FROM HUMILIATED BRIDE TO HIS OBSESSION

Episode8

8

Zoey POV

I went from humiliation to luxury overnight.

I almost didn't step outside, my hands stayed on the doorknob longer than they should have, my heart beating too fast for something as simple as leaving my apartment. It wasn’t fear exactly; it was something heavier, something that felt like standing at the edge of a cliff, knowing that one step forward would change everything.

Yesterday, I was the girl everyone laughed at, the girl in the viral video, the girl who got left at the altar. Today I didn’t know who I was.

My phone buzzed again in my hand, I didn’t need to look because I already knew what it would say, more comments, more strangers talking about me like I wasn’t real.

“She deserved it,” “She wasn’t even that pretty,” “he upgraded.” My throat tightened, and I forced myself to open the door.

The bright daylight hit my face as I stepped outside. I froze, a sleek black car parked in front of my building, not just any kind of car, it was the kind of car you only see in movies or outside luxury hotels, the kind of car that made people stop and stare.

The windows were tinted, the body was polished so perfectly that it reflected the world around it like glass and standing beside it was a man in a perfectly tailored suit.

He looked at me, “Miss Aguilar,” he said, stepping forward smoothly, “Mr Bellucci sent me.”

My name sounded different coming from him. Formal, important, and not pitiful, I swallowed. People on the street slowed down, and I could feel their eyes on me.

Someone whispered, “I think that’s her…” Heat rushed to my face. Yesterday, those whispers felt like knives, but today they felt different because now they were not just mocking her, they were curious.

I stood there, frozen between two worlds, the one I knew and the one waiting inside that car. This is insane. I told myself I could still walk away, I could go back upstairs, crawl into my bed, and pretend none of this was happening.

But then Adrian’s face flashed in my mind, the way he looked at me like I was nothing, and my jaw tightened. I slowly walked forward, the driver opened the door for me. I hesitated just before stepping in. This wasn’t just a car, it felt like a line a choice and once I crossed it there was no going back.

My fingers curled slightly, then I stepped inside, the door shut behind me with a soft final click, and just like that, my old life felt farther away. I leaned back against the soft leather seat, my heart still racing.

This doesn’t feel like revenge anymore. I stared out the window as the car pulled away, it felt like stepping into a different life.

The boutique was very quiet. That was the first thing I noticed when I stepped inside, not the peaceful kind of quiet but the careful kind of quiet.

The kind that made you feel like you had to lower your voice without being told, the floors were smooth, the lights were soft and warm, making everything glow.

The clothes were arranged perfectly like pieces of art instead of things people actually wore.

And the people looked perfect, perfect hair, perfect posture, perfect smiles. I suddenly became very aware of my simple outfit, my worn shoes, the way I didn’t belong here.

A woman approached me with a gentle smile. “Miss Aguilar, we’ve been expecting you,” she said smoothly.

I blinked, expecting me? “Mr. Bellucci has already selected a few pieces for you,” she continued.

“He…what?”

“This way, please,” she gestured gracefully. I followed her slowly, my mind spinning. He chose them? How? Why? When?

She led me to a section filled with dresses, beautiful elegant expensive dresses. There were heels lined up beside them, jewelry that sparkled under the soft lights.

Everything looked too perfect. “This would suit you,” the woman said, holding up a fitted dress. I took it carefully, the fabric was soft and smooth, it was nothing like anything I owned.

“Try it,” she encouraged. I nodded even though I felt confused. Inside the dressing room, I stood there for a moment staring at the dress.

This wasn’t mine, I thought, but I changed anyway, and when I looked up I couldn’t recognize the person in the mirror. The girl staring back at me looked confident, beautiful, like someone people would notice, like someone worth looking at.

This didn’t feel real, it felt like I was pretending, as I had stepped into someone else’s life. I stepped out of the dressing room, and the room went quiet, not completely, but enough.

The staff looked at me differently, like I had changed, like I mattered “for the first time since the wedding,” I whispered under my breath, looking at my reflection in the mirror again. “I didn’t look broken.”

The moment I stepped outside, the car door was already open, as if they knew exactly when I would come out. People were staring more than before, people were already videoing and taking pictures, which made my stomach twist.

This isn’t private anymore," I told myself. Another car pulled up. This one looked even more expensive, the door opened, and he stepped out. Christian Bellucci looked the same as before, like the world had moved around him.

My heart shook, not just because he was attractive but because of the way he carried himself. He walked towards me slowly, eyes locked into mine, which made it hard for me to look away. He stopped in front of me, his eyes scanning me like I was an object, then he said calmly, “This works.”

That was it, but something in his voice made heat rise under my skin, validation hit me harder than I expected. I didn’t want it to matter, but it did.

He offered his arm, and I stared at it for a second before I placed my hand lightly in it. His arm was firm, and with that single act, I became part of his world.

The car was quieter this time, or maybe it just felt that way because of him. I became aware of everything, how close we were, the faint scent of his cologne, the steady rhythm of his breathing.

“You don’t go anywhere alone from now on,” he said suddenly.

I frowned. “That sounds like control.”

“That’s protection,” he replied calmly.

The words landed differently than I expected, protection. He continued like it was nothing: “You’ll have security, your schedule will change, you’ll be seen more.”

“I didn’t agree to lose my freedom,” I said.

“You agreed to be part of this,” he said, glancing at me briefly. He reached for my wrist and adjusted the bracelet I was wearing, his fingers brushing my skin. For a second I forgot how to breathe because it was unexpected.

“You represent me now,” he added. I looked out the window, my thoughts spinning. The world outside felt distant, like I was already ring pulled somewhere else.

I didn’t know if I was being protected or being pulled deeper into something I couldn’t escape.

I was lost in thought that I didn’t know we’d gotten to our destination.

The gates opened before we even stopped, like they’d been expecting us. The car drove in smoothly, the place was huge, perfect, every detail looked planned. I got lost staring at the place.

Christian stepped out first, then walked around and opened my door effortlessly like he had done this a thousand times. I stepped out slowly and immediately felt eyes watching me.

“This is your life?” I asked quietly.

“Part of it,” he replied.

Part of it? What did the rest look like? I swallowed because suddenly I wanted to know.

He turned and started walking inside. He didn’t check if I followed because he already knew I would and I did. Because somewhere between stepping into that car and standing in front of that house, something had changed.

I thought I was stepping into a fake relationship. As I walked behind him, surrounded by power that wasn’t mine, I felt it deep in my chest. This wasn’t just his world anymore and for the first time, the realization didn’t scare me enough to walk away. It was about to become mine too.