Six

Sofia – Age 19

He keeps stroking his finger along the inside of my legs; he seems miles away in thought, which is a little scary since he is driving. It's a good thing I trust his instincts, though. The hussy in me wants him to go higher, but the good girl in me says, “Do not ruin his surprise.” I look at him again, and I smile. I guess the good girl wins. He seems so content. I love this look on him; it's one of my favorites. I know he was pissed when he saw my bruise, and so far, I've managed to lie my way through all the abuse I receive every day from Mattia, my mother's guard. She stopped hitting me two years ago, instead, she just gets drunk to help get her through the fuck sessions she has with the men and her personal guard, who then takes advantage when she passes out to come to find me. I'm still pissed that he ripped two of my favorite dresses that Damian bought for me. I'm just lucky this dress I'm wearing now was in the bathroom when I ran and locked myself in there to stop his assault from going any further than it already had. My face hurts like a bitch, though.

As my relationship with Damian progresses, the more subdued my mother has become. It's like she can't even look at me anymore, and when she does, I see regret, pity, and sorrow, and I don't know what's worse—the abuse she gave me for years or the fact that she can't stand to be anywhere near me.

The current bruise on my face was from Mattia, my mother's 6ft bodyguard. I told her about my date, and she screamed at me and begged me not to go. When I refused, she started calling me a whore. It's one of the few times I've snapped and mouthed back at her. I said something about Damian at least loving me—it was harsh, and I know I shouldn't have said it. I know she loves my father, and I know she's sleeping with his men to get his attention. The problem is, it's sending him further away and her further down the path of destruction. I don't even know why they started stepping out on each other in the first place because just before we met the Volkovs, they were madly in love. I remember giggling every time I'd walk into a room and catch them kissing or just randomly dancing. The best time was when they used to make me pancakes together; they used to always end up with big, messy flour fights.

I miss those days.

I did feel guilty when I mouthed back because I do remember the good times. I know I shouldn't after everything she's done, but she is still my mother, and I love her. She went red and stormed out the back door, leaving me confused. Mattia saw this as an opportunity, though, and I couldn't grasp it quickly enough to make a run for it. I was still confused, staring at the backdoor where my mother exited, feeling tremendously guilty for wanting to make her hurt as she did me all these years when I heard her car drive off. I then noticed his steps approaching me quickly, which snapped me out of my trance. I slowly started to walk backward, knowing I only had a small opportunity to run for it. Still, unfortunately, I didn't make it quick enough.

He grabbed a hold of me tight, before growling, "You need to learn your place, whore."

His right hand slid to my private area under my dress, causing me to freeze, but when I finally unfroze enough to scream, he placed his left hand over my mouth and then rubbed hard on my pantie-covered crotch. I started to cry, terrified, and began to struggle, but he just chuckled. His hand left my mouth and went to my breast, pinching it hard, which made me whimper in pain as I bit my lip to try and keep the sound from coming out of my mouth, causing me to split it. His fingers went to the side of my panties, about to move the fabric. But I refused to be his victim, so I bent my head forward and slammed it back. I heard a crunch before he started swearing up a storm, and I managed to pull out of his grip and run. I managed to just get a few feet away when he grabbed my arm, ripping my dress in the process, and spun me to face him. Blood was pouring out of his nose, and he had pulled his fist back while I leaned back a little to try and dodge his fist. He still, unfortunately, got my eye, but thankfully I wasn't close enough to feel the full force, just close enough for it to fucking hurt and bruise. I stumbled back a little, but then managed to kick him hard in his family jewels and run upstairs, hearing him roar in anger.

I locked myself in my room before he could even get close to me, and I stayed there until I knew Damian was outside the gates.

Mattia scares me; he keeps touching me without my consent every time my mother walks out of the room. He's still adamant that he's going to take my virginity, even though I've already handed it over to the love of my life, my best friend. It was magical, and he made it special and perfect, but Mattia was just waiting for the right moment to strike, thinking my virtue was still intact. That's why I spend most of my time behind my locked door.

I pay attention to Damian again, leaving my thoughts where they should stay. Damian's had this surprise planned since Paris; he let slip that he wanted a special date when I was nineteen, on our second anniversary. Thankfully, because it's June, the weather is nice, even at five in the evening.

