40. Veronica
CHAPTER 40
Veronica
I sift through the racks at this store, but nothing catches my eye. The reds, blues, and blacks all blend together as I dissociate.
A date.
I never thought I would be shopping for a nice dress and going on a date with a man I genuinely like. Hell, I never thought there would be a man that I liked.
But Leo gave me a second chance even after what I did to him. I hurt him physically. He shouldn’t have forgiven me. No other man would have let go of the past if they were stabbed, but he did.
I’m still shocked at the fact he forgave me so easily after everything that happened in the asylum and the things he has done to me since I popped back into his life.
He texted me this morning while at work and said to be ready by seven. He also told me to wear something fancy. After learning that information, I stood there staring at the clothing I owned hanging up in my closet. There were a few dresses that I could wear, but I had already had them on while I’ve been around Leo.
Tonight, I wanted something different. Something new.
And being me and having no clue whatsoever about what I was doing, I called in reinforcements.
Looking across the store, I watch Chloe push back hanger after hanger. From here, I can see her face and the disgusted expression that it holds. I smile, knowing she isn’t having any luck looking at dresses for me either.
I was hesitant to call her with all the wedding stuff going on. Thankfully, our duties as bridesmaids are done, but Chloe has still been doing small stuff here and there. Myles had to beg her to stop because he didn’t want all the planning to put stress on her and the baby.
However, Chloe was okay with Myles making her stop, seeing as it was dragging her into the depths of exhaustion. Being pregnant alone causes so much fatigue, but add wedding planning on top of that? There is no way.
“All these options suck,” she huffs while aggressively sliding the hangers on the metal pole.
“I agree.” My hand drops from the cotton dress I had held for too long. “You okay? You seem… on edge.”
She sighs, stepping away from the clothing rack. “Yeah. Just pre-wedding jitters.”
“You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”
“God, no!” She rounds the rack that I’m at to stand next to me. “The wedding is next week. No matter how much I love Myles, I’m still nervous about the whole thing.”
“It’s a big day.”
“That it is,” she states, scrunching her nose in disgust. “We need to go somewhere else to get you a dress. All these dresses are for nightclubs, and if I know my brother, he is not taking you to one of those tonight.”
“Well, it is the place Sylvia chose when planning your party. Or should I say hers?”
“She is so frustrating.”
“Has she gotten any better?”
“I mean, yeah, but I’m still mad at her for that whole day. Even if she came out of that club looking like she got into a fight.” Chloe moves her eyes from the clothes to my face. “She seriously got so drunk that she face-planted? I’m glad I wasn’t there to witness that.”
I hide the smirk that wants to play on my face. Luckily, Sylvia kept her mouth shut about me ramming her face into the mirror and came up with the lie that she fell while leaving the club.
“It wasn’t pretty.”
“I’m going to cut things off with her after the wedding,” Chloe decides. “She and the others haven’t been real friends to me for so long. I don’t see why I need them to remain in my life. Not when I have people who actually care about me.”
She nudges me with her elbow. Deep down, guilt bubbles in my stomach. I’ve lied to her this entire time, and she trusts me. She can never find out who I really am.
“The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve learned that it’s not about quantity but quality.”
“That’s a good way to look at it.” I smile at her. “I’m proud of you, by the way. For choosing to cut the toxic people out of your life.”
I should be the one she is cutting out of her life.
“Thanks! And I’m proud of you!”
My brows dip in confusion. “What did I do?”
“I guess I should be thanking you.” Her smile falls from bright to soft in a matter of seconds. “For looking past what Leo has done and that he spent time in prison. I was worried that he wouldn’t find a girl that would be okay with all of it.”
I feel my heart begin to pick up its pace, and I swallow hard. “Who am I to judge him for the things he has done? It’s all in the past.”
Suddenly, my phone starts ringing. The only two people who could be calling me are Leo or Slater since I’m with Chloe. I pull out my phone and stare at the screen.
“That it is!” she chirps. “Why is the police station calling you?”
I never told her about the incident with Aiden. With her being pregnant and all, I didn’t want to stress her out, but how would I explain this? It seems like I’ll have to settle on the truth because my brain won’t come up with a lie—not with how nervous I am about answering this.
“Uhm—I got attacked the other night by a man in our apartment building.” I swallow the bubble in my throat. “He was attached to a murder the night before.”
“Jesus! Are you okay? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Before I respond to her, I answer the phone. “Hello?”
“Hi, Miss Saunders?”
“Yes.” It’s been two weeks since they took Aiden to jail. Two weeks of me internally panicking.
“This is Officer Richards. I wanted to let you know that all the tests were run, and we are sending Aiden to prison.”
“You are?”
“Yes. The knife he used to attack you had the blood of that man who was murdered. Aiden’s fingerprints were all over it. You don’t have to worry about him anymore.”
“That’s great news. Thank you.” We say our goodbyes, and I hang up.
“What the heck happened, Camille?” Chloe asks as soon as I’m off the phone.
“The man that attacked me was tied to a murder that happened the night before.” I pretend to be in shock. “They are sending him to prison.”
“Good! That’s where he should be!” she states while rubbing my arm. “I’m glad you are okay. But with that being said, we need retail therapy. Let’s leave here before the sales lady bombards us again.”
I nod in agreement, both of us turning around and heading for the door. Once we are out in the fresh air, my head seems clearer.
“Where are we going?”
“There is this cute place right down the street. The options they have there are more elegant.” Her arm links with mine, and we stroll down the sidewalk to the next store.
The double doors are made of glass, and the lights from the inside are warm and inviting—unlike the store we were just in, where those bulbs were burning my retinas.
