Wedcuffed

Chapter 17

Sarah P.O.V

It was the next day, and I was still lying in bed, enjoying a relaxed Sunday morning. My phone buzzed, and rubbing my eyes, I saw Ester's name flashing on the screen. I pressed the answer button and held the phone to my ear.

"Good morning, Sunshine!" she yelled cheerfully from the other side. Even early in the morning, she was full of energy.

"Morning, Ester," I replied, sitting up and leaning against the headboard.

"Get ready! I'm picking you up in 20 minutes. We need to go shopping today," she said. The background noise indicated she was already on the move.

"Ahh! Can't we postpone it? We could go next week, I promise!" I answered, still rubbing my eyes.

"You said the same thing last week! I'm not taking any excuses now. Get up and get ready. I'm on my way," she said firmly before disconnecting the call.

I reluctantly got up from bed and made my way to the bathroom. After finishing up, I picked out a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I put on my sneakers, gathered my hair into a messy bun, applied a touch of lip gloss, grabbed my phone and wallet, and headed downstairs.

As I crossed the kitchen, I noticed Adrian struggling with the coffee machine. I cleared my throat to get his attention.

"Do you need any help with that?" I asked politely. He looked uncertain but eventually nodded.

I walked over to the coffee maker and started brewing. After about 15 minutes, I poured the coffee into a mug. When I turned to hand it to Adrian, I found him watching me intently. I placed the coffee in front of him, but his gaze remained fixed on my face.

"Here you go," I said, waving my hand in front of him and pointing to the mug. He immediately looked away and focused on the coffee.

"Th-Thanks for the coffee," he said with a small smile, picking up the mug.

My phone buzzed again, and I saw a notification from Ester saying she was outside.

"I'm heading out for a bit. Bye!" I said, waving to Adrian as I made my way outside. Ester was waiting for me in her car.

"Hey, beautiful!" I greeted her as I climbed into the passenger seat.

"Hey, Boss!" she responded enthusiastically and gave me a side hug. She then started the car, and we chatted about how our lives had changed since moving to NYC.

After a 40-minute drive, we arrived at the mall, which was bustling with Sunday shoppers. Ester dragged me through every store for the next two hours, buying up everything new in stock. I decided to get some new shoes and perfume, but Ester insisted on adding dresses to my haul as well. Once we were done shopping, we headed straight for food, ordering chicken nuggets and fries. We both shared a passion for these crispy delights and eagerly devoured our meal.

As we enjoyed our food, Ester asked, "How's life with Adrian? Is he still being mean to you?"

"I mostly try to avoid him, but he's not insulting me like he used to," I replied, recounting the events from Darrell's mansion the previous night.

"If I were in Adrian's place, I'd have slapped your stepmother. She's the real culprit behind the rift between you and your dad," Ester said, banging her fist on the table.

"Well, my dad is no longer a kid. He chose to support her bad behavior towards me. He's just as responsible for ruining my childhood as Lisa is," I said, leaning back in my chair.

Ester didn't comment further, and we finished our meal in silence. After buying some daily essentials, she dropped me back at Adrian's mansion. I said goodbye, and she drove off to her apartment.