Valenci: Never Lose Me

Twenty one

Rohm

8:35 PM

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"Where are you taking me?

"I told you it's a surprise." Valenci points out as he leans against the dresser his hands shoved in his pockets. The white shirt he's wearing stretches across his broad chest in the muscles on his arms.

"I don't like surprises and you know that ." he pushes himself up from the dresser, walking up behind me.

"Baby, you'll like this." he reaches into the closet and pulls out a few dresses.

"Here, wear one of these." slip into the little red dress and turn in front of the mirror. Somehow, I can't help but feel happy. I may be a married woman now, but I've never been on a date before. I've been doing everything in the wrong order.

I grabbed my purse and picked up my phone from the chair. When I pick it up, the screen lights up, and I see a message from Harlem. Before I think any further about it, I delete it. I assume Valco told her about me and Val being married.

And while his reaction could've been far worse, I'm not ready to face this new reality of my life. Not with my future still hanging above my head. Not when I still expect to be thrown out of this marriage in this family at any moment.

"Are you ready, love?" Val asked when he stepped out of the bathroom, his eyes sweeping over my body.

"Yes." I try my best to swallow my nerves and smile at him. I still have no idea how I will ever be able to go back to a life without him, but for now, I try not to worry about it. No matter what's going to happen, I can at least enjoy this for as long as it lasts.

30 minutes later...

Val parked the car and headed over to my side to open the door for me. When I look around, I still have no idea what he could have possibly planned. He takes my hand, intertwining our fingers as he leads me down the street. We passed by several shops, but nothing that looked like a suitable location for a date.

But then again, my experience regarding dates is very little. He stops in front of a brightly illuminated building. People are flooded inside and outside, and it takes me a moment to realize what I am looking at. We're here to do a wine tasting with a museum.

Because of so many people standing in front of the building, it takes me a bit to see the posters of all the attractions to see.

Oh fuck..

I look over at Val and when I speak even, I can hear a slight hint of panic in my voice.

"Is this a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Because to me at least I think it's a horrible idea.

"Your brother owns all of this. What if he doesn't want me here?" While Valko's reaction to finding out about us being married could've been much worse. It could've also been a lot better. No matter how much confidence and conviction Val emanates I still doubt his family will ever truly accept me as his wife.

"Who do you think idea this was for us to be coming here tonight?" he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me closer to him, pressing his lips on the tip of my nose.

"Stop worrying so much, my love." Talk is cheap. If you're not the one constantly having to fear another problem coming around the corner. The inside of the place is filled with people. Waiters and waitresses make their way through the crowds, handing out drinks.

Laughter in the sound of lively conversations vibrates throughout the room. Despite the number of people inside, it's easy to spot Valco immediately. The Vasilyev men have a natural talent for dominating a room, just by being present. The faintest hint of a smirk comes to his lips when he spots us among the crowd.

He leans down to say something to Harlem, who is standing with her back to us. My heartbeat picks up, and I am thrown into an emotional fog. The guilty conscience about ignoring her attempts to contact me for months is always heavily on me, especially now that I'm in the same room as her.

But why should I care? She turned her back on me when I needed her the most. When I needed my family the most. But before a wave of negative thoughts can crush me beneath it. Harlem turns around, and my heart jumps as I see the look on her face.

She runs in my direction and embraces me in a long and tight hug.

"Shit... Rohm? What are you doing here? I am happy to see you. I missed you." I hear Val laughing right next to me at Harlem's reaction.

"I'll leave you two alone." he squeezes my hand, and I try not to let go trying to signal to him to not leave. Harlem's eyes wander down to our hands just before Val. Let's go of me and walk off.

"Okay, I have a lot of questions, but what's going on between you two?" She grins as she looks after Val, who makes his way to his brother.

"Are y'all fucking?"

"No! We are married." Harlem takes a step back and is surprised, and now I only do I see her swollen belly hidden by her dress.

"Oh.. you're pregnant?"

"Yes, I am, but back to you and Val. I can't believe you married him."

"Yeah, me either." my eyes wander from Harlem to her husband who wears a deep frown on his face as he talks with Val, who is a few feet away from us.

"So.." a slight look of pain flashes across her face from my distant tone. Of course, as Vocal's wife, she knows about everything that has happened. And since she's my cousin, she knows me well enough to sense the emotional chaos brewing inside of me.

"Are you okay? Are you happy? Do you like him?"

"Yes, I am happy. I liked the man since I was a little girl. Thank you. But you... his family won't accept me. You know why, after all, you are Valko's wife."

"Rohm I'm sorry for what happened between us, but Valco is my world now and soon our child will be too."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Maybe Val's brothers can live with his choice, but I know for damn sure his father won't. And while he has retired, he is still the patriarch of the family. He can easily toss Val's ass out of the family. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something like that happened.

Harlem tilts her head to the side and puts a hand on my shoulder. " you have to stop blaming yourself for something you had nothing to do with. You can't pick your family, unfortunately. And you can't carry the burden of their sins with you forever."

I disagree with her in my head, but she knows what she's talking about. The only difference is that her mother's aberrations weren't personal she didn't betray her closest friend. And her closest friend wasn't Vatalii Vasilyev. So this is completely different. I still don't understand what my mother did let alone why she did it.

What I do know is that this kind of betrayal can never be forgiven in their world.

"Harlem, let's stop with the games. Your husband and the rest of his family wouldn't agree with that."

"Well, Val married you so you're a part of the family now. They won't have a choice."

"Yeah, whatever you say," I answered her with a fake smile, and in the end, she was wrong. So fucking wrong.