The Woman in the Blush Dress
Chapter 02 - The Woman in the Blush Dress
Isabella crossed the ballroom with the calm confidence of someone who had never been told no. Guests turned to watch her, eager for a scene they could discuss over breakfast. She stopped in front of Emily and let her gaze travel from the worn satin shoes to the curve of Emily's stomach.
“Well,” Isabella said loudly, “the staff entrance is on the other side of the house.”
A few people laughed. Emily felt heat rise into her face, but she did not move. “I was invited.”
“By whom?”
Emily handed her the card. Isabella glanced at it, and for the first time, something uncertain flickered behind her smile. She quickly folded the invitation and slipped it into her champagne purse.
“That seal belongs to the Whitmore family,” Emily said. “Give it back.”
Isabella leaned closer. Her perfume smelled like roses, the same dark red roses Alex used to bring home on Fridays. “You should have accepted the money and disappeared when you had the chance.”
So Isabella knew about the settlement. Emily's pulse quickened. “Did Alex send those papers?”
“Alexander has more important things to think about than a woman he barely remembers.”
The words struck exactly where Isabella intended. After the accident, Alex had suffered gaps in his memory. His family claimed he remembered their company, his childhood, and Isabella, but not the quiet courthouse wedding that had made Emily his wife. Emily had tried to see him at the rehabilitation clinic. Security had dragged her away before she reached the elevator.
Isabella raised her glass and addressed the people around them. “This is Emily Carter. Her father used to repair houses for my family. She met Alexander at one of our charity sites and apparently mistook his kindness for a proposal.”
Emily's daughter kicked hard. She steadied herself with one hand over her belly.
“You know that isn't true,” she said.
“Do I?” Isabella's eyes dropped to Emily's wedding ring. “You are wearing a ring no one in his family ever saw. You are carrying a child no one can verify. And you came to my engagement gala dressed like a grieving widow.”
A shocked whisper moved through the room.
Engagement gala.
Emily stared at the banners above the stage. The Langford crest had been woven together with the Whitmore lion. She had thought the event celebrated the children's hospital. Now she saw the initials hidden in the gold flowers: I and A.
Isabella smiled again. “In thirty minutes, Alexander and I will announce our future.”
May you like
Emily's fear turned into something steadier.
“No,” she said. “In thirty minutes, everyone here is going to learn what you did to our past.”
