Page 14 of Beautiful Beast

“So?”

For a moment, I thought I could escape. I let myself dream it. Believe it.

But this is my reality—my father’s hand on my face and my impending doom.

Nadia doesn’t deserve this fate.

So, I have to take it for her.

“Fine,” I grit out. “I’ll marry him. I won’t put up a fight.”

“Of course, you won’t. You’re not going to leave this house once until the wedding. So, buckle up, Anya. You’re going to marry Erik in a couple of days. And I only want to see a smile on your face.”

He finally lets me go, and I stumble backward. My father and I stare each other down for a moment before he huffs and storms out of his office. He always storms everywhere in fits of anger. Nadia will be left alone with him while I’m married to the boogeyman.

I’m not sure how either of us will survive.

The wedding day comes way too soon.

A couple of days are long when you’re forced to spend them inside your room with nothing to do but think about your future.

In a way, I’m grateful I finally get to leave, but I don’t think my life will get any better.

The wedding dress I chose hangs on the outside of my door. Well, at least I get to wear the dress I liked. That’s the only saving grace in this entire thing.

Our housekeeper, Carmen, helps me get dressed and does my hair.

“You look so beautiful,” she tells me once we’re done.

I gaze at myself in the mirror. My red hair is around my shoulders in soft curls. My makeup is soft and minimal. And my dress looks perfect on me.

The perfect bride for my husband. My scary, evil husband whom I’ve never even met.

Carmen walks me out to my father, who’s waiting by the front door with George and another of our guards, Daniel. Nadia is beside him, looking terrified.

“Doesn’t she look beautiful?” Carmen asks.

My father only sneers. “Let’s go.”

I force my feet to follow him out the door, and the moment I’m in the car, I know there’s no turning back now.

The wedding is held in an old, gothic cathedral. I’m already shivering before I even step inside.

I sneak a peek into the nave where a large group of people sit. “How many people did you invite?”

“All of my men and their wives. Erik invited many of his contacts as well. This is a union to bring two families and business together. This needs to be a spectacle, Anya. So, don’t fucking ruin it for me.”

Nadia is already inside, seated at a pew in the front row. We weren’t even allowed to talk to each other on the ride here.

Father grabs my hand roughly and shoves it into the crook of his arm. Music swells, and the doors open all the way, revealing the full spectacle of the church and all the people inside.

But none of that catches my attention.

What catches my attention is the man standing at the end of the aisle. The one in a blue navy suit. The one with a piercing gaze and dark eyes and a mischievous smirk. The one standing next to the priest.

The man who’s clearly Erik Koslov.

My body goes rigid at the sight of him.

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