Page 61 of Knocked-up Bratva Bride
“Damien, why are you doing this?” She wiped her eyes, but more streams flowed. “Why me?”
“You’re carrying my child, sweetheart. Not just anyone gets these kinds of privileges. Understand that.”
“And Katya? When she wakes up, because she certainly will, what do you think she’ll say?”
I was done having this conversation. It was clear Elena hadn’t fully graspedwhoshe was dealing with.
My daughter was precious to me, but she’d never influenced the life decisions I made, and that wasn’t going to start now.
Pushing my chair back, I rose to my feet and walked around the desk to stand in front of her. I tipped her chin up, making sure she saw just how serious I was when I said, “She certainly will wake up, and when she does, she will have no choice but to accept it.”
Chapter 20 – Elena
The white tulip bouquet in my hand had to be the most extravagant thing about this wedding. They looked well-watered and happy to be here—happy to be anywhere,in fact.
I wanted to steal some of that bloom and natural glow. I wished I didn’t have to use makeup to hide the dark circles under my puffy eyes from sleepless nights and crying so much.
I wished I didn’t have to wave to my Nana and Jasper seated in the front row with a smile to convince them that I wasn’t marrying this“stranger from Moscow”under duress.
Those were Nana’s words when I told her I was getting married to a man I met two months ago.
“Elena, I’ve heard stories like this before. Are you one hundred percent sure about the stranger from Moscow? Did you do your ground research? He could be anything, you know: an assassin, a crime lord, a fraud.”
“I did, Nana. He’s clean, and we love each other. Plus, he’s also rich, so that’s a bonus. We’ll be well taken care of.”
“Elena….”
“I’m fine, Nana. You worry too much.”
Nana didn’t look convinced, and Jasper wasn’t entirely comfortable with me getting married to an older man.
But I hugged them and kissed their cheeks, though deep down, my heart shattered into a million pieces.
They smiled, though half-heartedly, and waved back with tears shimmering in their eyes.
Now, they looked beautiful. Jasper looked extremely handsome and adorable in a black suit, which made him look older than thirteen, and Nana styled her silver hair and wore a velvet emerald dress. At least, they’d made an effort to dress their best, but my heart clenched because I knew they’d tried too hard for something that was a farce.
I quickly blinked my tears away. I had to strengthen my resolve. This wedding was not only about me, but also about them. Damien was going to use his power, wealth, and influence to take care of them and my mother, and I knew he wasn’t bluffing when he said that—I had seen Katya’s comfortable life firsthand.
For now, that was more than enough for me to go through with this wedding.
The field stretched wide and open behind the mansion, golden with the soft burn of late afternoon sunlight.
The air was warm and quiet. Days before today, I had hoped it would rain. Then, we would have had to postpone the wedding. Or Damien might have just found another way to make sure we went through with it inside the house.
Someone had done their best to dress the space with care. There was a narrow aisle of white rose petals, a wooden arch draped in soft cream fabric that fluttered in the breeze, and folding chairs lined in neat rows, barely two dozen of them.
Fairy lights twisted around the trunks of nearby trees, promising a twinkle for when the sun set. It was beautiful in its simplicity. Just bare and honest.
Nothing like the weddings I used to dream of.
Back then, I imagined cathedrals and chandeliers, orchestras swelling as I walked down marble floors in a gown that shimmered like frost.
I’d seen too many things on the internet that fueled my desires.
Now, I stood in the grass, the hem of my silk dress brushing my ankles and low heels. It was ivory, plain, and elegant, with thin straps, a deep back, and fabric that clung to me. I hadn’t even worn a veil.
And I wasn’t sure why I’d made that choice, but my husband-to-be didn’t seem to care, so I didn’t give it much thought.
