Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ISABELLE
I was surrounded by decadence.
I should have started getting used to it since my entanglement with Vincenzo had begun, but I still hadn't. The place I was standing in looked like something out of a movie.
Although Vincenzo had given me a card to shop with when I left the house, I had never thought of spending his money on designer clothes. To my surprise, I wasn't driven to a mall. Instead, the car took me down a street I had never even seen before.
“Where are we headed?” I asked.
“We're going to the Via della Libertà. If you're going to get something really upscale and not the crap tourists buy, that's the place,” the driver said. He was a Sicilian man in his forties, and he obviously knew the area, so I didn't argue with him. Not to mention, it would be beyond embarrassing if I ended up buying an overpriced knockoff.
Once the car pulled up and parked, I realized that the entire street was like an open ceiling mall. There were tall and stately buildings on both sides of the street, and at first glance, it looked like the row of buildings stretched out into the horizon and I could walk down the street for over an hour without reaching the end of it.
There were posh and elegant stores everywhere I looked, the clothes displayed in the some of the windows works of art. Even from a distance, I could see that the clothes were of high quality.
The stores that didn't have display windows had an understated elegance to them. It wasn't until I asked Michele, one of the guards, that he told me that some of them were boutiques that did fittings. I felt spoiled for choice, and I was dying to dive in, but I waited for Sarah to get there. I felt a bit awkward seeing all the stylish people walk by, it emphasized the type of people who came here, but luckily, I didn't have to wait long.
“Izzy!” A loud voice yelled as someone rammed into me. I got a deep inhale of Sarah's floral perfume as she clung to me like a koala.
“Sarah! Ease up a bit, are you trying to choke me?” I asked, but I had a grin on my face as I hugged my friend.
“Maybe. Imagine me having to find out from an article that you're dating a hunk. Came for the wedding, stayed for the hot guy, hm?” She instantly teased me, and I felt my face grow warm. Seeing Sarah was refreshing, like an anchor reminding me of my life before all this craziness.
“I didn't want to say anything until it got serious, but the tabloids got the better of us.” I parroted the lie that Vincenzo and I had agreed on and she nodded.
“So,” she started as she looped her hand through mine and pulled me into walking down the street. “This is a good street. When you said we should go shopping, I was thinking something along the lines of a regular mall.” She continued, and I laughed uncomfortably. She was right, regular malls were my style, but I didn't get to choose today.
“Vincenzo insisted on this place, and I was curious.” I finally managed to say.
We stepped into the first store and I was immediately stunned by how exquisite it was. It was decorated with lush vibrant colors that made me feel more energetic just by looking at them. The clothes hung on the mannequins were all beautiful, from a pretty little black dress, to a purple halter dress with cut outs on the side. As I looked around, Sarah did the same. She seemed like a bundle of energy as she went from one side of the store to the other.
“They have some really good stuff here. Oh, that's pretty. You have to try it out!” Her voice went from excited to over the moon as she turned over the price tag and we were greeted with a five-figure sum.
We shared a look. I wanted to tell her I didn’t feel comfortable wearing a dress that nearly costed my yearly salary. But I was annoyed to see that she wasn't as concerned as I was. Every time I managed to forget just how rich she was, something like this would remind me.
“Yes, sure…” I said shakily, and at the thought of possibly damaging it, I immediately stopped touching the dress.
Although we had tried to keep our voices down, the store was quiet enough that a nearby saleswoman heard us.
She turned to sneer at us as she gave us a once over. Her eyes looked like searchlights, lingering on my casual sandals and summer dress. She didn't have to say a word, her disdain was strong enough to be felt from just her look. I could tell she thought I was in the wrong place and couldn't afford the clothes here.
I felt my face grow warm and one glance at Sarah showed that she felt the same.
"What's your problem?" Sarah confronted the woman. The woman looked mildly amused by that, but she got over it fast.
"It's not a problem, I just think you and your assistant would be more comfortable in a store with more… American styles." The condescension practically dropped off her tone. I felt myself grow angrier as I realized that she thought I was Sarah's assistant. That did it for me, enough was enough.
“Let's go. I’m not going to spend money to have someone give me nasty looks.” I said in a loud voice before I took Sarah's hand and pulled her out of there.
“Why are we leaving? I thought you liked the dress,” she asked, a bit out of breath.
“I didn't like it that much and I hated the way she looked at us. There are so many stores around, I'm sure we can find one that doesn't have mean saleswomen.” I responded, still annoyed about what happened back there.
We visited other shops, and although I found some gorgeous clothes there, I didn't find anything that really appealed to me.
It wasn't until I entered a little store wedged in between two bigger stores that I finally found some dresses I liked.
It almost seemed like we had stepped into a fairyland. There was soft classical music playing in the background and there were clothes all around us.
The mannequins had several different styles on, from summer dresses to evening gowns. Everything looked stunning.
The first thing that caught my eye was a silk dress, it was champagne color and looked like it would fit me just perfectly. The dress felt soft to the touch, and once I put it on, it outlined my body in a deliciously sultry way. However, it was completely backless, with the back of the dress only beginning close to my butt.
I turned around to show Sarah and she giggled.
“I can practically see your butt crack. It's a pretty dress, but are you sure?” She asked, and I shook my head.
The hunt of dresses continued with Sarah bringing me an emerald dress. The fabric felt silky smooth to the touch, and the dress was a deep shade of green and had thin shoulder straps. It had a slit at the side and it looked beautiful.
“This one is gorgeous! Try it on, you'll look like a queen in this.” Sarah insisted and I went along with it.
