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I can’t believe he said he loved me.
After all these years, all this time, he finally said the three words I’d been wanting to hear.
What tormented me.
Kept me up at night.
Consumed my thoughts every second of the day.
Silenced my conscience, my worry, my fears.
The biggest question of them all was…
Did I still love him? Could I forgive him?
The sick feeling in my stomach intensified, and I found it hard to breathe. Panic began to set in, and I could no longer control my thoughts from running wild. I anxiously tried to find my resolve, though it was no use.
It was long gone.
In a matter of seconds, my life changed once again. Bile rose in my throat, fighting its way up as tears streamed down my face.
“I hated you for so long. I don’t know how to love you again.”
“Kitten, I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
He grabbed my hand and took the bottle before leading me to the couch. It felt as if time stood still. I never thought I’d hear the truth from his mouth and now that he was going to tell me the truth, I was beginning to think that everything I ever wanted…
Began and ended with him.
Chapter Twenty-Five
—Belle—
Then: Debutante Ball
To the average person, everything and everyone blended in, but I could find the one guy I was looking for amongst my family and my parents’ friends.
Tristian.
My debutante masquerade was the ball of the year, as they called it. They turned our already extravagant home into an enchanted masquerade which was as impressive as it sounded. They spared no expense on the gold furnishings, the gaudy furniture, and high-end accents. Both the interior and exterior of the estate boasted nothing but money and wealth.
It wasn’t a ball.
It was a production.
A statement.
I disregarded my family’s looming presence that shadowed my thoughts as I descended the stairs, right on time.
Within seconds, a choreographed performance took front and center stage.
My father approached the stage and accepted the microphone from the emcee. “Everyone, please stand and give your undivided attention to my princess, Belle Montgomery.”
The crowd quickly parted like the Red Sea, creating a large space for the spectacle that was me. As if on cue, soft light illuminated around the open room. Candlelight illuminated the room like it magically appeared out of thin air, and it gave the ballroom a translucent aura.
Through a fascinated stare, I watched the people in the room watching my introduction into our elite society. I was a true Southern belle, dressed in my designer gown, a white lace applique bodice full tulle skirt had a rich scarlet satin underlay. It was perfect. Tristian was obsessed when he saw it on me for the first time that afternoon he snuck into my fitting. I felt like the elegant princess my father announced me as.
I was Southern royalty, and for the first time in my life, I loved it.
