“I can’t—” My breath turned thin and uneven. Panic clawed up my throat. “My anxiety… I can’t be near her—”
“Your anxiety?” His eyes turned sharp, almost unfamiliar. “Or just another excuse so you don’t face what you did?”
“Julian, please—”
“Mira told me everything,” he cut in coldly. “How you treated her. How you made her life miserable back in school. And now you want to act like the victim?”
The ground felt like it shifted under me. “She told you that?”
“Yes,” he said flatly. “That you harassed her for years. Spread lies. Humiliated her. Made her feel worthless.” His voice dropped lower, colder. “I know exactly who you are, Aria. And honestly? It’s disgusting.”
Each word sliced deeper than the last. “That’s not true—she’s lying—”
“Is she?” He stepped closer, invading every inch of space. “Because right now, all I see is you losing control. Yelling. Attacking her. While she’s been nothing but polite.”
Tears spilled down my face. “Julian, you have to believe me—”
“I don’t have to do anything,” he said sharply. “What I need is for you to go home, think about your behavior, and come back ready to apologize. To Mira. For everything.”
“I won’t—”
“You will.” His grip tightened painfully. “Or this is over. Decide.”
Then he let go like I meant nothing, turned his back, and walked straight back into the apartment.
I stood frozen in the hallway, shaking, everything inside me breaking at once.
**
Two days later, his message arrived.
Wedding dress fitting. Tomorrow, 2 PM. Mira will be there. You two need to sort things out. She’s important to me.
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.