Chapter 80: Getting Dressed

Sienna moved toward the small pile of clothes she had grabbed from her apartment the night before, pulling out her usual shirt and a worn pair of jeans, soft from years of washing, familiar in a way that felt almost like coming home.

It was simple. Elegant in its own quiet way. And for once, she was just happy to be wearing something that belonged to her, something she had chosen for herself, instead of the polished, expensive things Viktor always seemed to hand-pick, the kind of clothes that made her look like some rich, spoiled woman playing dress up in someone else’s life.

She pulled the shirt over her head and reached for her jeans, already feeling more like herself than she had in days.

"Seriously, Sienna?" Aria’s voice cut through the quiet, sharp with disbelief. She stood in the doorway of her walk-in closet, one hand braced against the frame, staring at Sienna as she had just watched her commit a crime.

"Are you actually wearing that? No. No, absolutely not. That is terrible." Her eyes dropped lower, and her mouth fell open even wider.

"And what are those? Sneakers? Girl, seriously, you are the wife of Viktor Kessler. Mrs. Kessler does not walk around in that."

"Says who?" Sienna asked, glancing down at herself, suddenly self-conscious despite herself.

"Says everyone with eyes," Aria said, already pushing past her, rifling through the closet with the focused determination of a woman on a mission.

Sienna crossed her arms, watching her friend dig through row after row of clothes. "See how quickly you changed your mind," she said, unable to keep a small edge of annoyance out of her voice.

"First he’s a jerk. Now you’re all excited and telling me how to dress for him."

Aria paused mid-search, turning back to look at Sienna properly, something more thoughtful settling over her usual bright energy.

"Okay, I’m sorry," she said, softer now. "You’re right. I’ll be honest with you. He can be very scary. I’ve always been a little afraid of him, if I’m being real." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, choosing her next words more carefully.

"But you have to understand something about him. Everyone he’s ever trusted has betrayed him. Everyone. That’s why he wears that hard face all the time, like nothing can touch him. It’s not because there’s nothing underneath it."

Sienna stayed quiet, listening, something in her chest tightening at the thought.

"He’s mafia," Aria continued. "He does bad things, terrible things probably, things I don’t even want to know about most days. But he has a good heart underneath all of that. I promise you. There’s a soft side buried somewhere in there, even if he’d rather die than admit it out loud." A slow, teasing grin crept back onto her face.

"Plus, God, the man is handsome. Have you seen his arms?"

Sienna’s mind betrayed her instantly, sliding without permission straight back to the shower, to steam curling around them, to the way his hands had felt against her skin, steady and warm and far too gentle for a man everyone described as a monster. Heat rose in her cheeks before she could stop it.

"I knew it," Aria said, delighted, catching the look on Sienna’s face immediately. "I knew it. You’re drooling. Right now. Over my scary uncle."

"I am not drooling," Sienna said quickly, though her voice came out weaker than she intended.

"Whatever you say," Aria said, clearly not believing a word of it, though she let the subject drop, at least for the moment. "It’s not like you have a choice anyway, right? He’s not exactly going to let you go. He seems to find you no matter where you run."

Sienna sighed, sinking down onto the edge of the bed, the small burst of embarrassment fading into something heavier, more tired. "That’s exactly the problem," she said quietly. "He always finds me. There’s no version of this where I actually get to choose anything."

Aria crouched down in front of her, resting her hands on Sienna’s knees, her expression turning serious in a way it rarely did.

"Look at the bright side," she said gently. "He can protect you. He can give you everything you could ever need. You don’t have to hide anymore, Sienna not from any of it." She paused, choosing her next words even more carefully.

"You could even go back to med school. Finish what you started. You have the most powerful man in this entire city protecting you now. Sienna Vale, you really don’t have to be afraid anymore."

The mention of med school landed heavier than Aria probably intended, settling somewhere deep and sore in Sienna’s chest, an old wound she had spent a long time trying to keep buried.

"Aria," Sienna said, her voice sharper now, warning clear in every syllable. "Let’s just get through today. And I don’t want to talk about what happened in med school. You promised me. You promised you would never bring that up again."

Aria’s face fell instantly, guilt flooding her features. "My bad, girlfriend," she said quickly, reaching out to squeeze Sienna’s hand. "I love you. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry." She stood up fast, turning back toward her closet as if putting physical distance between herself and the mistake might undo it.

"Please, just put this on," she said, pulling out a sleek little black dress and holding it up like a peace offering.

Sienna eyed it skeptically. "Really?" she asked. "That?"

"Yes, really," Aria said. "Trust me. This is perfect. And don’t worry, we’re going to get you a whole new wardrobe at the mall anyway, so this is just to get us out the door." She held the dress out further, waiting. "And I already said I love you, by the way."

Sienna took the dress slowly, running her fingers over the smooth fabric, memories of med school still lingering faintly at the edges of her mind, memories she wasn’t ready to look at directly, not today, maybe not ever.

"Come on," Aria said, nudging her shoulder. "You have to say it back. I’m your best friend. That’s the rule."