Chapter 73 Chapter Seventy-three

Chapter 73 Chapter Seventy-three
Bella

Like a thief, I snuck in through the route that led to the roof instead of simply following the normal way up the stairs.

My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat. There was a very low chance of bumping into Chris or my mother this way, and right now, avoiding everyone felt like survival.

I dressed slowly, taking my time with every single detail. I chose the waterproof mascara, because tonight, I knew tears were inevitable. 

When I was done with my makeup, I took a deep, shaky breath and stepped into the dress Gray had chosen for me.

The moment the soft, sinful fabric slid over my skin, I transformed. The net-patterned dress clung to every curve like it had been poured over me. 

The plunging neckline was dangerously bold, showing just enough to make a statement without giving everything away. I looked like a seductive fairy, dark, enchanting, and utterly forbidden.

For a second, I stood in front of the mirror, staring at the girl looking back at me. She looked powerful. She looked like she could get anything out of life.

My phone rang loudly on the dresser, shattering the moment. I already knew who it was before I picked it up.

“If you want to see the other side of me, darling,” my mother hissed the second I answered, “don’t show up in the next three minutes. Chris is right here with me.” Her voice dropped into a harsh whisper. “So get down here so we can leave.”

I didn’t even bother replying. I ended the call, grabbed my clutch, and headed out of my room with my heart in my throat.

She was going to lose her mind when she saw this dress.

And I was right. The moment I reached the top of the grand staircase, my mother’s loud gasp echoed through the entire foyer. It was so sharp it even the deaf could have heard it.

She stood at the bottom of the stairs, dressed in an elegant champagne gown, Chris beside her in a tailored suit. 

Both of them froze as they stared up at me. My mother’s face drained of color, then flushed with pure rage. Her eyes widened in horror as they raked over the deep neckline, the sheer net fabric that teased just enough skin, and the way the dress hugged my body like a second skin.

“Bella!” she choked out, her voice shaking with fury. “What on earth are you wearing?!”

Chris looked stunned, his mouth slightly open, but he quickly masked it.

I lifted my chin and began descending the stairs slowly, the dress flowing around me like liquid sin with every step. My heels clicked against the marble like a countdown to war.

We were at war, literally.

“This is the dress I’m wearing for the evening.” I said calmly, even though my stomach was in knots. 

The silence that followed was deafening. My mother’s hands clenched into fists at her sides. For a moment, I thought she might actually lunge at me.

“You will go upstairs and change right now,” she hissed. “You are not walking into a family dinner with Chris’s relatives looking like… like that.”

I stopped on the last step, meeting her eyes without flinching.

“Too late, Mother. We’re already running late.”

The air crackled with tension. Chris looked between us, clearly uncomfortable, while my mother stared at me like I had betrayed her in the worst possible way.

Talking about betrayals, I guess I was learning from her.

“Where is the dress I bought for you?” my mother demanded in a shrill voice.

“I don’t know.” 

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “I’ll only ask once more. Where is the dress I got for you?”

“I. Don’t. Know.”

Chris stepped forward, his expression stern. “Where is the dress your mother got for you, young woman?”

kept my chin high, even as my pulse raced. There was no way in hell I was telling him his son burned it.

“I truly don’t know,” I repeated calmly.

My mother’s face twisted with irritation. She knew I was lying.

She moved so fast Chris didn’t even try to stop her. She lunged at me, her fingers reaching straight for the delicate neckline of my dress like she was going to rip it off my body in front of everyone.

I braced myself, ready to run back upstairs and lock myself in my room if she laid a hand on me.

But then—

“Are we going or what?” Gray’s deep, lazy voice cut through the foyer unexpectedly.

My mother froze mid-reach, her hand hovering inches from my chest. Slowly, she lowered it and turned, revealing Gray standing at the entrance like a dark god who had decided to grace us with his presence.

My breath caught in my chest. He looked devastating. Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit that hugged his broad shoulders and muscular frame like it was made for him, with the top buttons of his shirt undone just enough to show a hint of the tattoos on his chest.

His hair was styled messily, and the sharp lines of his jaw and stormy eyes made him look like he was heading to the Met Gala instead of a family dinner.

He looked powerful. Dangerous. Untouchable.And the way his eyes immediately found mine and darkened with raw hunger made heat flood my entire body.

My mother’s face went from rage to pure shock, then settled on something colder, hatred mixed with fear.

Gray strolled forward casually, hands in his pockets, but his presence swallowed the entire room. 

He stopped right beside me, close enough that his arm brushed mine.

“You look…” His gaze dragged slowly down my body, taking in every inch of the dress he’d chosen. When his eyes met mine again, they were burning. “Fucking perfect.”

The tension in the foyer became suffocating. My mother looked like she wanted to scream. Chris, on the other hand, looked like he was writing an exam he didn't prepare for, his eyes flicking between me and Gray as though he was finally seeing something he’d been trying to ignore.

He blinked, like that would clear his vision or something.

“Let us go. I hate lateness.” He said in a tight tone.

He turned on his heel and marched out without waiting for my mother, his footsteps echoing sharply against the marble floor. 

She shot me one last venomous glare before hurrying after him, her heels clicking furiously.

Gray lingered, still looking at me like he didn't realise he'd been living with a fairy all the while.

“I just realized something, Red, you're too good for me.” He said it so gravely that I wondered if he was regretting something or just stating the obvious.

Was Gray trying to say he'd ruined me for anyone else? Because I already knew that. I already knew that if Gray went on to choose another girl, I'd spend the rest of my life lonely and resentful because there was no-one else like him for me.

No one.