Page 45 of The Bratva's Arranged Bride

All in all, I just felt different and very unlike myself, but I could only hope it would go away eventually.

The weight of everything had been heavy, and despite the two of us giving in to our attraction a few weeks prior, I still wasn’t ready to fully accept what the two of us were supposed to be to each other.

Legally, Val was my husband, and there was no denying how attracted to him I was. But even while knowing that, I still couldn’t trust him, and I certainly didn’t feel like his wife yet.

Everything seemed so…wrong, even if that moment shared between us felt more right than anything else.

Sitting on the couch with Bear resting his head in my lap, another faint twist of pain in my stomach made me clench. Putting a hand against it, I took several deep breaths and waited for it to pass.

I hated how normal that uneasiness started to feel, and I couldn’t stand how it continued to manifest within me.

But as it always did, the wave of discomfort passed, and I was left just as confused as ever.

Given how gross I felt, I had hoped to relax for the night without any potential issues with Val. I just wanted to turn in early with Bear between us and sleep off whatever was bothering me.

But of course, the door opened before long, and Val came in saying the words I didn’t want to hear.

“We’re going out tonight, just for a few hours,” he told me, sounding a bit more hopeful than usual while he untucked his shirt and started working the buttons undone as he moved towards the stairs. “Get ready.”

A pit of apprehension settled in my gut right beside that preexisting discomfort at the thought.

Getting ready sounded like a complete chore I didn’t want to be bothered with, but at the same time, I didn’t have the energy to cause a scene. And despite myself, I didn’t want to rock the boat.

With as much energy as I could muster, I eventually trudged upstairs and got dressed in something a bit more presentable than sweatpants and an oversized hoodie. While Val showered and got cleaned up, I fixed my hair and makeup, and before long, I was being whisked away.

The ride there was mostly quiet, but regardless of that fact, Val still seemed to be in a good mood, occasionally glancing in my direction.

Part of me wanted to question why we were going out, or where we were even going for that matter, but I didn’t want to talk. I just wanted to feel less gross.

Eventually, we pulled up to a swanky-looking building with a bright neon sign out front. It was nice, at least, with a sense of class that many of the other establishments nearby lacked.

“Take a good look,” Val said while the driver pulled up to the curb, wearing a hint of a proud smile. “This is the club…it opened just the other day.”

A touch of surprise moved through me at the realization, and I did as he said, looking through the window at the business he had mentioned to me a few times.

“This is what you’ve been working on?”

Val hummed and nodded. “The one and only. I figured we would test just how much you’re able to handle.”

That knowing grin as he called back to my previous claims—claims made when I didn’t feel quite so under the weather—made my chest tighten slightly.

It was both irritating and nerve-wracking for me.

At that moment, entering a strip club was the last thing I wanted.

But at the same time, I didn’t want to refuse him—not when I knew it would just lead to senseless bickering.

So, I pulled myself together and murmured, “Let's go, then.”

Val’s grin pulled at that, and without needing to be told twice, he nodded and got out.

While we headed for the building, the driver came along, staying several steps behind us while wearing a full suit. It wasn’t much of a surprise, but he seemed more like a guard than a chauffeur.

The moment we stepped inside, it was much more luxurious than I imagined.

He had money and a reasonable class of his own, but I didn’t anticipate the amount of care that had gone into the place. Not when many others in the city were seedy and less than ideal. The interior was clean, sleek and modern, and everything about the decor screamed high class.

It was clearly a place of indulgence, and while the music gave away the intentions behind the place, along with the dancers on stage, the lights made it all feel warm and inviting.

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