Page 158 of Trapped With You

The Present

Sunday evening rolled around and I arrived at the banquet hall with mymamáandpapá. The gala was being hosted by another renowned family in South Side for a non-profit organization that my parents often donated to.

I wrapped my fur stole around me tighter as I stepped out of the town car, the cold autumn air nipping at my bare skin.

I wore the offerings Cade sent over yesterday. A stunning blue silk gown with a slit that exposed my thigh with every step, and a two-tiered diamond and blue sapphire necklace that made me feel like a queen.

Over twenty-four hours since I saw Cade and my heart ached, wanting to see its soul companion in the flesh. To hold him. To talk to him. To finally give my reply to his heartfelt letter.

I didn’t want to live without Cade anymore either.

This lifetime was ours.

It was about time I told him.

Upon entering the ballroom, it was filled with guests, gold and black décor, waiters walking around with trays of champagne flutes, and the low whirr of conversation blending with the orchestra’s classical music.

My friends spotted me before I saw them. Cutting through the crowd, Darla and Hera reached me and threw their arms around my shoulders in hugs. “You made it!”

Darla was in a black gown with her signature red lipstick, sharp winged eyeliner, and pearl jewelry. Hera was in a hunter green ensemble with soft bronzy makeup and an impressive diamond necklace that I remembered Shaun gifting her for her eighteenth birthday. He was obsessed with her and she was too blind to see it. Shaun invited her to all his hockey games, took her out for café dates, tried to learn words in Urdu for her, and she thought he only liked her as a friend.

“Oh my goodness,” I said to them. “You both look beautiful.”

“Look at yourself!” Darla returned. “Stunning. Ten on ten. Marry me.”

I chuckled, my cheeks warming under the praise.

“C’mon, give us a twirl,” Hera encouraged and I did. “Damn, girl!”

“Thank you.” I preened while they oohed and aahed. “Cade gifted me the dress and necklace. Speaking of him, is he here?”

They shook their heads. “We haven’t seen any of the Remingtons yet.”

My shoulders sagged. “Oh, I guess they should be arriving soon.”

We decided to take some selfies, and I made sure to send a full-length picture of Hera—discreetly—to Shaun, who wasn’t attending tonight due to his concussion.

Christmas came early —Ella

He replied within seconds.

Good GOD. —Shaun

I’m drooling. —Shaun

Holy fuck. Is that the necklace I gave her?? —Shaun

Yup!—Ella

Send me more pictures throughout the night. You owe me. – Shaun

*Thumbs up emoji* —Ella

For the next few minutes, we chatted about Darla’s publishing plans—she was finally going to do it, Principal Hill’s opinion be damned—and me reopening my online store for my knit creations. I’d taken a break over the summer and the first semester of university was extremely hectic, leaving me no time for my art projects.

In the midst of our conversation, I noticed Dacia on the other side of the room.

She had an unreadable look on her face. Holding a champagne flute in her hand, she gazed at a painting of a starry night with two lovers standing on a bridge wrapped in purple roses. The world around her buzzed, yet Dacia was rooted in place, spellbound by the image before her.