jam, and spread it thickly, taking a bite.
For me, I had a sip of my coffee, and the milk wasn’t half bad. Was I seriously thinking in terms of the taste of milk, rather than the fact we had to come to a damn deserted island because people are going to kill me?
“What happens if they kill me?” I asked.
“They won’t.”
“But, I mean, if they do, does it just go away?”
Victor took another bite of his toast, and he looked at me a little sternly. I was not going to back down.
“If they kill you, then yes, in theory, it all goes away.”
“Can’t we just fake my death?”
Victor chuckled and I wasn’t sure if he was entertained or not.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because we can’t.”
I found that hard to believe.
Victor ate some more of his fruit, and my stomach rumbled so I reached for some to add to my bowl.
“If we attempted to fake your death, or if they even succeeded in killing you, there would be knock-on effects from it.”
This made me frown. “How? It’s not like I’m anyone important. I’m a complete and total nobody.”
“You’re now part of the Volkov Bratva. If anyone attempted to kill you or if they succeeded, it would show Ivan as weak.”
“How does it not show him being weak now?” I asked.
“Because, while we’re here, he is hunting down the ones who are willing to take the hit. There is going to come a point where people will realize to get to you risks death. Even if they kill you, Ivan will not stop until he kills everyone responsible. Your life is important,” Victor said. “There is no way anyone is going to get away with killing you.”
“Your life is important.”
Those words rang in my head. I couldn’t believe what he had said. Was this even real? It didn’t make any sense to me at all.
I felt a little sick. Tears filled my eyes. I’m not important. I had never been important. I’m the girl no one wants. I didn’t want Victor to see me cry.
“Excuse me.”
I don’t know if he detected the croak in my voice, but I don’t linger to speak to him. I just get to my feet and rush like crazy to get the hell out of there.
Taking a deep breath as I get outside. I exhale slowly. Then, I do the same all over again. I’m trying to stop the tears from falling, but today they are giving me some real trouble. All I want to do is sob. Only, I can’t just do it. The outside and the beauty that surrounds me is breathtaking.
I clench my hands into fists.
“Why are you crying?” Victor asked.
I spun around and sure enough, he is standing there.
How can he look so good now? I mean, I know my husband looked good, but back at our house, where he was dressed the role, he didn’t seem quite so handsome. Also, he was showing more concern in the past half hour than he had just the past month and a half of our marriage.
“I’m not important,” I said. “I’m nobody.”
He looked at me and then surprised me and took me into his arms. I had no idea what the hell was happening. Why was Victor hugging me? Why was I in his arms? It made absolutely no sense to me, and I tried not to freak out.
Only, I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my face against his chest. I held onto him, and I didn’t want to let him go.
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