Everything
CHAPTER ONE
Everything ~
SUNSHINE
It was dark, very dark.
We couldn't see anything as heavy pellets of rainwater poured down.
"Get down, Sunshine. Put on your seatbelt and stay down!" My sister screamed as she tried to manoeuvre us off the highway.
"Let me try to work on the brakes while you look out the road, Soleil." I hissed, bending down to check on the brakes.
They weren't connected to the car accelerator.
Jesus....no, no, no.
"What is it?"
"The brakes were disabled," I whispered.
"Okay, don't panic. I'll try to take us off the road." My sister was close to tears.
This was my fault. It was all my fault. Maybe if I hadn't snuck out to Mary's party, this wouldn't be happening.
"Don't blame yourself, we can just–"
"Watch out!" I screamed, but it was too late.
"Miss, Miss!" I jerked, turning to meet Rose's gaze.
We were at her funeral.
I never thought a day would come when I would watch my other half being lowered to the ground.
Yes, the life we lived was a dangerous one but if anyone deserved to die....it was me.
Not her, not Soleil.
The first thing I notice is the sound.
It is not the priest’s voice or the low murmurs of men dressed in black standing like shadows beneath the grey Russian sky, but the dull, hollow thud of soil hitting polished wood as my sister is lowered into the ground, and it repeats over and over again until it becomes unbearable, too much to the point I can't even breathe.
I stand still, my hands clasped in front of me, as I watch my twin. My other half is buried six feet under, never to be seen again. It hurts. It hurts so much.
The priest continues speaking, his voice low and steady, but everything seems like a movie.
None of this will bring her back.
A soft breeze moves through the cemetery, brushing against my skin, and I keep my eyes fixed on the casket as it disappears inch by inch.
"Amen." Everyone chorused as they began to head out.
This is it. My last moments with my sister because I'm pretty sure this would be the last time I'd come here.
Mikhail couldn't wait to send me off to the Italians. Soleil was the heiress to the Bratva, with her dead and me mute, my stepbrother was the best fit and he couldn't wait to begin his duties.
A moment later I was being ushered to the car.
"Are you ready to leave? There's no need to greet anyone or accept condolences if you're only going to write on your notepad, it'll be a disgrace to the Volkov name." He said.
I nodded.
The doctors said there was nothing physically wrong with me, that my vocal cords were intact, that I should be able to speak without any difficulty but I couldn’t.
They said it had to do with the trauma I faced when my sister died.
I don't care, not even a bit.
I lost my voice, but Soleil lost her life.
I glanced around until my gaze settled on Mikhail, who was now speaking to a Russian man with a scar running down the side of his face.
One day, I'd make him pay....more than what he deserves.
•
Today is my wedding day.
Today will be the day that I'm handed over to Lorenzo De Luca, the Italian Mafia Leader. A man whose reputation is nothing but ruthless.
A Volkov daughter must marry Lorenzo and strengthen the alliance.
Soleil was meant to do this. Now I will.
But would he want a broken bride? A bride who cannot speak?
Mikhail doesn't care, he says Lorenzo would take me, damaged or not cause the alliance had been signed
But would that change a thing? The man might hate me for my disability, he might hit me or take in a mistress.
Having mistresses in this world was not a new thing, a man could be a polygamist and nothing would change.
Is that something I would want my husband to do? Love or not, was that something I would be okay with?
Is he handsome? Would he bed me despite my inability to make a sound when he does?
"Your wedding dress is so beautiful, Miss Sunshine," Rose mumbled, as she helped me with my hair.
I smiled as a thank you and reached for the white dress.
Do you know what hurts the most?
The transition from mourning to union is executed with a precision that feels almost unnatural, as though Soleil’s death was nothing more than an inconvenience to be adjusted for.
I stand in front of the mirror, dressed in white, my reflection staring back at me with a stillness that feels unfamiliar, and for a moment, I do not recognise the girl looking back.
She looks like a bride, she looks like Soleil.
A knock sounds at the door, and Rose goes to answer it.
I quickly slip my cell phone into my corset and inhale slowly, steadying myself.
"Your brother is here to walk you down the aisle, Miss Volkov." She said and I nodded, feeling the entire weight of everything I had decided to hold back.
"Sunshine." Mikhail smiled, holding out his hand.
I took it as we walked down the corridor that led to the hall.
"This alliance is the strongest we've ever made with anyone. You know how powerful Lorenzo is, so I expect you to do whatever he says, no matter what it is."
I nodded and he smiled.
"Good! Do it for Papa, for Soleil and for the Bratva and don't fail me."
The doors open and the music begins.
"You're mute not stupid, and I would hate for my only family to die at the hands of a man like that. So do whatever you can to make him happy, while I take care of the rest." He says, as we walk down the aisle.
Towards my husband.
TBC