A worker approaches us almost immediately, asking if we need any help. Chloe tells her we are going to look around, so the lady dips her head with a smile and leaves us alone.
This place is the polar opposite of the one we just came from. First the lights, and now the worker? The other lady was glued to our hips until Chloe’s hormones made her snap.
“What color do you want to go for?” Chloe questions. “You looked so good in the red bridesmaid dress! Maybe you can give him a sneak preview of that!” She wiggles her eyebrows. “Or keep it a surprise.”
“Let’s keep it a surprise.” I shake my head with a laugh. “What about green? But like a dark green, not something that makes me look like a highlighter.”
Chloe nods, humming in response as she browses the selection. “A dark green would look good with your hair and skin tone. And it would match your eyes.” Sifting through the racks, she pulls a few dresses out and holds them up. “What about these?”
The first one is a pretty shade with long sleeves. At the end of the sleeves are thick strings of fabric that you tie into a bow. It is shorter than the second one she is holding up. That one is made of a denser material but has thin shoulder straps and, from what I can see, a high slit.
“They are both pretty,” I admit.
“Try them both on,” Chloe suggests, raising a hand for the worker to get me a fitting room.
She walks us back to an area with multiple rooms, each with a cloth as a door. A beautiful dusty pink couch sits in the middle of the white carpeted room, where Chloe gets comfortable.
Lifting her hand, she gestures for me to try the dresses on. When I walk into the small space, I choose to step into the shorter dress. It fits perfectly, the neckline swooping down just about the tops of my breasts.
I turn around, peering over my shoulder at the back, when I hear a voice. A familiar voice that I didn’t expect to hear.
I stand still momentarily before opening the curtain and peeking my head out.
From here, I have a perfect view of the showroom, where I see her standing at a clothing rack with another woman. My teeth clench together, and my body begins to panic.
Stephanie.
Did I think I would have a run-in with my sister while being back in Seattle? No.
I was careful enough to avoid her. I learned all the places she would go and never went there. Granted, she only went to the best of the best while shopping or eating, so I had nothing to worry about.
Until today.
This shop isn’t on the higher end; the prices are somewhat affordable. Why is she here, then?
She tosses her head back, laughing elegantly at something her friend said. I need to retreat into the fitting room, but I can’t take my eyes off her.
My sister. The one person I truly loved. Just in the other room.
“Are you going to come out and let me see it?” Chloe’s question pulls my gaze away from Stephanie, and when I meet her gaze, she stares at me in confusion.
I shake my head, ducking back behind the curtain. I hear her mumble under her breath, and the curtain is ripped open.
“What the hell is goi?—”
Before she can finish, I pull her into the room and rip the curtain shut. “Shh.”
The confusion on her face turns to concern, and she whispers, “Why are we being quiet? What’s going on?”
“That girl out there… I know her. She wasn’t—” I hesitate, not knowing what lie I want to spin. “She wasn’t the nicest to me.”
“How do you know her?”
Come on, Veronica. Think!
“We went to school together.” The lie rolls past my lips.
“Huh. How crazy is it that you two are in Seattle at the same time?”
“Super crazy,” I say. “I don’t want her to see me.”
“She was that mean to you?” In an instant, I can see Chloe going into mama bear mode. “I’ll go give her a piece of my mind.”
“No!” I stop her; my voice is a little too loud, so I tone it down. “It’s not worth it. I just—I can’t face her.”
Chloe offers a sad smile. “Okay. You can stay in here until she leaves.”
“Thank you,” I say softly.
“The dress is very pretty on you. Why don’t you try on the other one? I’ll go sit on the couch, and when you are ready, I’ll come in to see it.”
She leaves me alone, and I quickly strip out of the dress and put the other one on. It is nice and fits well, but the fabric is too heavy. “I’m ready.”
Chloe enters the fitting room again and grins. “That is super pretty.”
“Yeah, but the fabric is weighing me down,” I tell her, running my hands along the felt. “I think I like the other one more.”
Before Chloe can respond, I hear that voice again, but this time, it is closer and paired with another.
“Stephanie, did you hear me?” her friend asks.
“Sorry, I thought I heard…” She stays silent for a moment, and I’m afraid she will be able to hear my heart through the faint music playing overhead. “Never mind.”
My eyes slide over to Chloe, whose eyes are as wide as mine.
“I said you should try on the yellow dress. With your tan, it would look so good,” the friend tells her.
“Yeah, okay,” Stephanie finally agrees.
“We need to go.” I mouth to Chloe, who nods.
She motions to the clothes I wore here and then points outside, telling me she will step out while I get dressed.
I’ve never put clothes on so quickly in my entire life. When I’m fully clothed, I grab the dress I’m buying and peek out at Chloe. She ushers me out using her hand.
When I step out, the coast is clear. We get up front, and I pay for the dress. Thankfully, the customer service here is outstanding because they do not dillydally.
The woman hands me the bag and tells us to have a great day.
As we walk towards the exit, only two more feet until I am free, a hand grabs my wrist. I stop walking and glance down at the hand gripping me.
“Veronica?” Stephanie’s voice sends me into fight or flight.
I have to look at her. There is no way around it, and when I do, she looks at me in confusion. “No, I’m sorry. You have the wrong person.”
“Camille,” Chloe says from behind me. Stephanie’s eyes leave mine briefly to glance at the person behind me. “Sorry, but we are in a rush.”
Stephanie releases my hold. “I’m sorry. I thought you were?—”
“That’s okay.” I smile, dropping my eyes to the floor as I as I follow Chloe out of the store.