Page 21 of Plus-Size Bride Forced By the Bratva
Lev never left my side at the head of the table. He laughed at their jokes and responded to their questions like a very reasonable man.
What a devil!
He’d hold my hand, squeeze tightly against my fingers, and flash a spooky grin at me each time my mask of “happy bride” was starting to slip. That thing on his lips wasn’t a smile. It wasn’t a reminder either. It was a warning. And despite myself, I’d put the mask back on.
He’d just done that again, a few seconds ago, and his grip on my fingers was tighter than before. Beneath the table, I forced my hand out of his hold while still retaining my smile, fake as plastic.
My fingers hurt from the firmness of his grip. When I looked in his direction, the flare in my eyes was a stark contrast to the grin on my lips. He could tell that I was pissed, but neither of us broke character.
“Would you look at that,” a deep, husky voice cut through my thoughts, almost startling me. “The couple is staring into each other’s eyes with compassion.”
The guests at the table laughed, the ladies blushing, their manicured hands resting on their chests.
I would gladly trade places with any of those girls ignorantly smiling and thinking that I was the luckiest woman in the world. They had no idea.
“My husband has such amazing eyes,” I began, my lips curling into a broader grin, eyes shifting across as many guests as possible. “Sometimes, I just can’t help staring at him, thinking,How did I end up with this man?”
Again, they laughed, unaware of the irony in what I said.
Lev reached for my hand on the table and chipped in, “Staring at each other is like a thing we do.” His voice was calm and gentle. “The eyes, they say, are the windows to the soul. AndI, personally, am intrigued by the idea of looking into someone’s soul.” He paused, then tapped my hand. “Especially one as beautiful as my wife’s.”
Those gullible people laughed again. And the ignorant girls were busy making the “Awww” sound, saying he was so sweet and romantic.
Sweet and romantic?
Excuse me, girls, would you like to take my place as his wife? ’Cause I’ll be more than thrilled to pass him over to you,I thought to myself, wondering why nobody at this table could see past his lies and fake smiles.
He was a horrible person, and horrible people weren’t sweet and romantic. What the fuck was wrong with everyone?!
Now, their ignorance was just starting to piss me off.
As the laughter died down, another man spoke, his deep voice commanding attention. “You’ve found a wife, brother.”
I turned toward the speaker sitting across from us; everyone else did as well. The man had been quiet the entire time, and throughout the whole reception, he had barely said a word. It was him, Nikolai Tarasov—Lev’s favorite cousin. I remembered him because Lev had introduced me to him earlier that night, when the night was still young.
Nikolai, from what I gathered, was the calm before the storm. He spoke less and listened more—based on my observations from how he carried himself tonight.
The man was nearly six feet tall with a physique that looked like he was built for war. His short, dark hair was slightly tousled, and his icy gray eyes were so intense they could silence a whole room. The jagged scar running along his jawline emphasized his ruggedness, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he might be even worse than Lev.
Lev was the devil I knew. Nikolai was the devil I didn’t know. And his gaze scared the hell out of me.
Nik glanced at me, then shifted his gaze to Lev and continued, “I hope you also find the happiness you deserve.”
The happiness he deserved? Were these people high on something? Because what the fuck was that supposed to mean?
Lev and his kind deserved suffering and agony, not a happily-ever-after.
“To the newlyweds!” Nikolai raised his glass.
“To the newlyweds!” the others echoed, glasses in the air.
As I sat there among these people, I couldn’t help thinking this was just the first step into something darker than I could imagine.
Was I ready for what was coming? How long would I keep this up—this pretense?
One thing I was certain of, though, was that this was only the beginning oftogether forever. And it was scary as hell.
Chapter 10 —Lev
