Page 149 of Kadra: The Unfeeling

“What are you doing?” I whisper in awe.

Vitali’s grin is contagious. “Asking you to spend the rest of your life with us.”

Azariel’s grin turns into a full-blown smile.

I look at my boys, and tears spill from my eyes. “What do you say, Moya dusha? Will you give us forever?”

“Say yes.” Azariel whispers, looking almost shy but his smile tells me he’s more than happy about me accepting his father’s proposal.

“Forever and so much more, my Russian.” I rush toward him and throw myself into his arms, laughing as I shower his face in kisses.

I lean back when he takes my hand and watch, holding my breath, as he slides a gorgeous red diamond ring with one large diamond and two smaller ones up against it onto my finger. I stare at the ring then look at my boys. “Until the sun dies?” Vitali whispers against my lips.

“Until the sun dies…” I promise. Because forever with this man is not long enough.

It will never be long enough.

And there is no way in hell I was giving Vitali up. He was mine, and I was his, and it was just that simple.

KADRA

EPILOGUE ONE

Growing up I was never the girl who’d make scenarios in her head about her wedding and the prince she one day married. I didn’t daydream about what type of dress I would wear as I walked down the aisle to the man I would give my forever to. That was just something I never did. Instead, I imagined my sisters’ wedding days and how lovely they would both look dressed in all white while happiness shone brightly in their eyes.

Never would I have imagined that day would come for me but fate had other plans. So, when both Vitali and Azariel asked me to be theirs forever it felt like a distant dream. Even now months later, as I walk down the snow-covered path that leads me to the man I am going to marry. The man I love more than life itself, I think about how lucky I am that our stars aligned and the beautiful dream became my sweet reality. I think about how both my Russian and I had been through hell more than once and walked out on top of both our worlds every time.

We fit perfectly, Vitali and me. It is almost as though we were the remaining pieces that made each other whole. As if we were exactly what the other needed to get through life. And when we met it was as if we filled our empty spaces and everything was complete as if it had never been empty at all.

When I was a little girl, just like I didn’t daydream about my wedding day, I also didn’t believe in fairy tales. Not the ones in children’s books at least. I believed in the real ones. The ones most people are scared to even think about, too afraid it might be their reality. The sad tales were not everyone gets to meet their prince in shining armor or get their happily ever after. I learned when I was too young how ugly life could be, and that darkness I grew up surrounded by made it impossible for me to believe people find the type of happiness we see in movies and books. But then I met this man in a dark and lonely cemetery and I started little by little to believe in love and how magical it can be.

And even when I was young and didn’t believe in fairytales and happily ever after, I felt fascinated by the villain in the story, never the prince.

Ironic that years later, I am being walked down the aisle by my most loyal man toward my villain, my prince, and my beast. Somehow, Vitali was all of them to me and I was his dark queen. We’re not your typical charming prince and sweet and naive princess.

We’re…perfectly us.

That’s how I would explain our wedding day.

Vitali and I chose to tie our lives together in a small gathering on this cold December Christmas Eve in one of his family’s hotels here in New York. The garden was transformed into a wicked winter wonderland theme by both my sisters.

I had little to do with the wedding, my sisters did almost everything except choose my dress. I agreed to let them plan the wedding and choose all the details because it seemed like such a hassle and something I was not willing to go through. I don’t care much about the wedding. I just want the marriage. The life. Our love.

As I stand next to Vernon at the entrance of the garden— where my sister’s wedding planner added white Christmas lights, the same as the ones on the arbor that is covered in white and red roses where we will wed— I can’t help but want to run towards where Vitali is waiting for me so we can start our new adventure together.

I had my doubts about a winter wedding because of the weather but it turned out to be the perfect weather for us. Cold weather and a darkened sky just like the day we first met.

Winter Wonderland is breathtaking.

Even though it was cold, I’m wearing a satin gold dress that fits me like a second skin with matching gloves and cozy fur to keep warm as I walk down the snow-covered path, clutching roses so red they almost appeared black.

My brown hair falls down my back in loose waves per my Russian’s request. He said something about loving how he loves my hair down.

The golden tiara in my hair was his idea as well.

My heart pounds as the cellist starts to play his version of ’Just Us’ by James Arthur. Greta, my sometimes-moody cat, strolls past wearing a tiny white coat and enjoying every single second of the attention she’s getting from the small crowd.

“You ready?” Vernon’s gruff voice snaps me out of my head and makes me look up at him. He looks handsome in his black velvet tuxedo that matches Crow and Grim.

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