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No one said anything about him carrying me to the altar or the state of my makeup.

There was no judgment on any of their faces, and as we stood in front of the priest, I was starting to relax when, just as the ceremony was about to begin, a horrified voice cut through the church.

"What the fuck happened to my dress?"

CHAPTER 28

ALINA

Mrs. Pavel Ivanova.

I was Mrs. Ivanova.

Married.

I was married.

Married!

The words repeated over and over in my head, and they still didn't sound real.

Two weeks in, and I still couldn't believe it.

Probably because, in many ways, nothing had changed.

I was still being held as a prisoner in the penthouse, only able to have access to the computer and talk to Grandma when Pavel was here and he allowed it.

He had never told me no unless he was heading out the door, but still.

The desire to see her, to hug her and let her gush over the pearls that Pavel had someone collect and restring, gnawed at me constantly.

I was still under guard and not allowed to leave, or gointo the office, or do anything that required contact with the outside world.

He saw I was going stir-crazy, and he would whisper in my ear that as soon as he knew he could trust me, I would have more freedom.

What did that even look like?

A kid's e-reader that didn't have a web browser but which he could download approved books on?

Would he take me out and walk me twice a day like a dog?

It was frustrating, and I was losing hope that it would ever be different.

Then a week ago he started letting me have visitors.

Fortunately, the second they were given the green light, Yelena, Nadia, Samara, Viktoria, and Marina visited often.

And they brought something even better.

Work. A purpose I could focus on.

They enjoyed keeping me busy with the financial documents and legal paperwork for their gallery. I considered it a win.

It was almost enough to feel like a job. It gave me something to pour my energy into. My days were consumed with optimizing their businesses, setting up better accounting software, formalizing payroll, and negotiating better vendor agreements.

Marina was working on adding a small coffee shop and café to the gallery, something simple where artists could hang to get inspired, or people could chat over coffee while they decided which pieces would look best in their home or office.

That gave me plenty to work on—permits, food vendor licenses, and even a local roaster, tea house and bakery to supply the signature food and drink.