Page 102 of Shattered Oath
"Helena. Please. We've been over this."
My grandmother followed, her posture perfect as always, her eyes sharp and assessing as they swept over Kim with critical attention.
"The dress is exceptional," she announced. "Isabelle, you've outdone yourself."
"Thank you, Grandma."
She turned to Kim and took her hands. "You're going to make my grandson very happy. I can tell."
"I hope so."
"I know so." She squeezed Kim's fingers. "Now. Is everyone ready? We have a wedding to attend, and I refuse to be late."
A knock came at the door.
"That'll be the coordinator," Aria said, moving to answer it.
But it wasn't the coordinator. It was Xavier.
"I know, I know, bad luck to see the bride," he said, holding up his hands. "I'm not looking. Eyes closed. See?" He squeezed his eyes shut dramatically. He squeezed his eyes shut dramatically, making Zoe giggle. "I just need Isabelle for a second. Secret sibling business."
I exchanged a glance with Kim, who shrugged and waved me toward the door with an indulgent smile.
I stepped into the hallway, pulling the door closed behind me.
Xavier's eyes were open now, and he was holding a bouquet of flowers—white roses and peonies, tied with a silk ribbon. A small card was tucked among the stems.
"These are for Kim," he said, handing them to me carefully. "Can you give them to her? I want her to have them before we start."
I took the bouquet. The card read, in Xavier's familiar handwriting:I hope you accept these now.
Something in my chest softened, remembering their complicated beginning.
"She'll love them," I said.
"I hope so." He ran a hand through his hair—nervous, I realized. My playboy brother, nervous on his wedding day. "Listen, there's something else you should know. Femi declined the invitation."
I stilled. "Oh."
"He's alright. He's just... not ready to see you yet. To see you and Matteo together." Xavier's expression was gentle, understanding. "I thought you should know before you spent the ceremony looking for him."
I nodded slowly. We'd sent the invitation as a gesture of goodwill, hoping we could find our way to friendship eventually. But I understood. Some wounds needed more time.
"You made the right choice, you know." Xavier was watching me carefully. "Femi's a good man. He'll always be my friend. But he wouldn't have known what to do with you."
"What do you mean?"
"The new Isabelle. The businesswoman. The empire builder who refuses to apologize for taking up space." He smiled withobvious pride. "You've changed, Isa. You've grown into someone incredible. And Femi... he loved the girl you used to be. I don't think he ever really saw the woman you've become."
I thought about that. About all the ways I'd changed in the past year. The boutiques, the confidence, the refusal to shrink myself for anyone's comfort.
"Matteo sees her," I said quietly.
"Yeah." Xavier's smile widened. "He absolutely does."
He pulled me into a hug—brief, tight, full of the kind of brotherly affection we'd only recently learned to express.
"Now go give my bride her flowers. I have a wedding to get to."
