Betrayal Under Aurora

Synopsis

On the phone screen, Adrian Barnett was slipping that million-dollar haute couture wedding dress onto Bella Ramirez. In the frame, his eyes were so soft they could melt. His fingers gently smoothed her skirt, as if handling the most precious artwork in the world. Yet just three days earlier, he had proposed to me. "Harper, this dress is called 'Aurora.' It belongs only to you," he had said then. I stared at the screen, watching Bella turn to show off the dress, hearing the socialites' admiring whispers around her. It was my size, tailored exactly to my measurements. Bella, however, had a curvier figure. Sure enough, as she puffed out her chest for the camera, a sharp ripping sound came from the back. The zipper burst open. The delicate lace cracked like a spiderweb, exposing her back. Flustered, Adrian took off the Armani suit jacket I had bought for him last month and clumsily wrapped it around her. He faced the camera, his eyes red and voice trembling. "Bella, don't worry. A dress can be redesigned. You are the perfect artwork." He acted more convincingly than an Oscar winner. My phone buzzed. Riley sent a voice message, laughing. "Harper, did you see that? The artist you've supported for seven years is now fawning over his first love like a lapdog." I closed the livestream and replied to Riley expressionlessly: [I don't know him. Trash belongs in the trash can.] Then I started packing. Not my luggage—his.