Our entwined, singing souls. Never to be apart, for we were one. The stars had aligned, and we were meant for each other since birth. It was fated. It was destiny. There are no accidental meetings between souls.
I give you my hand and my heart as a sanctuary of warmth and peace. I promise to be worthy of your love.
I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.
His sweet kisses. His lips making love to me. He had touched me where no one else could. In the deepest part of me, my wounded soul. I had been crying from inside, begging for someone to see and save me. Lyov saw and he took me away, far, far away into our castle, where he was King and he made me his beloved Queen.
I will respect, trust, help, and care for you; I will share my life with you; I will forgive you as we have been forgiven; and I will try with you better to understand ourselves, the world, and God; through the best and worst of what is to come, and as long as we live.
Lyov’s body on mine, pressing into me. Making sweet love. Our bodies tangled intimately. His breath as it breathed into me. Our wedding bands heavy on our fingers, with our hearts beating to the same beautiful rhythm.
For richer, for poorer. In joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live. To have and to hold from this day forward. Always and forever. There will never be another, for my Angel is the only one. This is my solemn vow.
There will never be another, for my Master is the only one. This is my solemn vow.
His love for me. My love for him. Our love. My heart only ever wanted one thing. My heart only ever had one thought. One need. Despite everything I could have, all my heart ever wanted was Lyov. A piece of him—a single cloth of his love, even it was ripped or used. But he gave me more than that. Lyov gave me all of him—every fragmented, dark piece of him.
I am now Maria Ivanshov.
You are mine.
I have always been yours.
Just like I am yours. Always will be. I belong to you, Angel.
Sometimes, I had felt like I didn’t belong, a lost soul. But then I would lay my head on Lyov’s chest, his heartbeat strong in my ears, and he would hold me tight. I would then breathe, a slow shuddering breath of realization—his embrace was my home.
Your heartbeat is so strong. I like it. It makes me feel…warm.
I remembered his whisper in my ears. I could hear it as if he were speaking it right now. I could almost feel his touch, his voice caressing my skin.
It’s yours, Angel. You are the first fucking woman to lay her head on my chest. I have held no other in my arms like this. So hold me close and hear my heartbeat. And let me feel yours in return.
It wasn’t his collar or his chain that kept me close to him. No, it was all in his gaze. The way Lyov looked at me, I had been bound to him in the most beautiful way. He had made me his with a single look.
It hurt. It hurt so much.
The agony was more than being made to crawl around with a collar around my neck, for the sadistic, ugly pleasure of men.
The thought of leaving my family behind—my Lyov, this pain…it came from the pit of my soul, the marrow of me.
It hurt knowing that our dreams would be shattered the moment Alfredo pulled the trigger.
This time, when our princess is born, I want to be the one to cut the umbilical cord. And I want to hold her first. Last time, you got to hold our son first.
I want to take you to see the world, Angel. Just me and you.
I want to kiss you at the sunrise. And I want to make love to you in front of the sunset.
It hurt even more because I had to break the promise I made to Lyov.
Angel, I didn’t realize I was alone until I met you. I had been missing a piece of me, I was somehow…empty in the inside, but I didn’t know.
Master, from now on…you will never be alone. I will always be here for you.
Promise?
Promise.
My dark, angry Prince Charming had come on his black horse. He had swept me up, saved me, and dragged me into his violent world, where I planted roses and made them bloom with every breath I took. It was a twisted fairy tale, with a beauty within the thorns.
My eyes clouded with tears, and I felt those droplets slide down my cheeks.
We will never end, Angel. Not even God can separate us. This…this is my vow to you. Right here and now.