Chapter 16: Black Widow

Laura stared at Dimitri, who had remained at the other end of the truck during the journey to that place, as if he thought she would infect him with some disease or something. His face was serious, focused on his phone.

"What does this mean? I won't enter that place, not in any way, I'm serious."

"You will if you want me to give you the money. Remember, I said everything would be done on my terms, and this is one of them."

Tears began to wet the girl's face. Dimitri couldn't believe she was so hypocritical, or maybe he felt a bit of remorse for what he had done. No, it couldn't be that. A woman like her didn't have feelings.

The driver opened the truck's door, Dimitri got out on the other side, and he quickly walked over to where Laura was. He took her hand and pulled her to make her get out. She started crying even louder.

"Shut up, your crying annoys me. Get in," he ordered rudely. Seeing that she didn't react, he took her hand and almost dragged her inside.

Before entering the ballroom, he took her to the office, where a lawyer was waiting for them to sign their civil marriage papers. But before that, they would sign an agreement.

"Sign," Dimitri handed her a pen, and she had no idea what that agreement contained.

"I have to read it first."

"If you don't trust me, then it's better not to get married, and find the money elsewhere," hearing that, Laura immediately signed the agreement without reading it.

Afterward, they signed the marriage certificate, and now they were legally united. Laura sensed that Dimitri had a purpose for all of this, but she couldn't understand what it was. She was sure she didn't know him from before, and Luke had never mentioned knowing him.

"Done, now that you've signed, you must strictly follow my orders and rules. Understood?" Laura nodded slightly.

"Now let's celebrate; our guests are waiting for us."

He led her into the hall. Laura expected the decoration to be in black, just like in the church, but she was wrong. Everything was decorated exactly as it was on her wedding day with Luke.

Dimitri was undoubtedly a crazy man. She would try to play along; maybe being in a coma for so long had affected his brain.

The guests were the same ones who had attended the religious celebration, still wearing the same white masks.

They sat at the head table, the same one where she had sat with Luke that night. It brought back so many memories; she tried to hold back the tears but couldn't. Dimitri had no idea how much pain this caused her.

A woman approached them, stood in front of Laura, removed her mask, and started applauding. Then she took a glass of sparkling wine, wanting to celebrate with the newlyweds.

"Let's all toast to my dear sister, the incomparable black widow, Laura Cassini."

Everyone started applauding and laughing. Dimitri took her by the arm and rudely led her to the dance floor while she cried inconsolably. The same melody they had danced to on the day of the attack began to play.

The Russian took her by the waist, pulling her tightly towards him. Laura felt the pressure on her waist, so intense that she struggled to breathe.

Suddenly, she felt the lower part of her dress was wet. Looking down, a strange and viscous red liquid was on the floor just beneath them.

The image of Luke lying in a pool of blood came to Laura's mind. It was more than her mind could bear; she fainted on the spot.

For a moment, Dimitri felt remorse for what he had done, but he quickly composed himself, remembering she had shown him no mercy. Yet, when he felt her unconscious, he picked her up in his arms.

He walked towards the exit, under the curious gaze of the guests. Sarah tried to approach to make him see that he had no reason to help her sister, but she was stopped by the bodyguards.

"He had lied to Sarah, telling her that he was a close friend of Luke and wanted to avenge his death. The girl immediately offered to help him, knowing full well that Laura was innocent but wanting to see her suffer, finding satisfaction in it.

Sarah wanted to humiliate Laura in every possible way, and what bothered her the most was that Dimitri had apparently really married her. When the Russian confessed his plan to her, she thought it would be a fake marriage.

Boris and Yulia were completely unaware of all this. Of course, they wouldn't have allowed Dimitri to marry.

Dimitri had done it to have Laura with him and to seek revenge. Deep down, he knew he also did it to prevent her from being with another man, despite believing that she had planned his death. He wanted her for himself.

Laura woke up an hour later. Opening her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar dimly lit room. A faint light filtered through the window, and she was alarmed to see that she was only in her underwear; someone had taken off her dress.

