Page 33 of The Pakhan's Arranged Bride
I sit up, shifting to lean against the headboard, then I lean over and pull her towards me.
She sits with her back against the headboard, too, surrounded by pillows, and I lift the blankets over her, wanting her to feel safe with me.
“I’m worried, Ulyana. You put yourself in so much danger today. Anything could have happened. Terrible thingsdidhappen, and you were right there at the time,” I say tightly, desperate not to let my anger get too loud.
She sits quietly for a while, gathering her thoughts, taking deep, slow breaths.
“Ever since I was little, I haven’t been allowed to make many of my own choices. My brother loves me. I know that’s the reason for him not allowing me to go out as much or to learn as much about life, through my own mistakes, or to experience as much. He even tried to send me away from San Francisco to a university far away—and it wasn’t becauseIwanted to go, it was because he wanted me away from the danger. I know he meant well. And when people asked me why I left uni, I told them it was because I changed my mind, but the real reason was because I didn’t want to be sent away.”
She pauses, visibly upset, her fingers knotting around the edge of the blanket, tugging it back and forth.
Ulyana sighs loudly and shakes her head. “Benedikt, I’m sorry, but I won’t let you lock me away.”
“How am I supposed to keep you safe?” I ask, stressed.
When she looks at me, her eyes are wide, beautiful hazel orbs.
“I’d rather take the risk of living my life than be locked away in safety and watch life slip past me.”
“Ulyana…” I want to argue with her, but how can I disagree with that statement?
I’m the same as her in that regard. I’d rather take a risk than regret it later. I’d rather get out there, be bold, confident and forward, instead of losing out on amazing experiences.
How can I tell her not to do that when I do it myself?
But it’s my job to keep her safe.
And if anything were to happen to her, I would never forgive myself.
I watch her expression, her eyes, her body language. She’s still very stressed. Perhaps tonight is not the right time to be pushing this conversation any further.
“Can I make you a cup of tea? Maybe a snack, or some hot chocolate?” I ask, changing the subject.
She smiles sweetly. “I’d love a little bit to eat, and a hot chocolate, definitely.”
I’m happy that she’s calm enough to want food, so I head down to the kitchen to see what the chef made for dinner and make her a warm drink.
When I come back to the room with a bowl of tagliatelle and her hot chocolate, with two marshmallows melting on top, she looks considerably better.
At least I’ve helped her calm down before going to bed. The place she was in before was horrible to see. I don’t want her to suffer like that again.
I might not be able to lock her away, but I’m going to have to find some way to keep her safe.
Ulyana chats a little while she eats her dinner, and I watch, drinking my coffee.
When she’s done, I take the empty dishes and set them aside.
Leaning over the side of the bed, I kiss her forehead.
“Try to get some rest,” I whisper, still feeling that deep yearning for her.
I walk from the room, headed towards my home office to get an update from Jadon regarding everything that happened and how the rest of the clean-up went.
It’s been a long day, but when you have an entire city to run, long days are common.
Chapter 10 - Ulyana
The day after the explosion at the warehouse, Benedikt has to leave for work early. There’s still a lot of work to do to clean it up and recover from the damage.
