Wife of Vladimir ||Book One||

Her Support

'It's okay, Vladimir,' she whispered. While she didn't smile and had tears slowly rolling down her cheeks, I felt comforted. 'You can do this.'

I wasn't sure if I believed her words, but I continued despite my uncertainty. I turned the knob and carefully pushed it forward. I kept my eyes shut as the room revealed itself to me. When the courage finally came to me, I carefully opened my eyes and felt my knees collapse beneath me. I let go of the door as I fell to the floor, gaze fully locked on the empty bed of my father. The sheets were neat and all the supplies the doctors had brought in were long gone. His scent lingered in the air, it being the only reminder that someone had once lived inside this room.

My head dropped into my hands as I bent down until my forehead touched the flooring. I didn't try and stop the tears like I had earlier. It felt hot against my face as each one fell out of my eyes, each being a reminder that father was gone from this world. I'm sure in that moment I was screaming out for him while I wept. I had never before hurt like that.

Father was dead. He was gone from this world for the rest of eternity. Ever since father had gotten sick, I had dreaded this moment. I had dreaded feeling alone without any guidance. I didn't feel ready. Father had often told me that I would never feel ready, that I would have to face it head on and figure it out as I went, but I never believed him. I always assured him that we wouldn't have to worry about it.

How wrong I was.

My entire world began falling apart in my father's bedroom doorway, walls I had spent long putting up collapsing all around me. There were so many questions I still had to ask him, so many things I had wanted to do with him. Loneliness began creeping into my broken heart.

Mother had left me. Father had left me. Who else would leave me?

Just when I thought all the servants had left and I was all alone, the light sound of footsteps echoed through the hallway. A small hand pressed into my back and someone knelt beside me.

I barely had enough energy to look beside me, but I'm glad I did. My eyes began to widen as I saw her, remembering that I still had someone. I wasn't alone like I had thought.

Rosetta.

How, in the midst of my mourning, had I forgotten that I had Rosetta now? How had I forgotten that I had gotten married, and now I had a wife?

Mother had left me and father had left me, but I wasn't alone. This wasn't the end.

'Vladimir,' Her voice caressed me, eyes wide with concern and grief. Rosetta's free hand reached out and held the side of my face, her thumb wiping away several stray cheeks off my cheek.

I needed her. I had long thought father was insane for pressuring me to find a wife, but at that moment I understood. It all made sense.

I fully turned myself towards her, pushing my face into a lower part of her neck as my arms wrapped around her and I began to melt into her embrace. While we weren't extremely close yet, and I wasn't sure how she would handle it, I felt comfort.

To my relief, her arms secured themselves around my neck and one of her hands buried itself within my hair, gingerly playing with several strands. Rosetta carefully placed her lips against the side of my head, saying nothing as my weeping intensified.

It felt strange so quickly exposing this emotional side of me to a woman I had just met, but that was the furthest thing from our minds.

The next few hours passed by at a strange speed. I wasn't aware if I was coming or going. My entire body felt numb. I helped the servants with what I could as a funeral was prepared. He was to be laid next to my mother and my unborn sibling. Several servants went down to the village and alerted the townspeople of my father's passing and all were invited to attend his funeral.