Chapter 1

NORA CARUSO  I sat down with my cousins watching them as they were so happy, anticipating Renata's wedding. My beautiful gentle cousin was getting married and all I could think about was the evidence burning in my mind. “Tell us more Renata! I’m still trying to wrap my head around how lucky you are and found your Prince Charming within three months.” Sarah cooed, their eyes a bit widened enjoying the words Renata was speaking. “Well… when you meet him you will know,” Renata replied with a snap of her finger. “You should go out more often maybe just maybe you can find a man that will readily spend a lot of money on you. Nikolai is not just good-looking with these ocean eyes that draw me in, he is a good man, and I can’t comprehend how much he has spent on me over the past three months I've known him. He makes me happy and says yes to everything. I described my dream ring just once and he got it and proposed to me.” She said proudly and the girls squealed. “Oh, Renata! I need your prayer point because men like Nikolai are hard to find.” Belle said and they all nodded.  “Don’t worry y’all will get your Prince Charming soon but for now let me bask in my love. I can’t wait to finally say yes to forever to my tall, handsome, money-minded lovely man.” They all screamed and cheered at Renata’s words. All I could do was swallow the lumps growing in my throat. How did they not see it? How could they all be so blind? To them, Nikolai Volkov was the fairy-tale prince, a self-made billionaire with a portfolio that spanned from tech startups to luxury real estate. He had swept Renata off her feet in three months. That's all it took, three months from their first meeting to a diamond the size of a pigeon's egg and a wedding that would be the talk of the state. But I knew the truth. The charming entrepreneur was a lie. In reality, Nikolai Volkov was something else, he was a weapons dealer, shipping cargo that never officially existed, and police reports linked his name, or at least his known aliases. He was the head of the Volkov Bratva, a mafia lord whose empire was built on fear and blood, not stocks and bonds. Not just that, Nikolai Volkov is a known womanizer, a cold-blooded tyrant, a man who will do anything to get what he wants and won’t hesitate to kill if necessary.  How did Renata end up getting tangled with a man with such a terrifying record?  Renata was too soft for that world. She was the kind of person who cried during sad commercials and rescued spiders from the bathtub. Marrying her to Nikolai Volkov was like leaving a fawn in a lion's den. The thought of the miserable, terrifying life that awaited her made dread seep into my bones. “I will just go to my room first,” I mentioned to the girls and stood up, before they could respond I retreated to my room, I sank onto my window seat. I wasn't sure of what to do, if I told her I would shatter her world, destroy the happiest moment of her life. If I stayed silent, I'd be condemning her to a lifetime of misery. A soft knock came at the door before it creaked open. Renata stood with a smile and stepped inside. "Nora?" she said, stepping inside and closing the door gently behind her. "Is everything okay? The way you walked out of the room and you were quiet when the girls were talking.” I forced a smile, "Just tired from the drive, moving your wedding stuff is quite strenuous." She crossed the room and sat beside me on the window seat, her expression etched with concern. "You've been... distant for days now. You're my best friend, Nora, my other half. I know when something's wrong and something is definitely wrong.” "I'm fine, Ren," I lied, "Honestly it's just a lot. I will be good after the wedding." Renata's grip on my hand tightened. "You're a terrible liar. You always have been, your left eyebrow does this little twitchy thing." She leaned in closer, "Please, Nora. Whatever it is, just tell me. We've never had secrets." "The truth will hurt, Ren," I said, my own voice trembling. "I don't want to be the one to do this to you." "I can handle it," she insisted, "Whatever it is, we can handle it together, we always do." With a heavy sigh, I stood up. My legs felt like lead as I walked to my closet, opened my suitcase, and retrieved a file. I walked back to her and held it out, my hands were shaking. "Nikolai isn't who we think he is." Renata looked from my face to the file, a confused frown marring her perfect brow. She took it from me. "What is this?" she asked softly. "I'm just... scared for you," I stammered, "You're ending up in the hands of the wrong man, Renata. He doesn’t care about humans, I was able to get this evidence through a conversation he had with his friend, I never saw his face but I knew everything when they mentioned your name and our family.”  She opened the folder. I watched as her eyes scanned the first page, I saw the exact moment the words registered. Her posture stiffened and her breath hitched, her face drained of all color. “No this is a lie! Nikolai is not a mafia lord, he is just a businessman who loves me and wants me to be his wife,” Renata rambled and when I tried to take a step closer to her she took one back and I watched as her hands trembled.  “I wish I were lying Ren, I really wish this is not real but this is so true,” I replied with tears clouding my eyes.  She snorted and wiped the threatening tears going through the records once more. “This can be true!” She laughed shaking her head. “I thought he was real, I thought he was that man I had always prayed for. What is happening? Why does he have to lie? How could he do this to me?! Was I not worth the truth? Tell me!" She yelled and my heart started beating very fast. "I'm not sure of what to say Ren, but you have to calm down," I replied and she snorted.  "Calm down? Did you just hear what you said, Nora?! I am fucking getting married to a man I know nothing about, everything he had shown me from the very first time we met was all a lie…” she gulped. “You know what I have to go." She yelled and turned walking away. "Renata, wait," I pleaded, reaching for her. "Ren, please, let's talk about this." She didn't even look at me. She just kept walking, pulling the door open and stepping out into the hallway. "Renata!" I called after her desperately but she was gone. The rest of the afternoon was a special kind of hell. I tried calling her phone, but it went straight to voicemail after the first ring. I sent a barrage of texts with no response.  I became scared not knowing what to do and by the time the sun had gone down and it was dinnertime, the family was all gathered at the grand dining hall without Renata, my body shuddered. "Has anyone heard from Renata?" My uncle asked. "She probably just needed some air," my mom said, "All this wedding planning can be overwhelming." But as she spoke, we heard the front door open and Renata stepped further inside. The sight of her stole the air from my lungs, her beautiful sundress was wrinkled, and black mascara had carved rivers down her swollen, blotchy cheeks. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, raw from hours of crying.  She looked like she had been to war. A collective gasp went around the table. "Honey, what is it? What happened?" Her mom cried, pushing her chair back. "Renata, are you hurt??" Renata's gaze swept over all of them before landing on me, "The wedding is off," she announced. "I'm not going to marry Nikolai." She took a shaky breath. "There's no need to continue any of the preparations. It's over." Everyone was shocked and speechless, before anyone could react, Renata turned and walked away. This time, I didn't hesitate. "Renata!" I yelled, shoving my chair back as I ran after her, my heart hammering against my ribs. She was faster. I heard her racing up the stairs and she disappeared into her room just as I reached the top of the staircase, slamming the door with force.  I pounded on the door. "Renata! Please, open the door! Please talk to me! I'm so sorry, Ren, I'm so, so sorry!" There was no response, I kept knocking until my knuckles were sore and my voice was raw. Defeated, I let my hand fall away. My legs gave out from under me, and I slumped to the floor, my back against her locked door without a doubt knowing that I had just made a worse decision.