~Raquel's POV~
The champagne flute slipped from my fingers, shattering against the marble floor of our honeymoon suite like my shattered dreams. I'd imagined this night a thousand times... soft candlelight, my new husband Alex's hands exploring my body with the tenderness of a man who'd waited his whole damn life for me.
But instead, there he was... sprawled across the king-sized bed in the penthouse overlooking the glittering city skyline, his tuxedo rumpled, a half-empty bottle of scotch dangling from his limp hand. Passed out cold before the clock even struck midnight. Our wedding had been a whirlwind of opulence, courtesy of his family's billions, but this?
This was the bitter reality of marrying into the Romanov dynasty.
I stood there in my white lace lingerie, the kind that hu
