Page 150 of Kadra: The Unfeeling

Smiling, I nod. “I’ve never been more ready.”

“Bout damn time, jangmi.” Vernon’s face softens as he speaks in his native language, Korean. I know what ‘Jangmin’ means. Rose. He started calling me that right after I started my first chemo and hasn’t stopped since. “Let’s get you married to the lucky bastard then.” And that he does. The sweet melody sounds in the background as I take the first steps towards where my groom is waiting for me. The small gathering stands when they see me.

My eyes scan the small crowd to find The Nicolasi twins with their wives and their young children. Lucan and his wife, Andrea with their children as well and then my eyes fall to Riagan who has a small dog in his arms, his eyes come to me for a second before returning to his wife, Mila. Then there is Sebastian Kenton with my niece and nephew and his head of security who has Ella on his broad shoulders.

The sweet little girl waves enthusiastically when she sees me and my heart melts. I give her a small smile that has her grinning as if she just won something.

Then as if my soul felt his, my gaze found the most beautiful shade of gray. My favorite.

My heart thuds against my chest and my knees suddenly grow weak. I’m thankful that I have Vernon to hold onto and walk me down the path. I wasn’t sure my legs would carry me the distance between us with how I’m feeling right now.

But then Vitali flashes me a grin, and I see how that dimple softens his face, giving him a younger appearance. It’s deceiving since he looks like the prince of darkness dressed in a black tuxedo with tattoos on his face and on every visible part of his skin.

A vengeful fallen angel. That’s how I’d seen him at the cemetery, where I first met him. Today he looks like an angel of death. My angel of death. A dark angel who would slay all my enemies, and he would protect and love me.

Feeling eyes on me, my gaze leaves Vitali to find my sisters standing on his other side wearing matching black bridesmaids’ gowns. Arianna looks like old money with diamonds on her ears, neck, wrists and of course the huge rock on her ring finger that can be seen from space no doubt. You know what else can be seen from space? Her belly. She’s pregnant again and so very lovely. My chest equally aches and blooms with happiness as I think of the little life that will soon join the Kenton clan.

The sadness fades when my eyes turn to the brightest star in the sky, Mila. Just like Arianna she is wearing the black gown but instead of looking like old money royalty, she looks like an enchantress mermaid with her wild curls pinned back with a few pieces of hair falling around her face. Warmth spreads through my chest as I look at both of them with matching smiles as they witness this moment.

I thank whoever had a hand in getting us here. My life wouldn’t be this sweet if they weren’t here with me.

Smiling back at my sisters, I then look at the other man in my life that owns half of my heart. I mean, little man. My Azariel. My lips twitch when I see him standing next to his father as his best man dressed the same as Vitali with tiny stars drawn with black markers on the same spot as his father.

Azariel grins at me and my heart does a tiny flip in my chest.

I do the sign for I love you and his lips twitch as if he wants to smile but he doesn’t allow himself to do so in front of all these people. Then I noticed his eyes leave mine for a second to somewhere in the crowd. Turning my head, I follow his gaze towards where Valentino is holding a tiny girl with black hair and the most beautiful shy smile who instead of watching the ceremony she’s busy looking up at the sky. I wonder what’s so interesting up there and I bet my boy is wondering the same thing. Huh…what a sweet plot twist that would be.

The cellist plays another melody and I’m suddenly reminded that I’m minutes away from giving my forever to one of my two favorite people in this world, as I make my way to the end of the snow-covered path.

Roses start to fall above us showering us in red, a total contrast to the white all around us. It’s poetic really. I take the last step, standing taller as I did, meeting every eye in attendance, knowing that every single person here somehow had a hand in getting me here. All our stories are intertwined and this right here is where my story really starts. My forever.

Vitali takes the last steps to meet me, and with his arm around my waist he nods to Vernon and then leads me to the middle of the lighted up arbor where the officiant is waiting to begin the ceremony. The music stops playing, and she begins the ceremony. I didn’t hear much of what she said. I couldn’t stop looking at Vitali, and he seemed unable to take his gaze off me.

We both smiled through the whole ceremony like two sick in love fools and I couldn’t be happier.

I realized then how foolish it was to not dream because maybe if I did I wouldn’t have taken so long to get here but then that’s not how life works, is it? We had divine timing. There’s no doubt in my mind. Everything that happened needed to happen so we could all be here now. My Russian, my little heir, my men and my sisters with their own little families.

I had to die and rise from my ashes to be the person who now loves fiercely and protects her own with every breath in my lungs. I had to meet darkness to get to him because it had been in those darkest moments that his love had crept in and tethered us together, tighter than any chain could.

It had been in both our darkness that love had shone the brightest guiding us both home.

And as Vitali and I stood hand in hand, promising ourselves to each other, I knew this was exactly where I belonged, where we both belonged.

This is our day.

The day where our happily ever after starts.

* * *

Vitali

My wife.

Kadra Sofia Solonik sounds about fucking right.

She’s glowing with happiness and nothing has ever felt as right as this moment with my wife in my arms while we’re surrounded by everyone that means something to us. “You take my breath away, Moya dusha…” I take her hand in mine, bringing her closer to me.

Kadra’s cheeks turn pink. My kitten with sharp claws can be sweet too. “Likewise, my heart.” Her smile lights up her entire face, my heart freezes in my chest as I take her in. Most women walk down the aisle in white but not my Kadra. When she mentioned she wasn’t going to get married in white I expected her to choose a black dress or a red one. Instead, the woman managed to surprise me when she walked toward me in a skin-tight gold satin dress that molded to her body perfectly and made her look otherworldly with matching gloves and a winter coat. Her skin is glowing even in this cold weather and the dress’s color matches her eyes perfectly. Her hair has grown again almost to the length she had it before and it now falls down her back in soft waves and her makeup is minimal. She doesn’t need it. She looks like an angel dripping in gold. My angel. Fuck. She’s mine. It was a long road but we got here. I got everything I ever wanted. My son. My heart. Forever.

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