Chapter 51 Entrapment
Adeline stared at Julian for a long moment after his little ultimatum, her expression unreadable at first, like she was deciding whether to laugh at him or take him seriously. The silence stretched between them, thick and uncomfortable, while the large glass windows of the wedding dress shop reflected both of them sitting in the car. Outside, a few people passed by, some slowing down just enough to take a second glance at the expensive car and the man and woman inside it, but Adeline did not notice any of that. Her focus stayed on Julian.
Then, slowly, she leaned back in her seat and let out a short breath through her nose.
“You can do whatever you want,” she said finally, her voice flat and calm in a way that felt very deliberate. “If you want to wear a dress to our wedding, go ahead. I won’t stop you.”
Julian blinked once, clearly not expecting that response.
Adeline continued before he could speak, her tone not changing at all. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m not going into that shop, and I’m not wearing a dress on our wedding day.”
She turned her head slightly to look out the window as she spoke, like she didn’t even want to look at the building anymore. The white mannequins inside the shop, dressed in different styles of wedding gowns, stood still and perfect behind the glass, but to Adeline, they might as well have been something else entirely. Her eyes lingered on them for a second too long before she looked away again.
Julian didn’t say anything right away. He studied her instead.
At first, he had thought this was just Adeline being stubborn, the same way she always was when she didn’t like something. That had been his first instinct, and he had been ready to argue with her, to push back until she gave in, because that was how things usually worked between them. But now, as he watched her more closely, something about her reaction felt… off.
It wasn’t just irritation.
There was something else there.
Her posture had changed without her even realizing it. Her shoulders were slightly tense, her arms still crossed tightly over her chest like she was trying to hold herself together. She wasn’t looking at him anymore, and more importantly, she wasn’t looking at the shop either. It was like she was trying very hard to pretend it wasn’t there at all.
Julian frowned slightly, leaning back in his seat as he kept his eyes on her. “Adeline,” he said, his voice quieter now, less teasing and more serious. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
She didn’t respond immediately. For a second, he thought she hadn’t heard him, but then he saw the small shift in her expression, the way her jaw tightened just a little.
“What are you talking about?” she asked, still not looking at him.
Julian didn’t look away from her. “You’re overreacting,” he said simply. “This isn’t just you not liking dresses.”
That made her turn her head slightly, just enough to glance at him, her eyes narrowing. “I’m not overreacting,” she said. “I just don’t want to wear a dress. It’s not that deep.”
Julian tilted his head a little, clearly not convinced. “It looks that deep,” he replied.
Her frown returned, sharper this time. “I said it’s not,” she repeated, her voice firmer now.
Julian held her gaze for a second longer before speaking again, his tone steady. “Then why are you so against it?”
Adeline let out a small, frustrated breath, like she was already tired of the conversation. She uncrossed her arms only to cross them again, shifting slightly in her seat. “Because I don’t want to,” she said. “Is that not enough of a reason for you?”
Julian didn’t answer right away. He watched her carefully, taking in every small movement, every little change in her expression. The way her fingers pressed into her own arms, the way her eyes kept flicking away from the shop and then quickly back to somewhere else, anywhere else.
No, he thought to himself, that’s not enough. There was something else here. He could feel it.
“You don’t usually care about things like this,” he said slowly. “You don’t avoid things unless there’s a reason.”
Adeline’s eyes snapped back to him immediately. “You don’t know me well enough to say that,” she replied, her tone sharp again.
Julian didn’t flinch. “I know enough,” he said.
That only seemed to irritate her more. “Well, clearly not enough,” she shot back. “Because if you did, you’d understand that when I say I don’t want to do something, it means I don’t want to do it. It’s not an invitation for you to dig into it like you’re some kind of therapist.”
Julian almost rolled his eyes at that, but he held it back. Instead, he leaned slightly closer, his voice still calm but more focused now.
“I’m not digging,” he said. “I’m asking.”
“Well, stop asking,” she replied immediately.
The words came out quicker than she probably intended, and for a second, there was something in her voice that wasn’t just annoyance. It was tighter than that, a little strained, like she was trying to keep something down.
Julian noticed it.
He leaned back again, his expression thoughtful now as he looked at her in silence. The irritation on her face hadn’t gone away, but there was something else mixed into it now, something that made him even more certain that he was right.
“There’s a story here,” he said after a moment, his tone softer but sure.
Adeline froze for half a second. It was subtle. Anyone else might not have noticed it, but Julian did. He saw the way her fingers tightened again, the way her lips pressed together before she forced them to relax.
