I shoved Mira hard enough that she staggered back, a sharp gasp escaping her lips.
“You’re the one who ruined me!” I cried, my voice cracking under the weight of everything. “You destroyed my life!”
I didn’t stay to hear anything else. I turned and bolted out of the apartment, tears already blurring my sight.
Behind me, Julian’s voice snapped through the air. “Aria!”
But I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. My chest felt tight, like something inside me was collapsing in on itself.
I barely made it to the hallway when he caught up. His hand clamped around my arm and spun me back toward him.
“What is wrong with you?” he hissed.
“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.
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?”
I didn’t respond. I just changed again, numb, like I was being dressed and undressed for someone else’s approval.
“Aria,” Julian said suddenly, irritation in his voice. “Are you going to cooperate or just stand there?”
I looked at him through the mirror. “What exactly do you want from me?”
“I want you to stop acting like this,” he said sharply. “Mira is trying to help. The least you can do is show gratitude.”
“I am grateful,” I said automatically.
“Then act like it,” he snapped. “Right now you just look jealous and childish.”
It felt like being slapped without warning.
Mira quickly stepped in, softening her voice. “Julian, it’s okay. She’s just overwhelmed.”
His expression changed instantly when he looked at her. “You’re too patient with her.”
Something inside me cracked quietly.
**
At the jewelry shop, it got worse.
Mira picked the rings, tried them on, gave opinions like she was the one getting married. Julian agreed with everything she said.
When I tried to speak, he cut me off.
“Just trust Mira. She knows what looks good.”
So I stood there silently while someone else chose the ring that was supposed to be mine.
**
The bridal shower was held at Grandma Rosemarie’s estate.
For a moment when I arrived, I thought maybe it would be peaceful. But Mira was already there, laughing with guests, completely in control of the room.
“She once saved my life,” Grandma said warmly to everyone, smiling at me. “Aria is a good girl.”
For a second, I felt something close to belonging.
Then Mira stood up, raising her glass.
“To Aria and Julian,” she said sweetly. “May they find the happiness they deserve.”
Glasses clinked. Everyone drank.
And then Grandma suddenly swayed.
Her glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor.
“Grandma!” I rushed forward and caught her before she fell completely.
Panic exploded around us. Someone shouted for help. Phones came out. Julian rushed in seconds later, face pale.
“What happened?” he demanded.
“I don’t know—she just collapsed—”
Before I could finish, Mira stepped forward, voice shaking like she was crying.
“I saw Aria near Grandma’s drink earlier… she was doing something with it.”
Silence hit the room instantly.
Every head turned to me.
“What?” I whispered. “No— I didn’t—”
“I didn’t want to say anything,” Mira continued, tears forming perfectly. “But I can’t stay quiet if Grandma was in danger.”
“You’re lying!” I screamed.
Julian grabbed my arm so hard it hurt. “Did you poison my grandmother?”
“No! Julian, I swear—”
“Answer me!” he shouted.
“I didn’t do anything!” My voice broke. “I would never hurt her—never—”
But he wasn’t listening anymore. His eyes were burning with anger I had never seen before.
“Get out,” he said quietly. “Before I do something I can’t undo.”
“Julian, please—”
He leaned in close, his voice dropping into something worse than anger.
“You’re nothing without me,” he whispered. “Nothing without my family. Without us, you’re just a nobody with nothing to her name.”
His words sank in like poison.
“So remember that,” he added. “Because I can take everything from you. And you won’t be able to stop me.”