He slows the car, and I finally look out the window.

"Oh my, God," I gasp. He's pulled up to our beach in the Hamptons, and just off the shoreline is a picnic on a blanket, candles scattered around. I turn and look at Damian, and he's already looking at me, smirking. He leans over, then kisses me gently before getting out and rounding the SUV to my side, opening the door for me while taking hold of my hand. He pulls me toward the picnic area he's created, helping me sit on the blanket. He follows, sitting close behind me so I'm leaning against his chest.

"I thought we could have dinner and watch the sunset. What do you say, malyshka?" he asks, and I turn my head a little to lean over and kiss him.

"Sounds perfect, handsome," I whisper gently. For the next two hours, we sit and eat a gorgeous picnic dinner of my favorite foods: chicken salad sandwiches, strawberries dipped in chocolate, and mini cakes, with my favorite summer fruit wine. We laugh and talk throughout, and I don't think I've had a perfect day like today since Paris.

As the sun sets, Damian asks if I could help blow out the candles, so I stand. Still, he grabs my hand before I can move. I turn only to see him kneeling in front of me with a beautiful diamond princess 9-ct cut ring that I recognize as his grandmother's. Tears automatically start to fill my eyes, and my right hand goes to my mouth as I gasp.

"Sofia, since the first day I saw you, I knew you'd change my life; you became the person I could trust. You made me, a grouchy 12-year-old boy, your best friend." I sniffle as he looks down and wipes under his eyes before looking back up with glassy eyes. "You put your trust and heart into me, and I know nothing would make me happier than to make you my wife, so what do you say, malyshka? Will you marry me?"

I let out a little sob before frantically nodding, knowing my words won't come out, and jumping into his arms. He holds me tight, finding my mouth with his for a deep, consuming kiss. He breaks the kiss to grab my left hand and place the ring on my finger as my tears continue to fall. He holds me again, squeezing me into his chest while I cling to him. He looks into my eyes, his glossy and soft, before lifting my left hand to his mouth, and then kissing my ring finger.

I cannot keep the smile from my face.

"I love you so much," I say joyfully.

He smiles the biggest smile but doesn't return the words to me, making me frown slightly. Come to think of it, he's not said them since that one time two years ago, and he didn’t made a declaration of love when he just proposed. Just as I'm about to question him, he grabs hold of my hand and starts to tug me toward the country-style home with a wraparound porch just up the sandbank. It's beautiful, and I stare at it in awe, completely forgetting to question him about his feelings. He wouldn't ask me to marry him if he didn't love me anyway, right?

He opens the door after we get there, and a loud “surprise!” is shouted, making me jump back as Damian chuckles.

"You didn't think I'd finally pop the question and not have our families here to celebrate, did you?" he whispers in my ear after wrapping his arms around me from behind. I look at all our family and friends, making me smile, until I see my mother staring at us…but not with hatred or sadness, making me frown.

Huh, that's new.

I tilt my head a little, and she looks down, wiping away a tear. I go to move toward her, something compelling to me to, but I then see Mattia standing just behind her. He looks on at us with rage, and I stop. He glares at Damian's arm around my waist, which tightens when I go to move, so I lean closer into him, bringing Mattia's attention back to me. I quickly turn my head and look at my father as he moves toward us, pulling me from Damian's arms, giving me the best hug a daughter could ask for, and whispering how proud he is to be my dad, causing me to tear up again.

This happens for the next hour, with several cousins, Noah and Lilly, and aunts and uncles coming forward. Then Mr. Volkov wraps me in a bear hug, and I hold him tight, giggling. He's always been like a second father to me, and I love him dearly.

After the congratulations from all family members and a weak tap on the head and peck to the cheek from my mother, Mrs. Volkov whisks me toward the sitting room. She convinced me to have the wedding in six months, the day after my 20th birthday, which Damian looked extremely happy about, before announcing I would be moving in with him immediately. I chance a look to my right, and yep, they were both pissed. My mother is clenching her fists and digging her nails into her palms, and her face shows worry and concern. Wait, what?

Mattia looks ready to blow, which is the reason why I agree to move out now and why I agree to the wedding so soon. Mattia was too close to raping me today; I needed to get out, and this is the only way without causing a war between our families. Life's about to get busy. And I'm finally going to be free of them!