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Prologue

Anastasia

Olivia, Scarlett, and I swayed to the music in the Russian Orchid, laughing and carefree. This nightclub in Moscow was a must, according to tips Scarlett received. It has been the best summer ever; it would stay with us forever. I couldn’t remember the last time all three of us felt so happy and relaxed. We were having the time of our lives. Our last hurrah before life would take us all away and back to reality. There was a young Russian singer on the stage singing, and even though we couldn’t understand a single word, the beat drove our bodies as we danced.

“One more round,” Scarlett yelled, slightly drunk, a big smile on her face. She just couldn’t wait for her mysterious man to show up. Olivia and I were looking forward to meeting the guy who enthralled her so.

Scarlett’s sparkling silver dress offset her long, dark hair, which made her seem more petite than she really was. A look that would knock the socks off her lover boy tonight. She was the cuddle bug of our group, despite the fact that she looked like a petite sex goddess. She was beautiful, but it was her warm brown eyes and her kind personality that got her sucked into the friendship Olivia and I had since we were small children.

I glanced at both my best friends and smiled with affection. Olivia’s short, black sparkling dress with an open back wasn’t what she preferred, but Scarlett insisted she dressed hot. And she certainly did look drop-dead gorgeous. She had a magnificent abundance of red hair and baby blue eyes that made men fall all over themselves. She had this vulnerability about her, and it matched her life to a tee. We have been best friends forever, just like our mothers.

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror behind the dance floor under dim lights. Unlike Olivia and Scarlett, I opted for tight, gold color satin shiny shorts that showed my long legs. I combined the short with a skimpy black top tied into strings on my back, leaving my back exposed. My mahogany hair fell down my back in soft curls. My frame was petite, although with my four-inch heels today I felt rather tall. My own green eyes stared back at me.

It always amazed me how well our eyes were at hiding the turmoil happening inside of us. So much had changed over the years, so many things happened and were still happening. It was as if I was waiting for chess pieces to fall into place, but we were running out of time. Olivia was sacrificing herself to save her mother and Scarlett’s family arranged a marriage for their daughter nine years ago with a man she had never met. She was barely seventeen and they decided to tie her to a perfect stranger.

Not the time nor place, we are having a good time.

Instinctively, I knew there would never be another moment like this. We were young, carefree, and happy at this very moment.