Chapter 127 - 0127: Miss Me, Bambina

Chapter 127: Chapter 0127: Miss Me, Bambina

Elena’s Point Of View

I slammed the heavy double doors behind me, and the loud, echoing thud sounded like the start of a war. My hands were still shaking from the fight I’d left behind, and I welcomed the sting of cold air against my flushed skin as I walked away without looking back.

********

The boutique’s massive glass doors slid open with a soft, mechanical hiss, and the world inside hit me like it always did... an explosion of pure elegance, vibrant colors, and absolute luxury.

For a moment, I let myself forget everything waiting for me outside these walls. The scent of fresh jasmine and expensive candle wax wrapped around me like a familiar blanket, and I felt my shoulders loosen just a fraction.

Lexy’s boutique wasn’t just a high-end store; it was a sanctuary. It was one of the largest, most exclusive fashion houses in the city, frequented only by royalty, socialites, and celebrities. And it hadn’t happened by accident.

Ever since high school, while the rest of us struggled through algebra, Lexy had been sitting in the back of the classroom sketching elaborate ballgowns and sharp blazers in the margins of her notebooks. I still remembered peeking over her shoulder, marveling at how effortlessly her pencil moved while mine fumbled over quadratic equations. She used to whisper that one day her name would hang in gold letters above a shop window, and I used to believe her without a shred of doubt, because Lexy had never once let reality stand in the way of her ambition.

Now, those margins had turned into a multi-million-dollar empire, and I couldn’t have been prouder of her if I tried.

Crystal chandeliers hung from the soaring ceilings, casting a warm, golden light down onto polished, mirror-like marble floors. Mannequins stood arranged in artful clusters like regal statues, draped in handcrafted silk, velvet, and lace.

The interior design was constantly shifting... pastel walls broken up by striking, modern artwork, plush velvet seating areas, and dramatic floor-to-ceiling mirrors framed in brushed gold.

Every visit felt like stepping into a different dream, and today, I desperately needed one, if only to remind myself that beauty could still exist somewhere outside the wreckage of my own life.

"Elena!"

A familiar, loud voice rang out from across the floor, and before I could even turn my head, a blur of pink silk and blonde hair barreled directly into me.

"Lexy!" I gasped, laughing out loud as she threw her arms around my neck, hugging me so tightly I could barely catch my breath.

We tumbled into a quick, breathless hug, falling seamlessly into the familiar rhythm of giggles that had belonged to us since we were sixteen-year-old girls hiding in the school bathroom, trading secrets and stolen lip gloss between classes.

Some things, thankfully, never changed, and in that fleeting moment, I let myself believe that maybe nothing truly bad could touch me here.

"Look at you!" Lexy squealed, pulling back to hold me at arm’s length, her bright blue eyes scanning me up and down. "You look gorgeous, but you also look like you’re ready to punch a hole through a wall! What happened?"

I let out a soft laugh, shaking my head as I smoothed down my top, buying myself a second to steady my voice and swallow down the truth clawing at the back of my throat. "Seriously, Lex, you need to start paying me a retainer for all these impromptu modeling sessions and emergency fitting calls."

Lexy gasped dramatically, slapping a hand over her heart in exaggerated shock. "Pay you?! Excuse me, Mrs. High-and-Mighty, you own a whole-ass holding company!"

I mirrored her expression instantly, widening my eyes in mock indignation. "And you own half the commercial real estate in this city! You’re extorting me, Alexis!"

We both burst out laughing, drawing amused looks from two wealthy women browsing a rack of winter coats nearby, but neither of us gave a damn. It felt good to laugh, even if only for a moment, even if the weight in my chest hadn’t actually lifted, still sitting there like a stone I couldn’t quite name.

"Come on," Lexy said, taking my wrist and tugging me toward her private VIP lounge at the back of the boutique. "Let’s get you something to drink before you collapse on my imported velvet rugs. What are we feeling today? Champagne? A mimosa? Or straight vodka on the rocks?"

"Vodka sounds incredibly tempting right now," I muttered, sinking onto a plush velvet sofa and letting my shoulders drop for the first time in what felt like days, "but let’s stick to orange juice. I’m trying very hard not to get arrested for drunk shopping today."

Lexy smirked, stepping over to the polished brass bar cart in the corner. She poured fresh orange juice into a tall crystal glass, handed it to me, and sat down directly across from me on the ottoman. Her playful smile slowly faded, her sharp eyes taking in the faint shadow under mine and the unnatural tightness in my shoulders.

She had always been able to read me like this, without effort, without pretense, the way only someone who had memorized every version of you over two decades could.

