Page 1 of Tainted Promise

1

VANNA

“Hold still,”mytetyaLouisa griped, pulling the strings on my corset tight enough to make me wonder if it was her way to stop me from running away. If I couldn’t breathe, I wouldn’t get very far.

I took shallow breaths, knowing running was out of the question no matter how much she tightened the strings.

Not that I would ever consider going against my father’s wishes.

Waving a hand in front of my face to get more air, I took a wheezing breath in, wrinkling my nose at the floral scent engulfing the room.

Why are there so many flowers everywhere?

The sickly-sweet smell filled the dressing room, not helping my current state. I was one inhale away from throwing up.

My hands trembled, and I wasn’t sure if my legs would hold me up.

But no matter how much I pleaded and begged, my father was unbending. He wanted a union between the two most powerful families in Chicago, no matter the cost. Selling his own daughter to the most influential bidder was his way of ensuring he’d get it.

I had never met the man I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with and only knew his name—Gabriel Olysses.

Louisa stepped back, sweeping a critical eye over my obscene wedding dress. “There. Done.”

I continued fanning my face with my hand, each breath harder than the last. If I had to describe my life, it would be “rainbow puke.” Because no matter how much you put a pretty word in front of it or tried to disguise it, it would always be puke.

My father had always made any decision about my life for me. And today he’d hand me over to another man to control my every move.

A wedding was supposed to be the happiest day in a girl’s life. But all I felt was resignation. I hoped my husband wasn’t cruel. Maybe he’d lose interest quickly and take a mistress. Then I could spend my life safely locked away. Solitude was something I was used to. Something I could deal with.

A knock on the door interrupted my frantic fanning and panting.

The wedding planner stuck her head through the small gap in the door. “We’re ready for you.”

Louisa wiped a tear off her cheek. “If only your mama was here to see you now. She’d be so proud.”

Thoughts of the only person who had ever meant anything to me sent a sharp pain through my chest. She was supposed to be here. Standing by my side. Telling me everything would be okay.

Instead, she was long gone, another casualty in Aleksándr Volkov’s mission to become the most powerful man in Chicago. She’d been hit by a bullet meant for her husband.

Ushering me out of the room, Louisa fluffed up my long train that made it hard to walk. I’d have never chosen to wear something so attention grabbing.

But since my wishes didn’t matter, I was wearing a dress I would never have picked, shoes that made me look like a newborn foal trying to walk for the first time, and a veil that blocked most of my view.

My fingers tingled from the cold, the church too large to heat. Despite its grandeur, the dress didn’t keep me warm. My shoulders and arms were exposed, the lace doing little else but looking pretty.

“Would it kill you to smile? This is the happiest day of your life,” Louisa hissed under her breath, a big smile on her face for anyone who might walk past.

I didn’t see the point in exercising my face muscles since nobody would see anything until I had to lift the veil.

Ignoring mytetya, I stopped in front of the imposing doors, the only barrier between me and the rest of my life. But I’d endured worse. This was merely a bump in the road.

I can do this.

My bridesmaids, whom I’d never met, stood in front of me, their excited chatter fading as soon as the doors opened, revealing a church filled with people I didn’t know.

The music started, and a blur of lavender moved forward in perfect sync.

Louisa gripped my arm when I took a step forward. “Not yet. Didn’t you pay attention to anything the wedding planner said to you?”

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