Bound to the Don

Chapter 37

Salma's Pov

I didn't even bother putting too much thought into it. Honestly, I didn't care. I just followed behind Giulia like some quiet shadow, answering her questions she asked, like what my shoe size was, dress size, what color/type of scarf I liked. She'd clearly noticed I always wore one. I just told her, "Anything," and meant it. None of this mattered to me.

She looked me up and down like she was judging my entire existence, then scoffed and walked off. Rude, I thought. But then again, it wasn't my problem. If she was having a bad day or just hated the world, that was her own issue. I wasn't about to catch whatever sour mood she was carrying.

We walked through this fancy mall, and I mean "fancy". Racks of gowns that looked like they belonged in movies, heels taller than what my feet could probably handle, bags so shiny they almost blinded me. All of it was way over the top. And here I was, getting dragged through it like I was some kind of celebrity. Except I didn't feel like one, I felt like a dressed-up puppet.

Then Giulia's phone rang. She put it on speaker. Armando's voice came through, calm but with that usual bossy tone.

"Get her some jewelry to match." That was all he said.

I blinked. Jewelry? Seriously?

What now? First dresses, now jewelry? Was he building a new version of me or something? It felt weird, matter of fact, it felt wrong. Like he was playing some twisted version of dress-up, and I was the doll. Just another thing he could control, style, and parade around however he liked.

And the most frustrating part? I couldn't even stop it. I'd somehow become a puppet to him, his little projects or whatever you want to call it. And he has so much power over me. The kind of power that made your stomach twist because you knew no matter how much you wanted to walk away, you couldn't.

Still, I kept quiet. Let it happen because I was tired. Tired of fighting everything, tired of being dragged through chaos after chaos. If he wanted me dressed up, fine. Let him have his little show.

But deep down, I knew that he wasn't just dressing me for fun.

Something was coming. And whatever it was, I wasn't ready for it.

Giulia grabbed the dresses, heels, and a small purse, then marched off like she was late for something. I followed behind her quietly. She muttered something under her breath, loud enough for me to hear.

"Can't believe I'm running around picking clothes like a maid. God, could this day get worse?"

I heard her clearly. I was pretty sure she wanted me to hear her. But I didn't say anything because her words didn't affect me. I was too drained to care and too numb to even bother giving her a reaction.

We got to the fitting room, and she shoved the clothes into my arms like I was her assistant, not the one actually trying them on. I went in and started trying on the gowns one by one. Each one fit perfectly, which honestly annoyed me even more. She'd picked too well.

She stood outside the door, asking, "Which one do you like?"

I stared at myself in the mirror, expressionless. "I don't know," I said softly.

She scoffed loud. "Do you ever know anything?"

Then she tossed a dress across the room like a child throwing a tantrum. I barely caught it before it hit the ground. My jaw clenched, and I turned around, rolling my eyes. Her attitude was really pushing it. I prayed I wouldn't snap.
"Do I ever know anything?" Well at least I know she's acting like a total b-word.

Eventually, I tried on the gown she flung . It was modest but elegant. Honestly... it was beautiful. A soft, deep blue color that complimented my skin. I tied my scarf and secured it with pins , slipped on the heels, clipped the jewelry around my wrist and neck, they looked so expensive and I was sure that they could probably feed my entire community. I hated the fact that I looked good, I hated it so much because it was Armando that made me look like this. And I hated him more for making me feel this way about myself. I hated that I had no control over my life anymore.