"Okay," Lexy said, her tone dropping into something fierce, protective, and dead serious. "Spill. Is it that worthless, cheating asshole again? Did Graham do something?"

I took a slow sip of the juice, the cool liquid soothing my dry throat. I tried to shrug it off, lifting my chin in a poor imitation of composure I didn’t actually feel. "It’s fine, Lexy. Just the usual marital bliss. Let’s not waste our breath talking about him or his precious pregnant mistress. They’re completely irrelevant."

"They are *not* irrelevant!" Lexy snapped, her fierce loyalty flaring up instantly. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, her eyes flashing with pure rage on my behalf. "Elena, I’m sorry, but I am not sorry... Graham is completely blind! He is a stupid, ungrateful, arrogant bastard who doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as you! You need to leave him! Pack your bags today, move into my guest house, and never look back!"

I looked down at my glass, a tired, humorless smile touching my lips. The ice cubes clinked softly as I turned the glass in slow circles, watching the amber light catch on their edges. "It’s not that simple, Lex. I’ve asked him for a divorce three times this month already. And the asshole is flat-out refusing to sign the papers."

"Refusing?!" Lexy practically shrieked, throwing her hands up in the air. "On what fucking grounds?! He’s the one who knocked up another woman! He’s the one who moved his mistress into your matrimonial bedroom! How the hell can he refuse a divorce?!"

I looked up at Lexy, letting out a long, heavy sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the last three years. "He says it’ll ruin the company stocks. He says it’ll destroy his family’s public image with the baby coming. He’s an asshole, for sure. A manipulative, selfish asshole."

"He’s a disease!" Lexy corrected heatedly, crossing her arms over her chest. "An absolute cancer! I swear to God, if I see his ugly face at another charity gala, I am going to spill red wine all over his custom tuxedo and accidentally trip him down the stairs!"

I couldn’t help the soft giggle that escaped my lips, grateful for even a flicker of levity in a day that had offered so little of it. "Please don’t. I don’t have the bail money for you right now."

Lexy softened, her fierce expression melting into genuine worry as she leaned across the table and placed her soft hand over mine. She looked deep into my eyes, her voice dropping into a quiet, hesitant murmur.

"Elena... can I ask you something? And I need you to be completely honest with me."

I swallowed hard, feeling a sudden prickle of apprehension in my chest, my pulse ticking upward without permission. "What?"

Lexy squeezed my hand gently. "Do you... do you still have feelings for him? Deep down? Is that why you haven’t burned his life to the ground yet?"

The question hung in the quiet, luxurious space of the room like a heavy fog, refusing to lift.

I stared at her, my mouth parting slightly, but no words came out. I didn’t know what to say to that. I genuinely didn’t know, and the not-knowing frightened me more than any answer could have.

Did I still love Graham? I really don’t know anymore. The man I had loved was already gone... a careful illusion he had constructed during our years together... a version when my body hadn’t been written off as a failure.

But did a piece of me still bleed from the betrayal? Did the ghost of what we were supposed to be still linger in the dark corners of my mind, making me hesitate when I should be striking? I didn’t have an answer. I was a tangled mess of anger, pride, residual pain, and terrifying confusion, and no amount of orange juice or velvet sofas could untangle it for me.

I hated how small that confusion made me feel, how it curled up inside my chest and refused to be reasoned with.

Seeing my silence, Lexy didn’t push. She just squeezed my hand tighter, giving me a soft, understanding nod, the kind only a friend of twenty years could offer without a single word attached.

"It’s okay," Lexy murmured gently. "You don’t have to answer that today. But right now? You need a distraction. And I have five gorgeous gowns waiting in Fitting Room One that are going to make you look like a goddess."

She stood up, pulling me off the sofa with her. The heavy tension in my chest eased slightly as she dragged me down the hallway toward the private dressing suites, her energy as infectious as always, a bright, unstoppable current I had leaned on more times than I could count.

"Go in there," Lexy instructed, pointing to the grand double doors of Room One. "Try on the champagne one first. I need to run to my front office to sign off on a shipment of silk from Milan, but I’ll be back in five minutes. If you need anything, call Anna."

"Thanks, Lex," I whispered softly, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek, grateful beyond words for a friend who never let me drown alone, even when I hadn’t asked to be saved.

I stepped into the dressing room, the heavy wooden doors clicking shut behind me.

The room was vast, lined with plush cream carpets, warm golden mirrors, and a gleaming brass rack holding five breathtaking gowns. Sequined dresses, silken slips, sharply tailored evening gowns... every shade from midnight black to warm, glowing champagne stretched before me like a promise of some other, easier life, one where my biggest problem was choosing which dress flattered me best.