Turning to a corner of the room, she couldn't help but scream when she noticed a man in the darkness holding a liquor bottle, from which he drank directly upon realizing she was awake.

"No need to scream, dear wife. I've brought you to the place where we will live from now on. You are forbidden to leave. It was specified in the agreement, and you agreed to it."

"My son, I need to be by my son's side. You have to give me the money you promised so he can be operated on immediately."

"You don't have to worry about that. I've already transferred the money directly to the hospital account. He's undergoing surgery right now. Your grandmother will take care of him from now on. You also agreed in the agreement not to approach your son again."

"You can't do this to me. What kind of monster would separate a small child from his mother? You have no heart or feelings," Laura cried out in despair. In her attempt to save her son, she had fallen into the hands of a monster.

"You signed, accepting all my conditions. Believe me, if you disobey me, I don't care if the transplant has taken place; I will order it to be immediately reversed."

Laura held her head in her hands, feeling desperate. She got out of bed, disregarding the fact that she was in her underwear, and approached Dimitri.

"You're a damn monster. Why do you hate me this way? What have I done to you?"

"You'll know in due time. Now forget that you have a son. From the moment you agreed to marry me, you belong to me. Do you understand?"

Laura saw that the Russian was dead serious. She went at him, repeatedly hitting his chest with her fists.

"You can't do this to me. My son needs me. He should be with his mother. I hate you, damn you."

"Remember, the priest said we'll be together until death," Dimitri said as he held the girl's hands tightly.

"If that's the case, I'll get rid of you and go back to my son. Then I wish you'd die soon."

Laura was so furious that she didn't notice the sad smile on the man's face. This was the second time they had married, and the second time she had wished for his death.

Dimitri pushed her onto the bed. Laura feared the worst when he approached, leaning over her, but he only did it to whisper.

"Never dare to hit me again, or I'll cut off your hands. I'll do it slowly to savor it."

Dimitri said it just to scare her, but she began to tremble, thinking he was serious.

"I like it when you tremble when I approach. I like knowing that you're afraid of me."

After saying this, he stepped away from her, walked to the exit, and before opening the door, he sighed deeply. Laura didn't know the feelings and emotions he experienced being with her. He lived in a constant struggle between the hatred he tried to force himself to feel and what he truly felt.

Laura heard the distinct sound of the Russian locking the door as he left. Now she was his prisoner. Thinking she might never see her son again, she cried bitterly until Morpheus took pity on her, and she fell into a deep sleep.

He headed to his office and drank until he lost himself. Due to the darkness, Laura hadn't recognized the place they were in. It was the mansion that Luke had built with so much love for her.

She only realized it when she woke up in the morning, with sunlight streaming through the window. She couldn't believe it. That man was completely unhinged.

She heard voices in the backyard, opened the curtain a bit to spy on what was happening. She was surprised to see Dimitri wearing a special glove. The astonishing part was that Ares was perched on his arm.

She couldn't understand what was happening. Ares was a special falcon, trusting only his owner. It had allowed her to get close only after Luke's death, and now it seemed comfortable next to that man.

Laura closed the curtain to avoid being seen. She didn't want Dimitri to think she cared about what he was doing. She let herself fall back onto the bed, pretending to accept her fate. When Dimitri let his guard down, she would escape to find her son.

She was clear that the day she managed to do it, she would have to run far away. Thinking about how to solve her situation, she fell asleep again.

Dimitri entered shortly after, observing her for a moment. She looked as beautiful as ever, despite the dark circles that had formed under her eyes.

He couldn't understand why he couldn't stop loving her, deeply, despite all he had done to her. He reached out toward her, and just as he was about to touch her face, he stopped abruptly. He was a fool for not understanding that she had never loved him, that she had been just a pawn in her game.

On the bedside table next to the bed, there was a jug of water. He poured some into a glass and, after serving it, he threw it on her.

Laura woke up startled, not knowing what was happening. She sat up on the bed immediately.

"You will get up early here. You won't have any privileges. You'll have to work like any employee if you want to earn your food. Understand?"

"Perfectly," Laura cursed under her breath. She knew that the days by that man's side would be like being in hell.