Chapter 5 - THE RED DRESSThree weeks later, I stood in front of the mirror.
I wore a red dress.
Not white.
Not black.
Red.
The color of the dress Adrian once said made me look dangerous.
I had not worn it in years.
My body was still weak.
My heart still struggled.
Medical tape hid beneath my ribs.
Nora helped me fasten the back.
Grace slept in a cream blanket.
“You are pale,” Nora said.
“I have always been pale.”
“You are breathing too quickly.”
“I am wearing a dress designed before women developed rib cages.”
She did not laugh.
Outside, the Mercer Botanical Conservatory waited.
Four hundred guests.
Judges.
Business leaders.
Political figures.
The entire world Adrian's mother cared about.
Nora had investigators waiting outside.
The moment the evidence was presented, the financial crimes unit would act.
But the documents had to be handed over in person.
We entered.
The music stopped.
Adrian turned.
Celeste stood beside him in an ivory gown.
One hand rested over her stomach.
Evelyn stood nearby.
Then Adrian saw Grace.
His face changed.
Confusion.
Irritation.
Fear.
“How old is she?”
“Three weeks.”
He went white.
Celeste laughed.
“You expect us to believe you brought a random baby to a wedding?”
I looked at Adrian.
“This is Grace.”
His eyes moved to the small birthmark beneath her ear.
The same crescent mark he had.
The same mark his father had.
“No,” he whispered.
I stepped closer.
“You said you wanted me to see what a real family looked like.”
“Mia.”
“You said Celeste was pregnant, unlike me.”
His eyes lifted to mine.
“I was pregnant when you left me.”
The entire conservatory went silent.
May you like
Then Nora opened the folder.
And the wedding ended before it had begun.
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