Chapter 118

Aurora POV

For a second, my brain refuses to process what I’m seeing.

She’s just standing there in the doorway of the fitting room like she owns the place, one hand braced against the frame, a smirk tugging at her painted mouth. The satin skirt I’m wearing sways slightly from my sudden turn toward her, the hem brushing my ankles in a whisper of fabric.

“What the hell are you doing here?” The words leave my mouth before I can stop them, tight and filled with disbelief.

Gianna reacts faster.

She steps between us, her voice already rising. “Why are you here? Get the hell out. Now.”

Camilla’s smirk widens into something almost playful, except there’s nothing soft in her eyes.

“Relax, little bridesmaid. I just overheard that you two were out here trying on wedding dresses and I thought… why not join in on the fun?”

Camilla makes a slow, mocking gesture toward my gown. “This is a big moment, after all. You should have family here to support you.”

Her tone drips with fake sweetness, every syllable meant to irritate me and doing every bit just that.

I can feel the heat rising in my chest, but I force a tight smile. The last thing I want is a public scene, this boutique is one of the nicest in the city and I’m not about to get thrown out before I even find the dress.

“Camilla,” I say evenly, trying to be civil, “we’re in the middle of something. Maybe—”

But apparently, that’s exactly what she’s waiting for, my attempt at keeping things civil and completely destroying it altogether.

She barrels forward, stepping right into the small fitting space like it’s hers, her perfume cloying and heavy in the air. Her eyes rake over me from head to toe in the gown. “Oh, I’m sure you are. Funny thing, though. When I imagine you in a wedding dress, I always picture the groom running the other way.”

Gianna moves to physically push her out, but Camilla jerks away and suddenly she’s on me, hands out, shoving at my shoulder, muttering something under her breath that I can’t quite catch but know it’s vicious.

It all happens so fast.

One second I’m trying to step back without ripping the dress and the next, she’s clawing at the skirt, fingers tangling in the delicate lace.

“Let go, Camilla!” I shove her back, careful not to trip on the long train pooling behind me.

She laughs, it’s a brittle and wild sound, and lunges again, trying to grab the bodice next like she’s going to rip it right off me. “Let’s see how perfect the little bride looks when she’s not wrapped in silk.”

The commotion draws voices from outside the fitting room, rushed footsteps and alarmed shouts from boutique staff, and then the curtain is wrenched back.

Marco and Luca appear almost at the same time, their big frames filling the doorway. Luca takes one look at Camilla’s grip on my dress and steps forward like he’s ready to throw her over his shoulder and march her outside.

Hell, maybe he will if this goes on another second longer.

“Hands off her,” Marco warns, his voice calm and cold.

The boutique staff swarm in too, fluttering around like distressed birds and trying to separate us before something happens to the dress.

Camilla jerks her hands back at last but only because she knows she’s accomplished what she wanted: the attention and the disruption of my day, humiliating me on what’s supposed to be a happy occasion, just like she did for my first wedding.

She smirks at me as the manager appears, eyes blazing. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave. All of you.”

“I didn’t—” I start, but she cuts me off with a sharp shake of her head.

“No exceptions. Out. And… you’re going to have to pay for that.” She says, pointing to a slight tear in the dress’s skirt.

And just like that, we’re herded through the shop, up to the counter to pay for the dress while the twins flanking me as Gianna keeps throwing Camilla looks that could burn a hole straight through her skull.

The hot air outside hits my flushed cheeks like a slap.

Gianna spins on Camilla the second we’re on the sidewalk. “What the hell is wrong with you! You just ruined this for her for literally no reason!”

Camilla looks so damn pleased because this is exactly the ending she wanted. She tilts her head, eyes sliding to me. “Oh, there’s a reason. She should’ve stayed gone. But no, she had to come back and play happy little mafia bride. So now? I’m going to make her life a living hell.”

Her smirk turns razor-sharp as she turns on her heel, stalking away to a nearby car pulled up to the curb with all the self-satisfaction of someone who knows she’s landed a solid first blow.

I stand there, my fingers still trembling where they clutch the heavy skirt, and I know deep down that she’s not bluffing.

This was only the beginning.

The second she’s out of earshot, all four of us just… lose it.

The tension pops like a bubble and we burst out laughing. Not the polite giggles but the loud, can’t-catch-your-breath laughter that has me doubling over, clutching the skirt of the dress I’m still wearing.

“I swear,” Gianna says between snorts, “this is exactly why I wanted to keep her locked up at the estate. I told my dad to keep her in the basement but he wouldn’t listen.”

“She’d probably tunnel her way out just to start another fight,” I say, wiping at my eyes.

Luca shakes his head, smiling in disbelief. “You two are…quite the pair.”