I knew it was my dress as soon as I saw it. The material was remarkable. My fingers running along the textured fabric. It was different compared to all the traditional shiny silks of the other plain gowns.
The dress, like me, looked discarded hanging at the very end as if it was forgotten.
When I stepped up onto the pedestal and looked at myself in the mirror for the first time, I looked… I felt…
“Stunning,” Hailey gushes. Her hands fisting together in awe. “Rory, that dress was made for you.”
I swallow, looking at myself again. I was thinking the same thing.
Hailey kept staring like she was speechless. I felt the same though. I’d had a feeling before but seeing the dress on I knew that it was for me. This was it.
Perfection is an unrealistic standard and so I should have known better. Misery, the ever-gracious—gut sinking, host she is, robbing me of that as soon as I got home.
I slowed my steps hearing shuffling in my room. Whoever it was moving things.Mythings.
The door had been left slightly ajar like they didn’t want anyone to know they were in my room. But they were smart enough to leave it cracked so that they could hear if someone was approaching.
Whoever it was, wasn’t stupid and I became even more alert.
Lucky for me, the carpeted floor had quieted my footsteps enough that they hadn’t been made aware,yet.
There’s more maundering around and then something falls to the floor in a thud. The person grunts. Whoever it was, was struggling. That was nothing compared to the rude ass awakening they were about to receive though.
Using the tips of my fingers, I push open the wooden door, widening it as I shove my body through.
“Lorna,” I bark out. “What the hell are you doing?”
She was the last person I ever expected to see in here. Not once had I ever even seen her visit Finn’s side of the hall.
A shrill noise comes from her throat as he spins on the point of her stiletto. If she is surprised, she recovers quickly. The edges of her mouth flattened out as she fights a glare.
“Honestly, Lorna, why the hell are you in here?” I spit out.
Her shoulders straighten, raising her chin to a point. The movement was as smooth as her perfectly pressed pencil skirt.
Lorna’s lips curl the faintest bit at the edge. “Where did you hide it?”
Scanning the room, I notice the mess she’s made. Every drawer thrown open, the items discarded and lying haphazardly on the floor. Every last book on my shelf in a similar manner on the ground.
It looked as bad as Finn’s room. The only difference is mine had no leftover food lying around.
“Give it to me,” Lorna hisses. “I know you have it!”
My confused eyes meet her hardened ones. “I don’t know—”
“Now. I want it now!” she barks, extending her palm. “I saw you carrying it. I don’t know how you got it, but I know you have it.” Her tone more accusatory the longer she spoke.
I swallowed my emotions. Whatever shethoughtI had obviously held value to her. Even if I did have whatever it was, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to hand it over.
“First off faux mom, I have zero clue what you’re talking about. Second”—I raise my index finger—“who do you think you are coming in here and thinking it’s okay to go through my stuff?”
“I think I’m the owner of this house.”
My smile turns cutthroat. “Actually, I think it’s Abram’s.”
Her face falls as her shoulders roll tight. Her eyes simmering over the edge.
Instead of responding she lifts the corner of my mattress in a huff. It springs back down onto its base when she doesn’t find what she’d been looking for.