Sinful Oath

Bianca

I thought I was late for my cousin’s wedding,

but the wedding turned out to be for me...

If I’d known the sexy arrogant guy in the elevator was my future husband,

I probably would have turned and ran.

My own father sold me out, promising my hand in marriage to Alexei Koslov,

a sexy, arrogant bratva boss.

The last thing I want to do is get married,

but nobody says no to the Koslov bratva.

My father’s been controlling me for years,

I won’t take it from my husband too.

I want to hate Alexei and all he stands for,

but the more I get to know him, the harder I fall.

But this marriage is just business for him.

I’m a means to an end.

Until I fall pregnant…

Alexei

It's supposed to be a business transaction,

A marriage in exchange for intel on an enemy.

I expect my wife to obey me, to follow orders.

Instead, I get a firecracker who is determined to make this arrangement as difficult as possible.

I have no interest in falling in love with Bianca,

But before I know it, she's all I can think about.

Suddenly I'm doubting everything I thought I knew about myself…

I’m living a nightmare. 

This can’t actually be happening. I can’t be about to be wed to the Don of one of the most powerful crime families in New York. 

Is he even a Don if he is Bratva, instead of Italian mafia?

Doesn’t matter. Alexei Koslov cannot be my future husband. He can’t be my future anything. 

“Papino, how could you do this?” I swallow the lump in my throat.

I’m about to be married off to a complete and utter stranger. 

“You should have warned me.” I blink back tears. 

“We needed an alliance with the Koslov’s, bambina. For protection against the Gilantos.”

A hysterical sob escapes me. 

Of course it comes down to business. It always does with my father. Every time I think I might be his top priority, I’m always proved wrong…

When will I learn?

“And there was no other way?” My voice cracks. “Does it have to be through marriage? I-I could go and work for them like I do with you. I could…I could do anything else! Papino, please.” 

My eyes are stinging with tears as I look at my father. 

Part of me is glad to see the guilt etched across his face, but knowing he didn’t make such a bargain lightly does little to make me feel better. 

If anything it only makes me feel worse. 

What has my father gotten himself into that meant he had to sign my life away to the Koslov’s? 

I’m only twenty-three and nowhere near ready for marriage. Hell, my last relationship during my senior year of college turned out to be a complete dumpster fire, and I vowed to take a break from men for the foreseeable future. 

“No, there was no other way, tesorino.” My father sighs. “You are my only child. I had to offer them something of great value to me.” 

My chest tightens at his words—at the hidden meaning beneath them. 

Only child. 

My mother died giving birth to me, and my father has never remarried. He lost the love of his life the day I came into the world, and although he never blamed me for Mamma’s death, I carry the mantel of guilt heavily on my shoulders. 

Perhaps this is my way of finally making it up to him. 

“You have to know this wasn’t an easy decision for me, Bianca.” He reaches for my hand. “I hope you know I’m not handing you over to the Koslov’s lightheartedly. You are my world, and I’ll do whatever I have to in order to keep you safe.”

“This doesn’t feel like keeping me safe, Papino.” My eyes fall to the floor. “It feels like I’m being fed to the wolves.” 

My father flinches, and my chest tightens. 

But I should be hurt for a minute or two. I deserve it, don’t I? I was forced to organize a wedding for months that I didn’t know was my own until I got here. 

I was betrayed by my whole family. And now I’m being given or sold for something that has nothing to do with me. 

Does no one care?

“They will not harm you. I made it pretty clear to them that I wouldn’t tolerate it.” 

“Is that meant to be reassuring?” 

My father glances over his shoulder at the crowd of guests who will soon enough start to wonder where the hell the bride is. Little do they know she’s in the corner about to commit a felony against her own father if he doesn’t start talking. 

Or maybe they all know and are avoiding looking at me because they pity me.

“Come with me, stellina.” My father guides me back into the makeshift cloakroom, away from prying eyes. 

“Do all the guests know whose wedding they’re here for? Am I the only one not in on the truth?” I shake my head. “What about Rosanna? Was she in on it this whole time?”

“They know.” 

I’m about to throw up. 

The hours I spent pouring over seating charts and food choices for my cousin’s wedding, and Rosanna won’t be the one walking down the aisle toward the love of her life. 

I’ll be the one walking toward a life sentence, because there’s no other way to describe it. 

My entire body is shaking so badly that I have to reach out and cling to one of the coat racks to steady myself. 

The humiliation and betrayal are almost crushing me. And it doesn’t help that Alexei Koslov’s smirk when he realized I had found out the truth is playing on repeat in my head. 

Asshole.

“You could have been straight with me from the start, Papino. Making me think I’m a guest when I’m really the one getting married is low, even for you.”

“I couldn’t risk you not showing up.” He bows his head. “You overthink things, bambina.”

“For good reason. Why couldn’t you trust me enough to tell me? I’m not an unreasonable person. If you have a good reason for this marriage, then I deserved to know. I deserved to have the time to understand, to come to terms with it.”