Rough Exile

“I know you are confused. I will explain everything later. Be yourself and pretend you’re happy, okay?” Eyes I would have expected to be pleading were hard and unyielding. Tonight, he wasn’t interested in placating me. Or was this part of the Bron disguise for his family?

Well, no matter what had happened in the other room, there was no fixing it right then.

I beamed at him, then remembered to tone it down for Russian consumption.

After my third glass of alcohol, I made my way down the hall to where a servant indicated there was a washroom.

I made use of the facilities, but everything had a weird, dreamlike feel to it. I checked my hair and makeup in the mirror, feeling different than I had when I left our room. Was that the face of a married woman? Did I have a husband?

I washed my hands, and when I opened the door, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me around the corner.

Alina?

“Stupid girl.” She gave my arm a shake.

“Excuse me?”

Her eyes were wild, but her blonde hair was impeccable above her improbably smooth face.

“You may be new and shiny in this family, but I’m the first daughter-in-law. Never forget that.”

She dropped my arm and stalked off, her designer pumps clicking in annoyance as she made her way back to the dining room.

I wanted to call her back to see if she would tell me whether I was married. Considering her outburst, I assumed I was.

I was married. To Ilya.

With my mind in a weird haze, I retraced my steps to the dining room and made my way to his side. His gaze was soft when he noticed me, but he shuttered that quickly.

Bron’s face was like stone. He lurked nearby, not speaking directly to either of us. It felt so unnatural to be in a place where Bron was supposed to be nothing to us, and he wasn’t swinging his dick and temper around to keep us in line.

We sat down to a nice dinner, complete with what sounded like rehearsed and insincere toasts. I kept a small, vague smile plastered on my face.

I was married, and my family wasn’t here. Lane wasn’t next to me, teasing me about being in love with a predator I’d met on the Island.

I was married, and I was in love with my husband.

I was married, but both of us were also in love with the man who, according to society, was nothing more than his tutor/bodyguard.

What the hell was I going to do?