Our hidden wounds (#1)

Fifteen

Chapter fifteen | Ekaterina
I excuse myself and walk away from Alexander, and it doesn't take long before I find the bathroom,

Hurriedly striding inside as my heartbeats thump wildly in my chest, I check my reflection in the mirror,

Anxiety crawls its way through my skin and I release a deep breath, letting my eyes close for a moment, but then I feel a hand on my shoulder and startle,

A familiar-looking woman stands in front of me, and it takes me a moment until I recognize her from when Alexander introduced them,

Layla knight,

"Are you okay?" Her gentle question pulls me away from my thoughts and I force a smile, her big brown eyes soften and she smiles back,

"I'm great, thank you," I say and she nods softly, stepping back from me as she walks towards the sink, placing her bag there then she runs a hand through her long brown hair, brushing off her waves,

I just stay in my place, thoughts running through my mind as I continue studying her like a creep, "is it your first time in those events?" I ask to cut the tension,

She shrugs a little, "Adrian took me to similar places before, but they all look intimidating here, it's making my skin crawl." She says and laughs,

My nerves calm a little, great, so I'm not the only nervous one here,

"Is it yours?" She asks and I nod, releasing a breath, "don't worry, trust me your husband looks scary enough to drive people away." She says and that eases my anxiety as I finally laugh,

"I could say the same about yours," I say teasingly and she rolls her eyes but a smile spreads on her face, "uh don't even start." I don't get to reply to her earlier question because a loud knock startles us both,

My eyes widen as they meet hers, "Layla." A familiar British accent echoes in the air and she visibly relaxes, "I'm fine, Adrian." She immediately says and lets out a breath,

"I called you." He replies sternly and she looks confused as she scrolls through her phone before she bites down on her lip "yeah—um sorry I didn't notice it." She says and starts walking away,

Giving me a big grin as she gets outside, Jesus Christ, love makes people crazy apparently, "don't apologize, darling, I was just worried about—" their voice fades away as their footsteps disappear,

And when I finally come back to my senses and gather myself,

I grab my bag and storm outside the bathroom, "Ekaterina, I assume?" A voice catches my attention and my eyes narrow on the man in front of me,

He's tall, with broad shoulders, way bulkier than Alexander which is not helping with the intimidating-looking face already,

Sharp face features, squared jaw, and cutting cheekbones, his green eyes study me suspiciously and I swallow the knot forming in my throat,

"I'm-sorry, do I know you?" The words sound way more confident than what I'm currently feeling.

"No, beautiful, but you will." His tone is sure and certain, which just makes shivers run down my spine from fear, "excuse me." I mutter and start walking away but his rough hand catches my wrist,

Making me turn to face him, my eyes widen and his grip tightens on my skin as he smiles wickedly,

"you're the fucker's wife, hmm? Don't blame him for not showing up after your wedding though." He says and disgust fills my stomach as my lips twist,

He leans down and just when he's about to speak again, a second later he's shoved up against the wall, and Alexander is choking him,

My lips part and I take a wobbly step backward, "you don't fucking touch my wife, Dimitri, do you fucking get that?" His voice is measured and way too low,