I stared at the screen until the words blurred together. He wasn’t asking. He was ordering. Forcing me to sit in the same space as the person who had already destroyed me.
And I went anyway.
Because without Julian… without Grandma Rosemarie… I had nothing left to hold on to.
**
The bridal boutique felt suffocating the moment I stepped inside. Julian and Mira were already there—standing too close, laughing like they shared something I wasn’t part of.
When Julian saw me, his expression flattened. “You’re late.”
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly.
Mira smiled like nothing had ever happened. “It’s fine, Aria. I know things have been hard for you lately.” She touched Julian’s arm lightly. “Should we start?”
It felt like I wasn’t even real in that room.
Mira chose dresses for me like I was a doll. Julian barely looked up from his phone. When I stepped out in the first gown, she tilted her head.
“It’s okay,” she said, though her tone didn’t match her smile. “But maybe something less simple? This is Julian’s wedding too.”
Julian nodded without even looking at me. “Try another.”
By the third dress, her tone had shifted. “The fit isn’t flattering. Your posture makes it worse. Are you even trying?”