The Bridal Shop

The Bridal Shop
Amelia’s POV
I was past the hospital now, past the sterile walls and into the warm glow of a bridal shop, mirrors and silk enveloping me in a dream. Dad’s hurtful departure had been days ago. Today was about joy, the future, Collins and the life we were creating. I was in the dressing room, my mother fumbling with the hem of a wedding gown that embraced my figure like it had been sewn for me. The ivory lace glistened in the lights, its fine material rippling around my curves, trailing away from me across the floor. I felt beautiful, and complete.
Mum stepped away, her eyes teary and a smile creeped in across her usual exterior. “Oh, Amelia,” she said, her voice filled with pride. “You’re breathtaking. My little girl, a bride.” She straightened the veil, her fingers soft, and the sales ladies nodded in admiration, their murmurs of “Stunning!” and “Perfect!” filling the room. I glanced at the mirror, and caught my breath at my reflection. The girl in the mirror wasn’t the broken one who’d been crying in the warehouse, who’d trembled in a scarlet nightgown. She was healthy, radiant and prepared to spend a lifetime with the man she loved.
I stroked the dress, full of that silent satisfaction. Collins had promised to visit, to see the dress before the wedding, and I was excited for his response. His love had sustained me through the darkest times, Jenny’s cruelty, Richard’s betrayal, and each ordeal had served only to deepen my love for him. I kept falling for him, again and again, every day with a new reason to love him even more. The kidnapping, the pain, the fear — it had all led to this very moment, and every tear, every scream had been worth it. Collins was my home, and this dress wasa sign of my victory.
I heard a knock on the door and jumped, spinning round with Mum and hoping it would be the familiar sight of Collins. Instead, it was Felix with Sean at his back. I felt a knot form in my stomach. His presence took me back to the hotel room, the drugs, the terror, but also the words I was still holding against him — he had not meant to hurt me, he kept saying. Mum’s face was filled with surprise, but the confusion was plain as she stepped nearer. “Felix? Sean? What are you doing here?” she said then nudged me, smiling once again. “Amelia looks amazing, doesn’t she?”
Sean grinned, his eyes warm. “Beautiful,” he said, and I knew his happiness was real, but I was looking at Felix. He pinned me with his eyes, a heated stare that made a flush slide up my neck. “Like an angel,” he murmured, almost to himself, his voice low. Making the dress feel  too constricting suddenly.
Mum giggled, completely unaware of the electricity, and Sean's hand pressed against her arm, his tone teasing. “Becca, get over here a second, will you? — I need your thought on something.” He took her aside, and left me with Felix. Suddenly the room felt tiny, the air heavy with embarrassment. I smoothed my dress again, refusing to meet his gaze, feeling so calm at this moment. Felix cleared his throat and took a step closer, scuffing his boot against the plush carpet. “Congratulations, Amelia,” he said, his voice soft but warm. “You deserve this. Collins is… lucky.”
I nodded, and was able to smile a tight smile, releasing some of the anxiety. “Thanks, Felix,” I said, my voice more steady than I felt. I wanted to say more—to thank him for helping in that hotel room, for whatever the fuck was true behind what he did—but the door flew open, and Collins rushed in. His eyes found Felix and then me, and his face darkened, anger furrowing his brow long before he only had to look up.
“What the hell are you doing here? What is that?” Collins asked, his fists balled at his sides. He stood between us, his look searing into Felix. “You can’t just come up here, looking at my wife like that? You think I can’t beat you?”
Felix put his hands up, his face still. “Take it easy, Collins,” he said, with a steady voice. “I’m not here to make trouble. I just wanted to see her, to ensure she was okay.”
Collins laughed in  a hard harsh sound that tore through the room. “See her? You’ve got some nerve.” He inched closer to me, and I could feel the dangerous vibe coming off of him, but this couldn’t get worse. Not here, not now. I rushed to him, my hand finding his, my fingers intertwining with his aloof ones. “Collins, don’t,” I said, my voice stern and begging. “It’s not what you think. Felix… he saved me, at the hotel. He wasn’t part of it — not really. He was fooled, just like me.”
Collins was shocked, eyes darting to me for a shocked second, the anger slipping away. I went on, my voice softening. “He could have hurt me, but he didn’t. He did it to protect me, in a weird way. Please, don’t do this.” I clasped his hand in my own, hoping that he would listen and see through the jealousy.
He looked at me, then at Felix, his jaw set, the pride in his heart wrestling with my words. Collins was arrogant and stubborn, and he’d never admit he was wrong, not readily. He snorted, his upper lip lifting, and said, “Sounds like you saved your own ass, Felix. Convenient.” He was contemptous, but I watched the change in his eyes – the reluctant acknowledgment that Felix wasn’t the enemy.
Felix shook him head, a smile forming on his lips, but before he could reply, Collins’s voice disrupted that as well, hard and commanding. “Get out,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “Stop looking at my wife. And watch your back — the enemy you’ve been hunting, the one who you thought got the slip on you? He's in Country R. Think of it as payment for whatever you did for her." He waved his hand as if to send the dumbstruck look on Felix’s face away.
Felix’s eyes widened, gratitude flickering there as he processed the intel—a lead on a target he’d been after, handed to him. He nodded, staring at me for a second longer before turning and walking off, Sean and Mum coming up to us as the door closed. Mum raised her brows in surprise, but Sean’s arm smacked against hers, and she blushed, still oblivious to his regard. I grinned before all the tension could dry that smile, and shifted to Collins, his arm coming around my waist to pull me up against his body.
He stared down at me, his eyes softening, as he saw the dress, the veil, the woman he loved. “Amelia,” he said in a low voice that was intimate, hot but the smile broke through. “You look beautiful.”