Page 27 of His to Own

“Just leave me alone right now,” I sigh.

Adriana ignores me. “I can’t believe you got caught. You’re going to let Father walk all over you? You need to learn to fight.”

“Just go,” I whisper.

“If it were me, I’d fight. I wouldn’t let Father just marry me off how he wanted.”

“Go!” I scream.

Adriana flinches and slowly gets to her feet, looking at me like she doesn’t even know me. “I was just giving my opinion.”

“I don’t want your opinion. Just go.”

She grumbles as she leaves the room. It’s only after I’m alone that I can sink into my chair. My diary of poetry is on the desk.

Without thinking, I open it and begin to write about a handsome face and dark eyes and an amusing grin. It’s only after I’m done that I realize I wrote about Maxim.

I gasp and slam my diary closed. Maxim is worming his way into my soul and I don’t know how to stop it.

Father bursts into my room in the morning, carrying a white dress. A wedding dress, I realize.

“What’s going on?” I ask, slowly getting out of bed.

He tosses the dress at me. “Put this on. We’re leaving.”

“Leaving… for what?”

“For your wedding. I found a good match for you to marry.”

I frown. My head is still groggy from sleep. “A good match? What are you talking about?”

“His name is Mikhail Kozlov. He works with me. Has for years. His wife recently died and he’s in the market for a new one. I told him that he could marry you today if he wanted. He agreed. So you’re getting married. Today. Get dressed.”

The pit in my stomach becomes a chasm. “I’m getting married… today?”

“Yes. Get dressed. Don’t argue. And don’t think about running. This is happening.”

“What about Maxim?”

“What about him?”

I pause. My father’s intense look tells me he’s not messing around. “Maxim wants to marry me.”

“So?”

“So… I worry he’ll hurt whoever is in his way to get to me. He already hurt Sergei.”

“Murdered him,” he says flatly. “That fucker murdered him. But I am not going to let you be married to him. I am going to decide who you marry and now it’s Mikhail Kozlov. He’s a good match. Wealthy. High ranking… enough. So get dressed. We have a wedding to attend.”

“Just like that? This is happening?”

“Are you stupid today, Elena? Yes. This is happening. Now get dressed.” He storms out of the room and all I can do is stare down at the wedding dress. I know why Father is doing this. He doesn’t want to let Maxim win, like Nikolai did when he married Lana. He wants to be in control instead of being the one controlled.

I don’t even know this Mikhail. I think I’ve seen him once at a Christmas party my parents threw a few years ago. I remember him being… old. My father wants me to be miserable all for his own pride.

I grip the wedding dress and before I can stop myself, I tear it. The lace attached to the gown rips right off. I feel myself screaming as I tear the dress apart.

Mother comes running into my room. “Why are you screaming?” She stops when she sees the dress. “Oh, Elena. What have you done?”