Page 131 of A Lie so Dangerous and Fragile

“I’m supposed to be the one giving the credits.” I laughed.

“There is something called self-appreciation, Chlo.”

“Okay, I get it,” I said, raising one hand in surrender.

“Selfie?”

“Yes, please.”

She brought out her phone from her beaded purse. We took different selfies before someone knocked on the door. I opened the door and saw one of the maids holding Kayla.

“Hey, sweetie.” I took her from the maid and walked back into the room.

She looked like a princess in her rose-gold tulle dress and sparkly tiara on her head.

“You love Mommy’s hair?” I asked her as she stared at my hair.

“Yes.” She smiled and looked at Vina.

“Awww, you make me wanna have babies right now,” Vina squealed, making her giggle. “Let me take a picture,” Vina said quickly.

“Say cheese or mac and cheese.”

“Cheese,” she said, showing off her tiny teeth.

I was glad she had started to talk a little bit. She was making a little effort, and I tried my best to connect with her. She was calling me Mommy now. I had been in tears the first time she said it.

There was a light knock on the door. It opened before any of us could answer it. Tristan stepped in, wearing a dark two-piece suit, his hair neatly styled to the back. I smiled at him as he walked toward us.

“Hey, ladies.”

“Hey. I’m leaving. My ride is here,” Vina said, walking to the door with her eyes on her phone.

“Don’t ruin the lips. It took me an hour to blend the lipsticks,” Belvina said to Tristan and rushed to the door.

“You look amazing.” He tried to kiss me on the lips but stopped and placed a kiss on my cheek instead. “Your best friend can be scary sometimes,” he said, and I laughed.

“Wow. Who is this beautiful princess?” he said and kissed Kayla on the nose. “You just stole my breath away,” he said feigning a heart attack. I smiled while Kayla giggled.

“You look amazing too,” I told him, adjusting his bow tie with one hand.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Yep.”

He took my hand, and we left the room.

“Where is Kayden?” I asked, looking around.

“He’s with Nora.”

We left for the venue, which wasn’t far from the house. My mom took Kayla from me at the entrance. I was slowly letting her back into my life, only because she kept making an effort to show me she had changed and was working on herself. We waited outside till the host announced our arrival. The doors opened, and all eyes turned in our direction.

The ballroom was decorated with burgundy and rose gold. There was a tower built with macarons and a chocolate fountain. I blushed at the bold letters that spelled,She said yes.

We smiled at everyone as we made our way to our seats. They applauded as we took our seats. I saw Vina standing next to a dark-haired guy, who had one arm around her waist. Adrian was nowhere to be seen.

The event started smoothly. We went round to greet a few people. I saw Adrian at the table, hidden from the light. He was staring at Vina and her date on the dance floor as he sipped his wine. Tristan danced with Kayla in his arms while I danced with Kayden, who tried to pull my earrings. We had a toast from Mrs. Sanchester, our best friends, and my dad.

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