For the first time, I am being left like this, alone, in a stranger's house, not knowing where or why. And after the wedding! Timur could have at least explained something, right? Or… say that we needed to leave urgently? I mean, I didn’t want a wedding night, but… like this?
I feel disoriented and lost. I slowly turn away from the window; it's just pure darkness outside, and I walk into the living room I saw earlier. Suddenly, the light goes out. A loud sound, either an explosion or something similar, scares me. I gasp and step back in fear. My mind is racing with various thoughts, each worse than the last. Do they want to get rid of me? To kill me? Or just abandon me like trash?
Silence falls. It rings in my ears because of it. Then I hear one of the doors in the house unlock. I cover my mouth with my palm, barely holding back the urge to scream from panic.
Next, I hear footsteps. Light, calm, measured. I'm not alone.
God! What’s happening?
I press my back against the wall and see a shadow rushing closer. I hear a voice, but in my fear, I can’t even tell if it's a woman or a man. All I can perceive is my own heartbeat. Fast, frantic, scared. It races the blood in my body and raises its temperature.
— Yuliana, — the voice calls out again. The shadow touches my shoulders, runs fingers down my cheek. — Calm down. — it commands sternly. — Breathe. Just breathe.
And I breathe. I take a deep breath and exhale just as deeply. Panic gradually recedes as I recognize the painfully familiar purr and authority in Tini's voice.
— What?… — I gasp. — I don’t…
— Everything is fine. Relax. Breathe. — it repeats commandingly.
Slowly, I calm down. It’s Vlad. Vlad!
— Holy, — I whisper.
— Holy, — he repeats. He doesn’t stop touching, caressing, but he doesn’t pull me into his embrace. — It's just a shock. Probably.
Only now do I catch the scent of his shower gel — a hint of fir, the darkness of the night, forest hunters waiting for an unwary traveler at every step. I exhale, finally really exhaling.
— You were here.
— I was.
— And there! You were at the wedding!
I push Vlad away. I’m no longer scared because he’s near.
— I was, — he throws indifferently.
— Then why didn’t you take your brother's place? What kind of games are these?
— How do you imagine that? — the sarcasm echoes. — Your father has a deal with Timur, not with me.
A deal… I remember something like that. They indeed seemed to have made some agreement in the office; I just felt terribly unwell. Unfortunately, I don’t remember what it was about.
— You said that as long as you didn’t want it, my father wouldn't find me! You promised freedom, protection. You said that the marriage contract isn’t my problem, so you knew how to solve everything! — I state firmly. It doesn’t matter that it’s dark between us. It doesn’t matter that I can’t see his face. Probably, it’s even better this way. I feel braver. — And what in return? You became the one, — my voice breaks, — who stabbed me in the back? You said that, didn’t you? “She trusts and relies on the one behind her. What do you think, which hand does he hold the knife in, his right or left?” Which one do you hold, Vlad?!
— What did you expect? — he asks dryly. — Love? Family? You have a goal, just like I do. You agreed to play this game with us because you have motivation and a purpose. I started playing for the same reasons.
— You succumbed to emotions and started this path because my father did something to you? Right? — it sounds bitter, but I can’t control myself. — Is that why you chose the head that would roll first! The head that isn’t regrettable! Mine! Isn’t that so, Vlad? Who needs Yuliana Dyka if she’s just a pawn?! No one! Well, you played, gave me illusory freedom, allowed what my father forbade! But you warned me, didn’t you? You said not to get carried away since you promise nothing! Thank you, Vlad! Thank you for your honesty! It’s even worse! — I burst into a scream.
I never thought that after my own wedding, I would be standing in complete darkness in the middle of a stranger's house, trying to piece together the fragments of a broken heart.
— Calm down, — he commands sharply. — You are no longer Yuliana Dyka.
— Oh, really, — I get even more worked up. For the first time. Ha! For the first time with him, I let my anger flow. — Am I now Yuliana Dobro, or does Timur have the last name Svyatyi? Huh?
Vlad is silent. Even in the darkness, I feel his gaze on me. Too piercing. Too burning.
— As always, you have the right to choose: we spend our wedding night together, or you stay here alone. Choose! — he ignores my rage. He leads, again controlling my life. And again, it’s not me.
— The right to choose, — I mutter quietly. I’m tired. The emotional outburst quickly fades, leaving only emptiness in its place. — You’re not lying, but you’re not telling the truth either. What wedding night?
— Our night, my Timid Doe. Our night. — it sounds confidently.
There’s only a step between us, but he wants me to take it. But… can I?