Page 15 of Vitaly

“Not her. Jesus Christ, look at her.” I catch him waving his hand at me and feel like it reached my face somehow, a slap across my cheek.

“No,” he says one last time before turning and storming from the room, his father going after him.

I know what’s coming before the sound of their footsteps ceases.

“You useless fucking whore,” my father growls, his anger bubbling over. He grips my shoulder and jerks me around just to slam the back of his hand across my face, sending me to the floor.

The taste of blood sits on my tongue as my lip swells. The pain is nothing. It’s nothing but a butterfly kiss on the cheek in comparison to Vitaly’s cruel words, his gaze.

Not her. Jesus Christ, look at her.

Papa’s belt rattles as he removes it. I close my eyes and brace for the pain to come, knowing it’s only an appetizer. Ataste.

I promised Mama I wouldn’t cry.

So when the first tear slips, I mourn the loss of my word, my pride, my dignity, my purity, myvalue.

I’ve spent my life—short as it may be—training to become worthy of a man like Vitaly. In a thirty-second assessment, he managed to make it all for nothing. To tear away everything I’ve ever been. Everything myfamily’sever been.

My identity, gone.

By the time the beating stops, I’m unable to stand. Papa leaves me on the floor, disappearing with Vitaly’s father to discuss what’s to be done about me. What gutter to throw me into. Maybe they’ll just kill me.

I let myself wail, let myself be weak in a way I’ve never been allowed. I’m ashamed of it. Ashamed to the point I wonder if maybe Iwishthey’d just kill me.

But no. I may never be a Petrov, but I am an Alekseev.

Alekseevs are not weak. We do not die without honor.

We do not quit.

My lip trembling, I push onto my knees, one final tear slipping onto my bloodied, white dress.

I make a promise to myself this time instead of Mama. One so sacred even a monster like Vitaly will not be able to make me break it. I will never give up. I will never stop fighting to fulfill my destiny, no matter how many suitors I have to meet. And most importantly…

No matter what happens, these tears will be my last.

5

VITALY

The girl,woman, shudders as she takes a step back, my name on her lips nothing but a fearful whisper.

Last night, watching her shove a knife into the neck of a man while putting up a respectable fight against the rest, I found it hard to believe she was truly that young girl I met years ago.

Now, she pulls her mask off, showing me the same youthful fear in her eyes I remember.

She’s brave. She’s even beautifully strong.

But she’s still just a woman.

“It’s all right, Mila,” I say, turning my body to face her fully. “You’re safe now.”

Her chest heaves dramatically with her breathing, her face white like she’s looking at a ghost. But as my words seem to register, her face pinches. “What?”

I take a step her way then hold up my hands, pausing as she flinches into a fighting stance, her fists lifting in front of her.

I point to the small kitchen behind her. “On the counter is a passport for you along with ten thousand dollars in cash. It’s all I could get right now. I’m sorry, my resources are limited.But, Mila, you never have to go back to the Petrov house again… You’re free.”

---