Page 59 of Unrequited

I square my shoulders as calm settles over the house again. I’ve made up ghost stories in my head as if there’s something to fear. No. I need to get this wedding over with. Now.

Polina returns. “All good. I’m not sure what happened there.”

Interesting. I swallow hard when she smiles at me. “You ready?”

I turn to my makeup. If they’re going to take pictures, if I’m going to be a bride… I will be the most beautiful damn bride they’ve ever seen.

Concealer, thick and perfect under my eyes. Foundation. Powder. A touch of highlighter, not too much. Mascara, eyeliner, lipstick. I never go this far. Never. But today… today feels like it calls for it.

Still, it all feels like a dream.

“I’m ready.”

I walk down the stairs as if facing my execution. My steps echo on the floor, but I don’t shake. I won’t.

Strings of music play. Everyone looks gorgeous, all dressed in formal wear. The house has been decorated in whites and ivory, gold ribbons and bouquets of white flowers.

Rafail smiles at me. I give him a half smile back.

One day, maybe I’ll forgive him.

I look to the altar, but don’t see my groom.

That’s a little odd.

Rafail looks where I do and frowns.

“Open the doors,” he orders.

A gasp rips through the room.

Because it’s not Pavel Morozov standing there.

Rafail’s gun is drawn, and Semyon is already moving.

“Stand down,” Rafail orders, his voice hard.

Seamus holds my gaze across the crowded room.

I can’tbreathe.Because even now, even knowing who he is, what he’s done, my heart betrays me.

Another gasp echoes, but Seamus’s voice cuts through the tension like a bullet.

“Quiet,” he says with authority. “Everyone, stay still. This entire place is rigged.”

My breath catches. The air is suddenly thinner.

“Kopolov,” he says, his eyes locked cold on Rafail. “Before you even think about pulling that trigger, know this. I was under orders to take your family that night at the Wolf and Moon. You remember that? The night your little sister betrayed you?”

Rafail nods. Frozen.

My heart pounds, loud and erratic.

“My testament,” Seamus continues, eerily calm. “That night, I ended the lives of the men who betrayed me. My boss believed it was you. They’ll know the truth soon enough. I told them they’d pay for their betrayal, and Ialwayskeep my word.”

He looks at Semyon, who’s now ghost-pale. Rodion’s hands curl into tight fists. Rafail refuses to look away.

“I promised you one thing,” Seamus says, eyes on Rafail. “Didn’t I?”