The Life I Had To Choose (Vladimir Makarov x Reader)

Chapter 3

Six months have passed and you have learned to accept your husband's attitude, a difficult person, many times aggressive and violent. You must obey his every order as you cannot allow his image to be ridiculed because of the way his wife behaves.

You are sitting in the VIP lounge of one of Moscow's most prestigious clubs, sipping top-quality champagne, while Makarov is concluding business.

His arm is secured tightly around your waist, but for the most part, he's ignoring you. When he does deals like this, your job is to sit there, stay quiet, and look pretty.

Makarov seems to be getting nervous, his temper slowly raising. He starts yelling directly at the man sitting across the table from him, who has become visibly intimidated and afraid. He speaks in a mixture of both Russian and English, his Russian accent thick and his voice loud and dominant.

When Makarov pulls out the gun, you are taken by a cold sweat. You have seen this before, you know there is a good chance he will pull the trigger if he doesn't get what he wants. You look down at your cup of champagne, trying to compose yourself and act unphased by his behavior. But inside, you are terrified.

Makarov points the gun at the man's forehead, his eyes narrow with anger. You watch intently, unable to look away, despite how scared you are.

The man your husband is doing business tries to reason with him, pleading to lower the gun and saying that they have reached an agreement. But Makarov is not listening, he only sees red and is not thinking logically.

You gently stroke his chest while whispering to calm down. Your gentle touch seems to have an effect on him, as he slowly starts to lower the gun and puts it back into the holster. He is still visibly frustrated and agitated, but your soothing touch has helped to calm him down.

You see the anger and tension still simmering but for the moment, he has managed to regain his composure.

He turns to you and looks at you with sharp eyes.

You instinctively lower your gaze, afraid of the rage he is still carrying inside. You know that his rage is directed at the man across the table and not at you, but he is still full of pent-up aggression.

Makarov resumes talking to the man, their conversation seemingly back on track. They continue to discuss their business, although the atmosphere in the room is still tense. You watch as they move papers and folders back and forth, while Vladimir remains focused, determined to reach an agreement with this man. You keep watching quietly, hoping that things will remain civil and that he will not have another outburst of anger.

"Go wait for me in the adjacent area. I'll meet you there as soon as I've finished." making it clear that he expects you to comply. You nod and leave the room, but you take advantage of it and decide to go out into the garden near the fountain. You try to use this time to calm yourself down, trying to relax and compose yourself, taking deep breaths and focusing on your breathing to remain calm.

If Vladimir knows that you are here disobeying it will definitely not end well. But you don't care about him, you want to get away from all those false and corrupt people.

You know that by disobeying you could attract unwanted attention, putting your husband's image at risk. "Who cares!" you say as you take off your shoes and put your feet in the water watching the carp swim by you.

For a moment you return the girl who lived in the infamous suburbs of Moscow. You return serene and as you move your feet in the water you look at the stars and sigh. Enjoying the breeze and tranquility of the moment.

You don't notice the time passing and as you hum, out of the corner of your eye, you notice someone sitting at the edge of the fountain. The fish run away and your heart skips a beat knowing very well who the person sitting next to you is.