Page 10 of Mafia Christmas Vows

That sounds somewhat ominous. But, it could be just the usual Elena murmurings. She’s a little dramatic, which I’ve learned since arriving here.

I brush it off and head out along the long trek back to my room.

I’ll probably call my mom when I get there. We’ve talked every day since I got to Orlov House, and I’m beginning to think that things are actually going to be… okay.

As long as your asshole husband doesn’t show up to ruin it.

Hmm. Maybe I don’t want him to come from wherever he is. I don’t think we’ve gotten married yet, but I actually don’t know. Can you marry someone in Russia without them being present?

What if I never meet him?

What if my whole life is this house, and Elena, and…

I pause.

I’m so lost in my thoughts, I realize something very important.

I have no idea where I am.

Nor do I remember any of Elena’s instructions.

Shit.

I spin around. The hallways of the house are beautiful, just like everything here. It’s honestly something out of a movie; every detail is meticulously made, every single component of the walls are perfectly placed. Even the little bits of wood around the door frame look dressy, and if you get closer, you can see a tiny carved pattern of leaves, like someone etched vines into the wood.

It's all stunning.

“Get a grip, Mags,” I murmur. “She said left down this hall, right down the next? Or right down this hall?”

My words are small in the empty space.

Shit.

Aimlessly, I push a door open.

When it creaks, I peer inside.

Oh wow.

It’s another stunning room. This one, though, has a ton of furniture that’s covered up by draped cloth. It’s dusty; people haven’t been in here for a while. However, the room’s status is less important to me, because there’s another stunning feature.

The windows.

Entranced, I pad across the soft rugs, drawn to the windows.

When I get there, I press my fingertips lightly against them. They’re huge. Floor-to-ceiling, a massive panel of glass that had to have cost a ransom when they were installed back in the day.

Heck, they’d cost a lot today.

My breath fogs against the glass. You can see all of the grounds of the house from here. Everything is covered in a light dusting of snow, which is slowly drifting down from the grey sky, but the overall impression is…

“Stunning,” I breathe.

The view is so beautiful, I don’t notice when someone else enters the room.

A harsh voice rings out, and I jump, turning quickly.

“Who the fuck let you in here?” I hear.

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