She was right, the dress looked stunning. Once I took it to the dressing room, I hung it on the door so I could unzip it without wrinkling the fabric. The fabric felt soft against my skin and the dress fit me like a glove. However, as I stood in front of the store mirrors, I couldn't help but feel like something was missing. The dress made my pale skin look even paler, and something about it just didn't click for me.
“Can we put this in reserve? Just in case I don't find anything better?” I asked Sarah.
“Of course, there are so many dresses here. I’m sure you'll find one you like more than this.” With that, she left me in the changing room and went back to going through the clothes.
We continued picking out dresses and trying them on. Sarah also tried on some htings, we helped each other with the zippers and chatted with the soft classical music and complimentary champagne helping the time just fly past.
Speaking with Sarah helped distract me but it also made me thing about another dilemma that I had been avoiding. I hadn’t wanted to think about it before, but I had to make a decision about Mark.
I think Sarah noticed because I caught her giving me an inquiring look.
“It's nothing, just thinking about Vincenzo. Ooh, this white dress would make you look like an angel. You should try it on,” I quickly said, trying to change the subject.
"Nah, we're here to get you a dress, not me."
Just when I was beginning to wonder if I should just buy the emerald dress, Sarah came running up to me.
“Izzy! Take a look, isn't this perfect for you?” She asked, holding up a midnight blue dress. The color alone was enough to catch my attention, so I agreed to try it on. I walked into the dressing room and found that the dress was just as comfortable as it looked.
Once I stepped out, I knew that the dress was the right decision. Sarah's jaw dropped when she spotted me, and when I turned to look in the mirror, I understood why.
The dress had short sleeves and a slit up the side, but what really made me like it was that it managed to cling to my figure without being overtly sexy, and the color made my skin look stunning. I almost looked like a different person, like one of the celebrities in magazines.
“That's it! This is the one. You'll knock them dead.” She said after a moment, and I nodded. Just being in the dress made me feel more confident than usual, and I would need that confidence for the event.
“Thanks Sarah.” I said, as we walked up to the cashier to pay for the dress. Matteo, my bodyguard, and our driver were waiting for us once we had paid, they took the bags and followed behind us as we left the store.
“Thanks? Come on, we're friends. If I had a fancy event to go to with Mark, I'm sure you'd go shopping with me. Plus, you were by my side for wedding preparations and I know that I practically turned into a bridezilla at a point, but you stuck by me.” She teased as she playfully bumped into me from the side. I found that my laugh was too loud, and too harsh, I knew it was because of how guilty I felt.
My day with Sarah was going great, but I still felt conflicted about being around her. I felt guilty because of what Mark had said to me on our ‘double date’, and even worse, I felt sick in my stomach about not telling her.
“Oh. Speaking of, how's life as a new bride treating you?” I finally managed to ask. She laughed cheerfully in response.
“Oh, it's great. Mark has been so nice and thoughtful. You know how people say men stop trying after you get married? Well, ever since the wedding, he has been extra attentive.” She said, and the wave of guilt I felt only grew stronger.
I couldn't help but wonder if he was being so nice to her because he felt guilty about what he had said to me. She didn't deserve this, Sarah was the nicest person I knew. Yet, I was hesitant to tell her.
I didn't want to be the one to break her heart, and I was scared of how it would affect our friendship. As much as I hoped it would stay buried forever and I could forget about it, I knew it wasn't the right thing to do.
“Right now, Mark's talking with the moving guys back home. They're picking up the furniture we purchased. Before the wedding, he wanted a horrible green bean bag in our living room, but now he has seen the light. He picked the couch I wanted. I hate to brag, but I really got a good one. What about you? Have you decided on a date for your wedding?” She asked. Her joy and excitement about Mark felt like a stab.
“The engagement was fast but we're going to take our time with the wedding.” I responded, distracted again, glad I had kept the engagement ring on my finger. Sarah seemed so excited for me, I couldn't imagine having to explain my deal with Vincenzo to her.
I wanted to tell her about the fake engagement, but I didn't even know how to broach the subject. There was no way I could explain it without telling her about Vincenzo's business, and I was all too aware of how that would put her in danger. So I decided not to tell her about it, for her own good. No matter how much I felt like a traitor.
I looked at Sarah again and she had a wide smile on her face and was positively glowing.
“I'll get a cab back to the hotel.” She said once we reached the car and I shook my head immediately.
“Don't be ridiculous. You came all the way out here and took time out of your honeymoon for me. The least I can do is drop you off,” I told her, and although she tried to protest, I insisted. She didn't relent until the driver insisted that it was no problem and it wasn't out of our way.
I let out a sigh of relief when she finally got in. The ride back was just as fun as our day shopping was.
"So, can we talk some more about that snooty saleswoman?" She started, reminding me of the first store we went to.
"Oh God, yes. Did you see her face when we walked past with my bags?" I smirked with satisfaction at the thought.
"Yeah, she looked stunned." She giggled.
"She could have fit two whole eggs into her mouth with how wide her jaw dropped." At that, Sarah and I laughed.
We laughed so much that by the time we got to her hotel, my cheeks had begun to hurt from smiling too much.
“Do you want to come in and say hi to Mark? He'll be sad he missed you,” she said, and I immediately said no. Meeting Mark again wasn't high on my to-do list.
"Alright. Goodbye Izzy, text me!"
"I will, Sarah, take care." I watched her go into the hotel before leaving.
However, as Sarah stepped in, I felt my phone buzz. A glance at the screen made my eyes widen. It was a text from Mark.
Can we talk?