chapter 10

Isabella's pov

Julian’s hand was still firm on my waist as he led me away from Sarah’s stunned expression. My heart was hammering so loudly I was sure half the mall could hear it. Wife? He really said that out loud? And in public? My brain hadn’t even caught up.

We stopped in front of a glittering display of designer dresses. I froze, blinking at the rows of silk, chiffon, and lace as though they were alien artifacts. I’d never seen clothes like these up close except maybe through the glass while window shopping with Sarah, back when she wasn’t a traitorous witch.

“Pick the ones you like,” Julian’s voice snapped me back to the present. He released me and sank into the nearest leather couch like a king who had just commanded his servant.

I swallowed hard, my eyes darting between a sequined gown and a rack of sleek coats. Pick? Like it was that easy. My confused self just stood there, hands twitching, as if I was waiting for permission to breathe.

His voice cut through the silence again, sharper this time. “Why didn’t you try to defend yourself?”

I turned to him, startled. “H…how?” I muttered, my brows knitting together.

He leaned back, arms folded, his icy blue eyes piercing through me. “Why did you allow her to continue insulting you?”

My lips parted, but no words came out. The truth? I didn’t know how to defend myself. I’d been insulted, mocked, and walked over so many times that silence had become my survival skill. But standing there, under his gaze, I suddenly felt… small.

“I didn’t want to waste my breath on somebody like her,” I said, lifting my chin as if that were the end of it. My voice came out steadier than I expected, almost convincing, almost.

But inside? My chest still burned with every word Sarah had thrown at me. Her laugh, her sneer…it all clung to my skin like dirt I couldn’t wash off.

Julian’s eyes narrowed, as if he could see straight through me. His icy blue eyes fixed on me in a way that made my stomach knot. You're a terrible liar," Julian said flatly, his voice cutting through the silence like a sharp blade.

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "I'm not lying," I shot back sarcastically, folding my arms across my chest as if that would hide the lie already written all over my face.

Before I could blink, he was on his feet. My breath hitched as he closed the distance between us with slow, deliberate steps. Every nerve in my body went on high alert. Then, without a word, he tilted my chin upward with the tip of his finger, forcing my gaze to meet his.

And just like that… I was lost.

Those ocean blue eyes held me captive, pulling me deeper the longer I stared. They were intense yet calm, dangerous yet soothing. My heart pounded so hard in my chest I was sure he could hear it.

"You're now the wife of Julian Rothwell," he said, voice dropping into a low, commanding tone that sent shivers dancing down my spine. "One of the most successful men in the country. And you…" his finger brushed lightly against my chin, "are not allowed to tolerate nonsense from mad people who just happen to be wearing clothes."

I swallowed hard, my lips parting slightly as I licked my bottom lip…God, why did I do that? and gave a small nod. Words had completely abandoned me.

He held my gaze a moment longer before stepping back, as if nothing had just happened. Then he turned, plucked a soft blue, elegant dress from the rack, and held it out toward me.

"Try this on," he said simply.

I hesitated for a moment before taking the dress from his hand. It was a deep royal blue, a body hugging silhouette that looked like it had been sewn for me before I was even born. The neckline dipped into a daring V shape with thin spaghetti straps that promised to show more skin than I was used to, and the waistline… God, the waistline shimmered with tiny diamonds. Or at least, they looked like diamonds.

"Are these real?" I whispered under my breath, afraid of the answer.

Before I could think too much, two women appeared out of nowhere, sales attendants, both of them smiling too politely as they guided me toward a changing room. My hands were clammy the whole time, and by the time I slipped into the dress, I barely recognized the girl staring back at me in the mirror.

When I stepped out, the room suddenly felt smaller. Julian was still sitting where I left him but the moment his eyes found me, everything else seemed to disappear.

He stared. Longer than I expected. Longer than was normal. His gaze didn’t just look at me, it studied me, slowly traveling down my body in a way that made my heart stumble over itself. I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t.

Without breaking his stare, he beckoned to one of the saleswomen. She hurried over, and he whispered something in her ear that I couldn’t catch. She nodded once and slipped out of the room.

Julian rose to his feet and began circling me like I was a masterpiece he’d commissioned himself. His eyes traced every curve, every line of fabric clinging to my skin. Then he stopped right in front of me, tilting his head slightly.

"Not bad," he murmured.

I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest. "Why are you looking at me like that? I’m… not comfortable."

Before he could answer, the saleswoman returned this time holding a small velvet box. She approached Julian and opened it carefully, revealing a breathtaking diamond necklace. A delicate rose design sat at the center, its petals carved from pure diamond, catching the light with every tiny movement.

Julian picked it up without a word and stepped behind me. My breath caught when his fingers brushed the back of my neck, pushing my hair aside gently. His hands were warm too warm and every time his skin touched mine, a wave of electricity rolled through me. My knees felt weak, my heartbeat unsteady.

The pendant settled perfectly in the middle of my chest, just between the small dip of my exposed cleavage and when I glanced up, Julian’s eyes were fixed there, his gaze dark and unreadable.

“Now,” he murmured, his lips brushing dangerously close to my ear, “you look like a Rothwell.”

Julian's pov

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting when she walked out but it definitely wasn’t this.

The moment Isabella stepped out of the fitting room, the world seemed to slow. The soft blue fabric hugged every curve of her body like it had been designed with her in mind. The V line neckline drew my eyes downward against my will, and the diamonds stitched into the waist caught the light like stars trapped in silk.

For a second, I forgot how to breathe.

Her fingers fidgeted nervously with the hem of the dress, and she shifted under my stare.

My eyes were already tracing the path down the elegant line of her neck, over the smooth rise of her chest, where the pendant I had chosen earlier would soon rest, then down to her perfect hourglass shape. My jaw tightened as something unfamiliar stirred inside me, something I’d spent years building walls against.

I gestured for one of the saleswomen and murmured a few words. She disappeared quickly and returned moments later with a velvet box. I flipped it open and pulled out the diamond rose necklace.

I stepped behind her, and I stepped closer far too close. My hands brushed the bare skin of her shoulders as I fastened the clasp behind her neck. Every inch of contact burned hotter than it should have. When she turned back, the rose pendant settled perfectly in the dip of her cleavage, almost disappearing between the swell of her breasts.

And that was my mistake.

Because my eyes lingered there. Far too long. Longer than was appropriate. Longer than a man like me, cold, composed, in control should allow himself to look.

I forced my gaze up, but the damage was done. My heart was already racing. My guard, the one I never let down, was slipping.

“Now…” I cleared my throat, voice lower than intended. “Now you look like a Rothwell.”

She blinked up at me, cheeks flushed pink. I couldn’t tell if it was embarrassment or something else, something I shouldn’t hope for.

I tore my gaze away and stepped back, putting space between us before I did something I would regret. But even as I did, my eyes betrayed me sliding back, just once, to where that diamond rested like it belonged there.