Page 64 of The Tsar’s Obsession (Bratva Sinners #1)
Destiny
Kirill
A year after our trip to Russia, we were getting ready to attend Carly and Ari’s wedding.
The past year was one of the best in my whole life.
Mia and I lived in homelife bliss, love burst out of my chest, and I noticed things I’d never paid attention to before, like sunsets and birds singing. It was just us two, no drama, no pain.
Carly and Ari’s wedding day fell on the longest day of the year, and our wedding was in two months, an event I planned to make as big as I possibly could. We had over six hundred guests confirmed, and I took on as much responsibility for it as possible.
I did my best not to overwhelm Mia, and instead, we tried to take it easy and spent time in the Bahamas and only approved details while someone else planned it all.
Having to attend this wedding where Mia was a bridesmaid was both daunting, and I was honored. I was forgiven, not only by Mia but by Ari as well.
A pervasive thought occupied my mind as I was getting dressed for the event. If I could rewind it all, would I behave the same way? The answer was quite simple: becoming Mia’s man had changed me irrevocably.
For Carly and Ari’s wedding gift, I decided to purchase an apartment and made sure to involve Mia. Mia shopped for the condo with Carly on the pretext that it would be our second home. Carly eagerly participated, and they landed on a place she loved.
I knew I was trying to pay my way through the guilt that lived inside me for that moment of weakness.
It was a lesson that I hadn’t learned in the past. The consequences of that jealous action put me on the precipice of the greatest tragedy of my life.
Spending some millions of dollars to help the guilt ebb away was a small price to pay.
A kippa on my head for the first time in my life, I scanned the guests as I waited for the ceremony to start, but most importantly, I just wanted to see Mia walk down the aisle, like a dress rehearsal for the real magical event that awaited me.
There she appeared, and the whole world floated away from me. I was so madly, deeply in love with this woman. She glided on air, like she descended from heaven just for me. Our eyes found each other; there really was no one else around. It was always just us.
“Mazel Tov!”
The loud shouts woke me up from the meditative state I was in while I focused on Mia and fantasized about standing in church with her, our own ceremony binding us forever in the eyes of God.
“You’re so gorgeous, Sunshine. It should be illegal for you to show up in public like that.
” My hands gently caressed Mia’s back while I whispered my inner thoughts to her at the reception.
The hustle and bustle of dinner and us being seated at separate tables didn’t stop me from spending every possible second with her.
“Aren’t you an expert in everything illegal?” My angel had completely fallen into my world, but she was glowing, her lips pressed against my cheek. God, every day with her was bliss. I was still in disbelief at how everything turned out; my life was complete.
“Mmm, yes, I am. Lucky for me, I landed the most illegal and lethal product on the market.” Her arms wrapped around me tighter, and she pulled in with a giggle.
“You wan–”
“Hey, lovebirds, time for that chair dance situation, and they need your strength, big boy.” Viv shamelessly interrupted the private moment and pointed to the dance floor while looking at me.
The happy couple was already seated in their chairs, and a group of men were laughing and calling me over, inviting me to lift the bride and groom in their chairs, a tradition I didn’t understand but nonetheless would gladly participate in.
As the wedding continued and I hoisted Ari up in the air, I couldn’t fight with my laughter and joy emanating from every part of my soul. As if in slow motion, I observed Mia’s eyes on me, and I thought back to how I got here.
I thanked God that I asked her name that late night, all those years ago. My life had dragged me through hell and back, and every awful thing that happened to me was payment for the hurt that I had caused.
I knew I could never pray my sins away, but Mia—she was my gift from heaven. I loved her with everything I had in me. I would never let her go, never jeopardize what we had.
A chance encounter on a late night had changed our lives forever.
We were each other’s destinies.