CHAPTER ONE

Tatyana

 I stood at the altar dressed in white. The gown weighed more than any dress I had ever worn and it clung to my body like armor, the diamonds choking my neck shining beneath the cathedral lights.

My mother had insisted on them. “It will make you appear strong,” she whispered earlier while fastening the clasp on my neck.

The cathedral doors were still closed. He had not arrived yet. I thought it's the groom that waits for the bride on the altar but of course mine is different. Yes it just had to be different!

  Behind me, the priest cleared his throat nervously.

Igor Petrov stood beside me, rigid as stone. Igor Petrov had always been a commanding man.

But today he did not look stoic. I didn't know if he felt pity for me, “You will survive,” he muttered quietly without looking at me.

   Outside the cathedral, car engines roared and everyone turned their heads with the whispers dying instantly. He had arrived. My supposed husband.

 I raised my head and my eyes met a beautiful man. He was really tall, about 6 '7, looking extremely good in a dapper suit that accentuated his broad shoulders. He walked with precise and confident steps towards the altar but he wasn't smiling. There was no form of happiness whatsoever in his expression.

 When his eyes finally lifted and met mine, my breath caught in my throat. His gaze was piercing and uninterested. Nothing about the way he looked at me revealed that he was interested in me. I wasn't a bride to him. 

The priest began the ceremony, his voice echoing awkwardly through the cathedral.

“We gather here today…”

I barely heard the words.All I could feel was the man standing beside me. His presence was overwhelming. 

 When the priest finally reached the vows, he turned to Nikolai first.

 “Do you accept this woman as your lawful wife?”

He waited for a long while before he said, 

 “I accept.”

The priest then turned to me,

 “And do you accept this man as your lawful husband?”

My throat tightened. I could barely breathe. He watched me with amusement, waiting to hear my response. Across the cathedral I saw my parents watching me anxiously. Behind them sat dozens of powerful men waiting to hear what I was going to say,

I swallowed. “I accept.”

The ring was placed into Nikolai’s hand. He slid it onto my finger. The diamond caught the cathedral light as it settled against my hand. It was heavy and cold.

 “And by the power vested in me,” the priest continued nervously, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

The priest hesitated before finishing with the traditional words. “You may kiss the bride.”

 Nikolai didn’t move. For a second I wondered if he hadn’t heard. I leaned forward then he simply turned away.

 I felt the stares. They pitied me. The whispers started instantly. I stood frozen at the altar for a moment before realizing the wedding was already over.

 The Markov estate was in the centre of Kazan. It looked less like a home and more like a well furnished prison.The manor itself was enormous. It had cold stone marble walls and towering windows.

 Nikolai led me into a large study without saying a word.

Once the door closed, he finally turned to face me. For the first time since the ceremony. His gaze lingered on me briefly before he spoke.

 “There are rules.”

 “You may move freely within the east wing and the gardens,” he continued calmly.

“You will not leave the estate without my permission.”

My fingers tightened around the folds of my dress.

 “You will not interfere in my affairs.”

“You will not speak to my men unless necessary.”

“And you will obey whatever instruction I give.”

“Any question?”

  “And if I don’t?” I asked quietly.

 “Oh you will.”

He turned toward the door, paused and said, 

“One more thing.”

Oh so there is more, I thought to myself, till he said,

 “No one in this house will harm you.” I should have felt relieved, but instead it made my stomach churn. 

He opened the door.

 “A maid will show you to your room.”

We were staying in separate rooms and he had not touched me. As much as I was happy he had not touched me, I felt unwanted.

At dinner that evening, our food was served, but Nikolai simply watched me for a long moment, then he said, 

   “Do not try to run, Tatyana, wherever you go I can and I will find you.” 

 I stared at him and chuckled. There is a thin line between protection and imprisonment and I just realized that I might have crossed the protection threshold to imprisonment. 

 The man I had just married was the most dangerous man in Kazan and I have not even the faintest idea what he is capable of. Oh my God!!. 

    I swallowed my panic and my food together. A maid then came, led me through endless corridors before stopping at a door.

 “My lady.”

She left before I could respond. I stepped inside.

The room looked arranged with deliberate care, too deliberate even. Like someone had been here.

 I moved slowly, my fingers brushing against the surface of the dresser at the edge of the bed.Then I saw a folder. I hesitated before opening it.

 Inside were documents. 

 Photos. My breath got caught in my throat,

    “Ahh” I gasped..

 These pictures showed that this man has been monitoring me. The folder didn’t leave my hand for a long time as I sat there in shock. 

   In one of the pictures, I was outside a bookstore with my hair tied back, arguing on the phone. My expression was sharp and I looked annoyed, alive in a way I didn’t feel now. In another, I was laughing. Chills ran down my spine as I realized this marriage did not just happen.

  My fingers tightened slightly around the photo before I slid it back into the folder. There were too many. Different days. Different clothes. Different versions of me. All unaware.

I shut the folder, stood up and suddenly felt claustrophobic. The room became too tight for me and I became too aware of it. I stepped out to get air to stop me from suffocating. 

 There were no guards or maids in sight on the corridor, just closed doors. I tried to walk as light as I could and I walked wherever my feet could take me.

As i went further, i heard a door slam in the distance, I slowed my footsteps and I heard voices 

   “What is happening there?”