CHAPTER 5

ZARYA ROGOV

"I may kiss my bride." He whispered huskily under his breath, and my red, teary eyes widened.

I tried to turn my face to the side, but his grip on my chin kept my face in place. The more he leaned closer, the more I felt like I was on the verge of a heart attack.

I immediately pursed my trembling lips in a thin line and felt him pause. I feared he would force me into it, but instead he kissed the corner of my mouth.

The tenderness of those lips shook me to the core. I was not expecting such softness. He slowly moved towards my ear, his hot breath making my skin tickle.

"Don't expect such affection in the future." Despite the previous softness, his words felt like they were dripping with venom, and that's exactly what it was.

I felt his wrath. The promise of my destruction in his gaze.

He slowly moved back and gripped my wrist.

"Let's surprise your father." He pulled me towards himself and began to walk out of the church. I tried to stop, but his hold on my wrist forced me to keep moving, to keep trying to match his long strides.

As soon as we stepped out of the church, all of his men bowed to us in unison. Their energetic gestures had me flinching. He opened the door and slightly pushed me to get inside, but I refused to move.

"Tsk," he gripped the back of my neck and forced me inside. His rough fingers easily wrapped around my neck, a little pressure, and I would meet God.

He harshly shut the door beside me, making me flinch.

More tears welled up in my eyes as the harsh reality continued to haunt me. I am Pakhan's wife now. A man who was famous for his brutality and power. How was I supposed to be with someone like him when I didn't even know how to survive in the outside world?

He settled down beside me.

His strong musky scent made my nose twitch as I scooted towards the door, sniffing like a pathetic child.

"Stop that noise if you don't want me to tap that mouth up." He warned, eyes focused outside the window. I slowly raised my gaze and glared at him through my wet lashes.

Heartless monster.

"My father's m-men would kill yo-you." He gave out a husky chuckle, eyes still fixed outside the window with his hand on his chin.

"I'd make you my shield."

What kind of rotten humor was this?

I pursed my lips in a thin line. Disdainfully turned my face away from him. The closer we got to Rogov's mansion, the worse the anxiety made my skin crawl.

I couldn't help but wonder how my father would react.

Would he take my side and try to save me, or would he blame me for running away like that?

I wiped my tears with the back of my trembling hand.

The Rogov's mansion was now right in my sight, the cars began to slow down. The iron gates remained closed. A few of my father's men stepped out, and among them was the head of his security.

Michael Petrov.

A retired military officer.

He was around the same age as the man beside me.

Tall, dark-haired with a buzz cut, pale and tattooed all over as if he were an art museum.

He stepped out of the side gate with the other men following closely behind him. With guns pointing towards the car, they paused when Sergei rolled the car's window down. None of his men stepped out of the cars, they didn't bother to.

All of them suddenly became high alert, their grip tightening on the guns they were holding, and as they moved closer to the car and saw me inside, all of them immediately tensed when the realization dawned on them.

"Open the gate," Sergei's deadly command had all of them having second thoughts. Michael immediately stepped back and made a call. He was probably calling my father for permission.

He lowered the phone and stared at Sergei.

He was the only one who wasn't hesitating to meet the monster's gaze, and at that moment, I realized why my father had given him such an important position.

Michael pointed at the door, and the great Iron gate began to creak open. The cars finally touched the smooth pavement of the mansion and came to a halt.

At this point, I forgot to breathe.

I feared the next moment.

My heart jumped to my mouth when Sergei opened the door to my side and grabbed my arm, pulling me out effortlessly with his mere strength despite my attempt to latch my body against the front seat.

"Fucking stop crying before I give you a bigger reason to cry on."

"Being ma-married to you is a big en-enough reason for m-me to cry on." I don't know where the courage to speak my thoughts came from. Maybe because I was finally standing in my space was enough of a reason for me to feel a little safer.

He raised a perfect brow at me.

Before he could say something, the gates of the mansion opened, and my family rushed out. My breath got stuck in my throat when I saw the crying face of my mother and a wrathful expression on my father's face.

They were aware of my escape.

"Sergeiiii!" My father growled his name.

At that moment, that old man seemed like he had a chance to save me from this monster. A little hope of survival bloomed in my heart, but when his wrathful gaze shifted towards me, that hope cracked.

He strode towards us and raised his hand to slap me. I flinched and shut my eyes, ready to receive the slap like I always did, but it never came.

I slowly opened my eyes only to find Sergei holding on to my father's wrist.

"Careful..." Sergei growled, pushing my father away, and all I did was stare in shock.

Brother was nowhere to be found. Otherwise, he would have been on Sergei in no time.

Both of their men were pointing their guns at each other, ready to attack if the situation slipped out of their hands, and I couldn't help but imagine the worst.

I immediately shook my head at my father.

"He forc-"

"We love each other, she escaped for me, and now we are married. So...don't you dare look down on my wife." I stared at him in shock. No! My parents' expressions seemed like they believed his lies when he showed them our ring fingers.

I looked at my father in shock and immediately shook my head.

"No, he's ly-" Sergei grabbed my waist and pulled me to his side, his grip firm on my waist, making me yelp.

"But she's such a good child, she's crying for betraying her father like that." I was flabbergasted at his perfectly made-up story.

Others say he doesn't speak much unless he's on a mission to destroy someone. With me, he couldn't use his full power here; that's why he was playing with words.

"You turned out to be exactly like your sister, you brat." My father rasped in anger. His nerves popping out through his wrinkled and pale skin.

I shook my head, trying to free myself from Sergei's grip.

I was so shocked, scared, and helpless, no words seemed to spill out of my mouth even when I desperately wanted to speak. I wanted to defend myself. Sergei leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"Keep that mouth shut if you don't want me to put a hole in his head." He threatened. I snapped my gaze up, glaring at him through my teary eyes.

"Okay, father-in-law, we will take our leave now. Seems like you need a lot of time to process." Sergei passed him a wrathful glare before turning towards the car and forcing me to move along with him.

No! No! I didn't want to leave. I was better off stuck between these four walls than to live with this monster.

I turned my head to look at my crying mother, and my heart sank further. Sergei's hand, which was on my shoulder, gripped my jaw, and he turned my face back in front.

He forced me inside the car, and as the car began to leave the mansion, my sobs got louder. I turned around to look at my parents through the car's back mirror, and they looked helpless, broken.

No, I was never a traitor.

Please believe me.