Stealing the Heart of Mr. Steele

Chapter 93 [Cordelia]

When the car stopped in front of the most exclusive bridal salons in Los Angeles, my heart sank to the

floor.

I still remember the last day we were here. My mother brought me here without an explanation, letting it be a surprise that they had decided to marry me to Atlas in Angelica's place. I cannot remember the weather or the color of the shoes I was wearing when entered the store, but I do remember the look of harsh judgment the owner made when she learned why I was there Instead of my sister.

The appointment had been made for Angelica, who had come the week before to have her measurements taken and her dress sized. Nobody would mistake me for her.

"What kind of person takes her sister's fiance," she questioned me harshly as her rough hands cinched and pulled on a dress designed for a much curvier body "Do you have no shame?"

"Perhaps," I remember answering, my body too stiff and stunned by the events of the week before, my face and arms still bruised from the accident. "Perhaps I no longer care."

And in that moment I didn't just stop caring, in many ways, I also stopped living.

In truth, after the accident I felt as if I had died on that road, Every shred of self-respect left as soon as the car flipped over the divider and onto the rocks along the Pacific Ocean. When I woke up in the hospital more or less unharmed only to discover that my sister was in a coma and had lost her baby, I wanted to never wake up again.

It hurt so much to feel that I let myself stop feeling. I buried my emotions deep to keep from feeling the 'burn of them. I let others think I was cold and uncaring because it hurt too much.

When my parents stood me in front of the boutique mirror, wearing her altered gown, I wanted nothing more than to trade with her, to have her standing in front of this mirror ready for her big day while I was missing, lost, and possibly dead. If I could have traded with my sister, and let her have the life she should have lived, I would have. I'd have given anything to have her back.

And now here I am again, standing outside the same boutique, the feeling of Deja Vu so strong I need to lean against the car to keep my head from spinning.

"Are you okay," Meghan kneeled next to me placing a careful hand on my shoulder.

"Just a touch of vertigo," "Now that I'm in my second trimester I've been getting dizzy a lot more, especially around a mealtime."

Meghan and the other bridesmaids surround me, all offering help. Only Angelica stays on the periphery. not joining the others in the fuss being made over me.

"She's fine," Angelica insists. "Let's go in or we'll miss our appointment. We're already late."

Taking a deep breath, I steady myself. "It's been five years," I think quietly to myself. "Maybe the woman who runs the shop has hired someone else to take that role. Or maybe, the shop is under new ownership. Or..."

Those thoughts vanish as

we open the doors

12

Chapter 93

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"Maybe she won't remember me..."

The shopkeeper is all smiles as we enter the shop. "Miss Greyson," she welcomes Angelica. "And...your bridal party," she grimaces when her eyes land on me. So much for the idea that she might not remember me. She knows exactly who I am. Thankfully, she also seems to understand the circumstances well enough not to press about it. Based on

for how she is speaking to Angelica now, Atlas must have debriefed her on what not to say. Not once, example, does she treat Angelica or me like she knows us. Despite what she might think of me, she has enough professionalism to not act on her feelings.

A team of assistants with a series of dresses in various shades of pastel ushers each of us into our own dressing rooms, a considerate gesture for which I am very grateful. I am not yet quite comfortable with the way my body is changing, and the last thing I need is an entire room full of unfamiliar women asking if they can feel my round belly.

The door to my room opens to allow the shopkeeper herself to enter and place 5 dresses in the room on various hooks. "These are the only dresses we have in your...size," she scowls, looking at my round belly. Your sister also requested I bring these in for you to try She comes back into the room with a small rolling rack of dresses in various shades of white.

Wedding dresses. My sister wants me to try on wedding dresses.

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