Page 79 of The Bratva's Arranged Bride

There was a quiet defiance in her tense shoulders, almost like she was refusing to show more of the sadness she had already endured. Instead, she maintained that brave face, as if she didn’t want to spill tears in his memory.

I silently commended the way she maintained a composure I didn’t expect from her. Instead of filling the occasion with despair, she was honoring him in her own way.

Regardless of how she felt or chose to present herself, I remained by her, offering the occasional touch of my hand against her back.

I was always going to be there for her, and I wanted her to know that.

Where Tia’s refusal to cry came from a place of respect and gratitude, the same thing from her mother didn’t feel quite so caring.

Tia never spoke of her much, and the funeral was the first time I’d even met her, despite how brief the interaction had been. She never even offered her daughter a hug or any semblance of comfort since it began.

I knew their relationship was strained, but seeing them around each other and hardly acknowledging one another seemed to say it all.

In my mind, she was only there out of obligation, not because she genuinely cared or wanted to witness her husband’s burial.

Her eyes were distant and cold, and from what I could tell, that sense of detachment seemed ever-present.

I never knew my mother before everything happened, but if I had to endure that kind of woman like Tia had, I imagined I’d feel the same way.

It was hard to not notice the way she wore those sunglasses, yet didn’t shed a single tear.

It was obvious she had no love for her husband, and that thought made my chest tighten.

Unable to look at her for another moment, I focused my attention on the last portion of the burial.

I didn’t know the full extent of what Tia experienced as her daughter, but from what I could tell, she missed out on raising a wonderful woman who meant the world to me.Whatever she’d once felt for her husband, it had clearly died before he did.

The thought of Tia ever losing that kind of affection for me rattled me to a point where I couldn’t stand it.

I didn’t want that fate for us. I couldn’t let that happen.

Eventually, the service finished, and everyone dispersed on their own time, but Tia stayed where she was, and I lingered for her sake.

I didn’t want to rush her, so I didn’t say anything for some time. Given how it was her period of mourning, I wanted everything to be on her terms, regardless of what that meant.

A long silence stretched between us before Tia eventually sighed. “I know I should be upset. Maybe relieved, angry, or a bit guilty that I walked away from it while he didn’t…but I don’t know what to feel.”

“You have the right to feel every emotion right now…but you don’t need to understand it yet,” I said gently, offering her whatever I could. “Don’t rush to figure it out.”

Tia looked over at me with a touch of gratitude in her features despite the pain and confusion lingering there.

“It’s hard…I never had the close relationship I always wanted with my parents, and right when it seemed like I could have that with my dad, it was all taken away.”

Nodding, I couldn’t deny how that seemed to be the case. I could tell Andrey did regret the things he did, but beyond his sacrifice, he never had the chance to do more than that.

Carefully, I reached for her hand, feeling relieved when she didn’t pull away. “I know he would’ve wanted that, and I’m sure the fact that you were even open to that possibility would’ve meant the world to him.”

Tia let out a shaky breath at that, nearly allowing those emotions to slip out again. She nodded.

“You’re right…I just wish he could’ve felt more warmth in the end. Mom, she…she didn’t care.”

With my heart squeezing again, I pulled her closer by the hand and gently cupped her face while I took in her beautiful features, even while they carried the weight of her quiet grief.

“Then let's both make a promise here and now that we’ll never be like your parents,” I began, gently stroking her skin to let her feel just how serious I was. “What we have is real…and I don’t care what it takes, I will work as hard as I need to in order to maintain it. You are my wife, and I plan to make sure you know just how much that means to me every day. I nearly lost you once; I damn well won’t let it happen again. That’s my promise to you.”

At my words, Tia softened, and the hope gleaming in her eyes let me know that was exactly what she needed to hear.

Tears gathered in her eyes, and she nodded, leaning into my touch.

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