Page 92 of Forced into a Bratva Marriage
She mirrored my grin, her eyes crinkling at the corners, arms around my neck.
“Even under pressure, you refused to break,” I said. “You refused to give me up. Why?”
She hesitated, her gaze never leaving mine. “I don’t know.” Her shoulders shrugged slightly. “Maybe because I knew you would do the same for me.”
Her words broke something inside me, in a good way. Without realizing it, I pulled her into my arms, and there she rested her head on my chest. She drew a long, deep breath, the kind you draw when you feel safe and secure.
We held on to each other so tightly our hearts beat as one.
This moment was worth savoring; we didn’t argue and didn’t disagree on anything. In fact, this was the first conversation we’d had that didn’t end up with us fighting or fucking.
We were more connected tonight than we’d ever been, and sex wasn’t even involved.
That’s when I confirmed what I’d always suspected. Whatever we shared was way beyond the physical.
Tonight had changed the trajectory of our lives for good. I could feel it in my bones.
The question was, were we ready for that?
Epilogue – Ellie
I sat on the chair beside her bed, the electrocardiogram beeping steadily on the other side. Agata’s hair spilled over the pillow beneath her, her chest rising and falling with slow breaths.
The hospital gown draped loosely over her body, her skin pale under the warm light. She lay there with her eyes closed, resting. The doctor said she was out of danger now, and with time, her wound would heal.
I’d been sitting here for the past two hours, watching her like a mother hen. I read a few pages of a romance novel to her, my voice low and even. She was in a deep sleep. Not a coma. So she might not really hear me at all.
Yet, I kept reading, hoping she’d wake up any moment now. The novel was about how love could be found even in the most unlikely of situations. It was basically a story ofBeauty and the Beast.
The book took me on a journey of self-discovery because the female lead reflected me. The only difference was thatherstory was fiction. Mine was real.
A once-shy and timid girl met a monster who taught her to be brave without holding her hand every step of the way. She feared him at first because he was hideous, with fangs, horns, and a face that terrified her to death.
However, with time, she learned that he wasn’t born a monster. He wasn’t always a terrifying beast. Life happened to him. It was a fantasy story that featured druids, witches, and warlocks. So there was a lot of magic involved.
Beneath all that fiction writing, though, was the sad reality of my life. The girl in the book fell in love with the monster that ruined people’s lives for fun. She learned to lookpast his exterior, and only then did she see him for what he truly was.
A broken soul.
The monster reminded me of Karik Tarasov. Cold. Ruthless. But underneath the surface was a man covered in scars. Scars that shaped his life and defined who he was.
I used to believe he was nothing but a demon from the pit of hell. Now I wasn’t so sure anymore. Was he truly a monster, or was he wearing a mask he had grown used to?
Monster or not, one thing was clear: He cared about me more than he would ever admit. The man had literally raised hell and turned the city upside down looking for me. He arrived in the nick of time like a knight in shining armor and saved the day.
He was a villain in many people’s stories. But in mine, even though he started out as a villain, he ended up a hero.
I owed him my life.
Just like the girl in the book, my perception of him was gradually changing. I could see right through him now. For the first time, it felt like I was beginning to truly understand him.
My mind went back to the way he pulled me into his arms last night. Karik held me so tightly as though I’d disappear if he let go. Those arms around me didn’t just feel possessive. They felt protective.
I’d never felt safer and more at peace.
Despite everything that happened, I was grateful to end up in his arms. In one piece. That near-death experience taught me a hard lesson, one I wasn’t going to forget in a hurry.
One minute you’re here. The next you’re gone.