“No, there isn’t,” she said, but this time, it didn’t sound as firm.
Julian didn’t look away from her. “There is,” he repeated.
Adeline let out a sharp breath, turning fully to face him now, her eyes flashing with irritation. “Why are you so obsessed with this?” she asked. “I said I don’t want to wear a dress. That’s it. End of story.”
Julian raised a brow slightly. “You don’t get this defensive over nothing.”
Her jaw tightened again. “I’m not defensive,” she said.
“You are,” he replied calmly.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The tension in the car grew thicker and heavier, and the silence between them felt louder than any argument. Adeline looked away again, this time more abruptly, like she couldn’t stand to look at him anymore. Her gaze moved toward the shop again without her meaning to, and the second it did, something in her expression shifted.
It was quick, almost gone as soon as it appeared, but it was there, and it was discomfort, not just irritation or just annoyance, but something deeper. Her breathing changed slightly, just enough for Julian to notice. Her chest rose a little faster, and her fingers curled slightly against her arms again, like she was trying to ground herself.
Julian followed her line of sight, his eyes landing on the shop again. The white dresses and the calm and perfect display of something that was supposed to represent happiness, but the way Adeline was reacting to it… didn’t match that at all.
He looked back at her, his expression shifting again, this time more serious than before.
“Adeline,” he said quietly.
She didn’t answer.
“Look at me,” he added.
She hesitated for a second before finally turning her head slightly, her eyes meeting his again, but there was something off about them now. Something restless.
“What?” she asked, her voice a little tighter than before.
Julian studied her face carefully, his earlier teasing completely gone now. “You’re uncomfortable,” he said.
She immediately shook her head. “I’m not.”
“Yes, you are,” he replied.
“I said I’m not,” she repeated, her tone sharper now, but there was a crack in it this time, something that made it less convincing.
Julian didn’t argue this time. He just watched her. The way she shifted in her seat again. The way her eyes kept flicking toward the shop and then away like she couldn’t stop herself. The way her breathing wasn’t as steady as it had been earlier. There was no doubt in his mind anymore that this wasn’t just about dresses.
“Something happened,” he said quietly.
Adeline’s reaction was immediate. “No,” she said, too quickly.
Julian’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You didn’t even let me finish.”
“I know what you were going to say,” she replied. “And the answer is no. Nothing happened.”
Her voice was firm again, but it felt forced now, like she was trying too hard to make it sound normal.
Julian leaned back slightly, studying her again. “You hate wedding dresses,” he said.
“I don’t exactly hate it. I just prefer to do without it,” she replied.
“You do,” he insisted.
She let out a frustrated sound, running a hand through her hair before dropping it back into her lap. “Why does it matter so much to you?” she asked. “It’s just a dress.”
Julian held her gaze. “Because you’re acting like it’s not.”
That made her go quiet again. The silence stretched, and for a moment, it felt like she might actually say something more, like she might explain, or at least admit that there was more to it, but then her expression changed again.
The walls went back up. “It’s nothing,” she said, her voice flat again, but this time it felt more like a shield than the truth. “I just don’t want to wear a dress. Stop trying to turn it into something else.”
Julian watched her for a long second. He didn’t believe her, not for a second, but he also knew that pushing her more right now wasn’t going to get him anywhere. If anything, it would just make her shut down even more.
Still, he couldn’t ignore what he was seeing because now, it wasn’t just irritation, it was something closer to panic.
Adeline shifted again in her seat, her eyes flicking back to the shop once more, and this time, she didn’t even try to hide it. Her fingers tightened against her arms, her breathing a little faster now, and there was a faint tension in her entire body that hadn’t been there before.
“Julian,” she said suddenly, her voice lower now, more controlled but also more urgent. “Drive.”
He didn’t move immediately. “Adeline…”
“I said drive,” she repeated, cutting him off this time.
Her voice wasn’t loud, but there was something in it that made him pause. He looked at her again, really looked this time, and what he saw made something in his chest tighten just slightly.
She wasn’t just annoyed anymore, she looked… trapped, like sitting here any longer was too much. Like the shop in front of them wasn’t just a building but something else entirely.
Julian didn’t say anything else. He simply reached forward, started the engine again, and pulled away from the curb.
Adeline didn’t look back. She kept her eyes straight ahead, her arms still crossed tightly over her chest, her posture rigid as the car moved away from the shop. Only when the building was no longer in sight did her shoulders drop slightly, the tension easing just a little, but not completely.
Julian glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to the road. He didn’t say anything, but he knew one thing for sure. There was a story there, and sooner or later, he was going to find out what it was.