Devil | A Solomons

FORTY NINE - THE VOWS

"Are you sure you want to do this? We can turn around and leave right now if you're not sure."

"He's right, Riri. We can just disappear, I know plenty of people that can-"

"Would you two stop? Of course I'm sure, I've never been so sure of anything in my life."

Irina was stood outside the church in a floor-length white gown that had a train running five metres behind her. It was custom made from Japanese silk with a sweetheart neckline that clung tightly to her body, a large diamond-studded silver necklace garnished her bare chest, small matching earrings kept the attention on her bronzed face.

Over the past three months, Irina's siblings had lived and worked in London, spending all their time getting to know Alfie and catching up with everything that had happened in their lives since they arrived in the country.

Irina had told them all plenty of times that they were free to return to Russia and fly back for the wedding, but all three of them told her that they were staying in London until the wedding, allowing no further debate to be had on the matter.

It warmed her heart to see Alfie spend time with her siblings, watching them laugh and joke like they'd known each other for years, when it had only really been a handful of months by that time. Alfie spent a few evenings down in the pub with Kirion and Arman while Irina spent time alone with Katora who simply adored her niece beyond words.

As much as Irina had loved having her siblings in London with her, she couldn't help but feel like she'd barely had any time alone with Alfie in the run up to their wedding. Both of them had hectic work schedules and by the time they fell into bed at night, they didn't have the energy to say more than three words to one another.

It had been playing on Irina's mind a lot heavier on the more recent days before the wedding, intrusive thoughts making her wonder if Alfie still even loved her, still wanted to get married. Of course, she knew deep down that he did, and their circumstances had simply worn both of them down, but it had kept Irina awake at night, wondering.

The sky was pale blue in London that morning, cloudless and pure. The air was warm and the birds in the trees were singing, a light breeze making Irina's dark hair tickle her neck as she tried to compose herself.

There had never been a moment in her life that she'd ever pictured herself on her wedding day. She had lived most of her days thinking that she would be alone forever, and quite happily at that, but of course, that was before she met Alfie Solomons.

Since their paths crossed, Irina's world quite literally got turned upside down. From losing a lover and gaining a friend, finding out what true heartbreak felt like and learning that taking a step forward didn't always have to mean leaving everything from the past behind - there were some parts you can take forward with you.

She loved Alfie more than she loved anything in the world, and she knew that even though she had never believed in true love before, that nobody else on earth could even so much as try to make her feel the way he did.

"How was Milena this morning? Was she alright?"

"Yes, Kat has her, don't worry. You look beautiful, by the way."

Irina smiled shyly at Arman as he looked down at his little sister, brushing away a strand of hair from her face.

It was true, she did look beautiful. Her dark eyes were lined with black and her lashes coated in the same dark shade. Her lips were painted red and her cheeks hollowed with a tanned bronze, a light blush lifted her face. Her dark hair was pin straight down her back, no different to how it normally was, and her nails were left natural.