Chapter 25

Moving away the delicate layer of tissue paper, I let out a gasp, eyes going wide as soon as they landed on the dress that sat folded beneath. For a moment all fell silent in the suite Isla had had me checked into, and I hesitated, sure that some sort of mistake had been made until I noticed the note tucked into an unobtrusive corner of the box the dress had come in.

For the blouse, it read in Elijah’s familiar scrawl, and I sucked in a breath as I set the note down, blinded for a single moment by an irrational emotion which swept through me, there and gone as soon as it had arrived, though the ghost of it remained as I lifted the gown so its fabric caught the light, stealing my breath even more if you could believe that.

It was a miracle of silk and delicate tulle, impeccably detailed in everything from the sweetheart neckline it boasted to an A-line skirt that seemed to go on forever, pooling gloriously around my feet when I stood up from the bed to model it up