Episode 6

Point of view: Luka's Mother

I visited my son's house as I knew he would return from his business trip today. Upon my arrival, the servants attended to me and I settled in to await his return. Hours later, I heard the front door open and knew my son had arrived, but something seemed off about him. I presumed the business had taken a wrong turn, but that wasn't the case. My son then unveiled the truth—he had gotten married. At first, this filled me with joy, for he had finally met a woman to complete him—or so I thought. My joy faded when he detailed his impromptu nuptials, and I was left speechless.

After breaking the news, he excused himself, claiming travel fatigue, a reason I knew to be false, yet I let him depart. As he ascended the stairs and vanished from my gaze, I noticed Vladimir attempting to exit quietly, but I stopped him before he could do so.

"Vladimir, where do you think you're going?" I asked with crossed arms and a smile on my face.

"My apologies, madam, but I have urgent matters to attend to, as per my friend's orders," he replied, seeking an excuse, which he did not achieve.

"Yes, there are matters to address, but before you do, tell me what happened at Gravas right now," I demanded with authority, my brows drawn together; he quickly returned to sit in front of me.

"Alright, madam, what would you like to know?" he asked, his eyes dropping in surrender.

"What exactly occurred on the trip?"

"Madam Irina, Luka has told you the truth: he got married," he confirmed.

"I want to hear it from you; I can hardly believe my son would get inebriated, as he has a high alcohol tolerance. Was he drugged?"

"Such things do happen nowadays," I pondered silently.

"No, madam, from what I observed, they both drank that night," he assured me confidently.

"Tell me everything that happened."

"After the deal was signed, my friend left the club; he seemed to desire solitude. Hours passed before he called to inform me of his location. When I arrived at the casino's bar, he was not there. I searched everywhere until I finally discovered him in a casino store, buying something. As I approached, he joyfully announced he was getting married, appearing quite in love and seemingly unaffected by alcohol. I accompanied him back to the bar, admonishing him not to proceed, yet he was resolute, praising the woman as beautiful and unique. At the bar, I met her—a striking woman indeed. She chatted merrily with the bartender, who informed me that upon Luka's arrival, they hit it off and began drinking together before abruptly deciding to wed. It was odd, but I resigned myself to the situation as Luka was unwavering. Later, we headed to the casino chapel, where they married, with the bartender and me as witnesses."

"Truly, there's a woman who can match my son's drinking?" I inquired, astounded.

"Yes, madam," he responded with a smile.

"What's she like?" I prodded, my interest piqued.

"She possesses a peculiar beauty. Her hair is night-black, cascading down to her waist, with deep, cold blue eyes, pale skin, and she couldn't be more than eighteen," he described, evoking in me a strong recollection of someone I knew.

"Do you have a photo of her?" I questioned.

"I have something even better: the wedding video. Here it is," he said, offering a DVD.

"Has my son seen it?"

"No, madam, he refuses to watch it, though curious about her himself," he informed me.

"Interesting," I remarked, taking the DVD. "I assume my son already gave you instructions?"

"Yes, madam. He wants her located to sign divorce papers; you know how he dislikes being tied down," he explained.

"Indeed, but now he is," I noted with a smile and retired to my chamber.

Upon entering, I played the video immediately, eager to know who she was. When the camera focused on her, I couldn't believe my eyes—she looked identical to the woman I remembered. "No, it can't be! It's her!" I exclaimed in disbelief. "This is impossible, I can't believe it!"

After watching the video, I raced down the stairs and hurried out of the mansion. I sped towards my estate, intent on informing my husband of my discovery and the events that transpired.

Upon arriving, I rushed to my husband's study and burst in without knocking, catching Dmitri by surprise—such behavior was uncharacteristic of me.

"What happened?" he inquired, startled and ceasing his work.

"I've found her," I announced, all smiles, and my husband instantly understood the significance. "She's alive."

"Where is she?" he rose from his seat to ask.

"You'll never believe it, but she married our son," I revealed.

"What? Irina, this isn't funny. You know this is serious."

"Do you think I'd joke about something like this? It sounds insane, but it's true; he married her."

"Then go fetch her, at last, after all these years, we can fulfill our duty and be close to her."

"Luka has already ordered her found as soon as possible."

"We must celebrate this," Dmitri declared joyfully.

"Darling, you know we can't yet," I retorted, sober in tone.

"True, we shall after we've accomplished our task, we just need to wait for our son to find her."