I walked over to the rack, trailing my fingers over the exquisite fabrics. I picked up the pale champagne gown Lexy had mentioned. It was a masterpiece of liquid silk, delicate glass beads catching the light like tiny stars scattered across the fabric.

I let out a soft sigh, holding the heavy dress against my body in front of the full-length mirror. "I really should have considered being a model," I muttered to myself with a small, self-deprecating laugh, trying to shake off the conversation still echoing in my chest and the ache it had left behind.

Shrugging off my blazer and top, I unzipped my skirt and let my clothes fall to the floor. I stepped carefully into the silk gown, pulling the luxurious fabric up over my hips and chest. The silk slid cool and heavy against my skin, molding to my waist like water, but as I reached back to zip it up, the delicate brass zipper caught violently just past the small of my back.

I twisted my arm around, trying to reach the track. I gritted my teeth, pulling upward. Nothing. It wouldn’t budge an inch.

"Excuse me?" I called out, my voice carrying beyond the heavy wooden door. "Anna? Could someone help me with this zipper, please?"

No answer. Just the faint, muffled hum of the boutique’s ambient music drifting under the door.

I tried twisting my torso again, my fingers slipping against the cool silk. "Hello? Could you please help me? The zipper is stuck."

Still absolute silence.

My laugh came out nervous this time, echoing softly in the empty fitting room. "Okay... third time’s the charm. Anyone out there?"

Footsteps finally echoed from the hallway outside.

They weren’t the light, quick, hurried footsteps of Lexy’s female assistants. They were heavy, slow, measured, and terrifyingly deliberate. Each thud against the carpet sounded like a heavy iron weight falling, and something primal in me went utterly still, the way prey freezes when it senses a predator has entered the clearing.

Relief loosened my chest for a split second, but before I could process the strange rhythm of the steps, a sharp sound echoed through the room.

Click.

The heavy lock on the fitting room door turned and locked from the inside.

My heart instantly slammed against my ribs. I gathered my hair over my left shoulder, baring the pale skin of my back so the assistant could zip me up quickly and get out. My skin prickled violently, every nerve ending in my body firing warning flares at the sudden, oppressive shift in the room’s atmosphere.

Something was wrong. Something ancient and instinctive inside me screamed it before my mind could even catch up, some buried memory stirring awake before I even had a name to put to it.

Then, warm, heavy hands grazed the bare skin at the small of my back.

Too warm. Too large. Too terrifyingly sure of themselves.

I stiffened instantly, every single muscle in my frame locking tight as iron. But before I could whip around, before a scream could even form in my throat, a scent washed over me... dark, smoky, laced with expensive single-malt whiskey, leather, and pure danger.

The exact scent that had lived in my veins like a fever long after I swore I had flushed it out of my system, that had haunted the edges of my dreams for longer than I cared to admit, resurfacing now with a force that stole the air straight from my lungs.

My eyes flew wide open in the mirror. My heart hammered so hard against my ribs I thought it would crack my sternum.

It couldn’t be.

It was completely impossible. He couldn’t be here.

But then his voice cut through the quiet air of the fitting room... low, husky, a dark, dangerous growl that slid down my bare spine and curled tight in the pit of my stomach.

"Miss me, bambina?"

I gasped sharply, spinning around in panic, my front colliding heavily against the wall of his broad, leather-clad chest. My breath caught in my raw throat, all words evaporating instantly as his dark lips curved into that infuriating, devastating smirk, his pitch-black eyes glinting with something that wasn’t just raw hunger... it was absolute, unyielding possession.

Every moment I had spent trying to forget him crumbled in an instant, undone by nothing more than the sound of his voice, and I hated myself a little for how quickly my body remembered what my mind had fought so hard to erase.

His heavy, calloused hand trailed lazily off the stuck zipper, traveling slowly up my bare spine, sending a shiver through my entire frame, until his long fingers gently cupped the back of my neck, tilting my head up so I had no choice but to look straight into the dark void of his gaze.

He looked down at me as if I were a piece of lost property he had finally tracked down, something he had never once doubted he would find again.

His voice slithered over my skin like warm velvet wrapped around cold steel, each low syllable grazing my ear.

"Because I’ve been thinking..."

I froze, my pulse hammering wildly in my throat. The warm, dark heat of his breath brushed the shell of my ear, and I swore my knees threatened complete betrayal beneath the weight of the heavy silk dress.

"...and I couldn’t get you off my mind."