My loyalty was to him, and if he thought for a second it was swayed, he’d take Aurora away from me. That, I couldn’t allow.
Chapter Sixteen
Aurora
I hated weddings.
I’d hated my own wedding.
When I’d been the bride, I shouldn’t have been alone and yet, I had been. So alone. Always alone. At this wedding with Adelaide, I managed to still be alone. Slavik had been taken by Ivan and were currently at the table, talking. They appeared to be talking business, so I stood in the corner of the room, nursing a glass of water at Slavik’s insistence. He didn’t want me to get drunk. The champagne looked tempting. I couldn’t deny it, but I sipped at my water, being ignored.
Adelaide kept trying to come to me. Each time she did, Andrei was by her side, holding her close. Had Slavik told him how she struggled with this entire wedding?
No one had tried to calm her down, given her points to hope for. Bethany had taken a sick kind of pleasure in taunting her little sister, and it pissed me off. The dance floor had filled up, and as it did, Bethany took Andrei, giving Adelaide the chance to leave his side. She came to me and instantly wrapped her arms around me.
I wasn’t used to this.
“Thank you,” Adelaide said. “Would you stay? Live with me? We could run away together.”
I laughed, rubbing my good hand on her back in an effort to comfort her. “You’re going to be surprised. Andrei might be an amazing man.”
“Really? He swapped my sister for me. She was his first choice.” She pulled back and I saw tears in her eyes.
An answering ache bloomed in my chest. “My sister is normally the first choice, but my dad … you know what, you don’t need to know the details. I was given to Slavik and it has been good. He’s good to me.”
“I heard what happened,” Adelaide said. “How he didn’t kiss you at your wedding. Bethany … she said some pretty nasty things about you.”
“They’re not true, at least I hope not.” I shrugged.
“I like you,” Adelaide said. “I … I don’t have any friends. Bethany tends to…” She glanced at her sister. “She likes to take them, you know? She’s the most popular one. The person everyone likes. I’m just me.”
I took her hand. “I can’t stay here. I’ve got a life with Slavik, but you can call me anytime.”
Adelaide nodded and took a deep breath. “Bethany said Andrei beats his women. I’m … I don’t like pain, and I’m a virgin. I don’t think I could … I feel sick.”
I took Adelaide to the bathroom. She did indeed throw up. I pulled her hair back as she emptied out whatever was in her stomach.
I felt for this woman. Her life as she knew it was over. I had no idea about Andrei.
“I’ll be right back, honey.”
“Please, don’t leave.”
There was no way I could let her feel this way. “Trust me, okay.”
“Aurora.”
I let her go. There was only going to be one way to solve this.
Entering the main dance floor again, I saw Bethany all over Andrei. This wasn’t my business, but I wasn’t about to have another woman feel in any way like I did during a marriage.
I walked onto the dance floor and grabbed Andrei’s arm. “Can I have a word?”
He immediately let go of Bethany, who protested.
Without looking her way, I took Andrei off the dance floor toward the bathroom.
My hands were clammy now that I had him alone.
“Do you beat your women?” I asked.
The smile on Andrei’s face disappeared. “Does Slavik know what you’re doing?”
“Your wife is currently in the bathroom throwing up. Bethany has been whispering lies or truths into her ear, and I don’t know what they are. You can hate me, and to be honest, I don’t care. She’s petrified you’re going to hurt her, and this is all Bethany’s fault. All she is doing is following orders.”
Andrei looked toward the bathroom. “She should come to me.”
“Try being a young, virginal woman who has been swapped for her sister. I’m sure you’d go and tell your intended exactly how scared you are.” Sarcasm dripped from my tone.
His jaw clenched. “Thank you,” Andrei said.
I didn’t trust him.
He brushed past me and entered the bathroom. Had I just fucked up?
I stayed. Holding the bathroom door slightly open and listening.
They … talked.
Andrei asked her what Bethany had said and she answered. I heard his responses.
When they left the bathroom, I made sure to hide in the shadows.
Adelaide spotted me and gave me a smile. I followed them out, going to stand in my secluded section of the dance floor. Bethany approached me, and I tensed up, waiting for the impending fight.
“You think you’re so smart, don’t you?” Bethany asked.
“No. I think I’m kind and you’re cruel.”