AllFreeNovel
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I lower the window and breathe in the scent of trees and concrete.
Every mile that gets us closer to the city ignites happiness in me as I force my eyes to remain dry. Freedom for others is just a taste I can only indulge in once in a while.
Once we get to downtown, he valets the car in front of a couture boutique and we step inside.
“What can I do for you?” the saleswoman asks.
“We’re looking for a wedding dress.”
After she pours us each a glass of champagne, she asks if I have a dress in mind. I shrug and she disappears behind rows of gowns. Kieran takes a seat on the plush beige couch, scrolling through his phone. All the wedding dresses make me think of Chiara. Missing her twists my heart.
“I need a phone.”
He looks from his phone to me. “Will you behave?”
“Kieran.”
“If you behave today, I’ll give you one after our wedding.”
“What a wedding gift.” I huff.
“It’s my sign of good faith. It’s up to you if you take it or not.”
“I hate you.” I wish that were true.
“Choose a dress, Aurora.” He redirects his attention to his phone, and a pang of something unpleasant strikes me. Why do I crave the attention of this insufferable man?
When the saleswoman walks in with different dresses, I follow her to the fitting room as she puts them in front of me. It’s the simplest one, made of lace with an open back and small embroidery, that calls to me.
She helps me try it on, and I look at my reflection, a smile parting my lips. The dress is delicate, elegant, almost ethereal.
“We can try the others as well if you like.”
I decline, emotions overwhelming me. I should run past her and hope he won’t catch me, but I know he will.
“Should we show it to your fiancé?”
My fiancé. The term doesn’t bother me as much as it should.
“Aurora.” My name out of his mouth is a curse wrapped in hypnotic silk. He yanks the curtains back and blinks as he takes me in, his eyes shining in appreciation and something more. Something I can’t pinpoint. Why does this excite me when it shouldn’t?
“You are stunning.”
“I thought it was bad luck to see your bride in her dress before the wedding,” I sass and he grips my chin.
“I make my own luck.”
His finger caresses my cheek, and I lean into his touch. I am blaming it on the fact that I am emotionally in need and also starved for attention.
“This is the one,” I say to the saleswoman.
After she takes my measurements, I approach him and with his free hand he takes mine, tucking it into his larger one. With this man, I feel like not even the devil himself could snatch me away.
Back in the car, he says, “I’m not a good man, but that’s the man you will get. You’re mine, sweetheart.”
“If you say so.”
The corners of his mouth tip up, as if he secretly enjoys our verbal sparring.
