Chapter 142

Kayla

I stood in the middle of the room, my heart sinking as I stared at the torn wedding gown.

The fabric lay in shreds across the floor. The bodice was ripped apart, the lace mere threads by now. The veil wasn’t even anywhere to be found. Only the fucking gloves were left untouched, still sitting neatly folded on my vanity.

My breath caught in my throat, and I felt the room spin around me.

Who did this?

I looked around frantically, my eyes darting to the windows, the door, every nook and cranny of the room. But there was no sign of a break-in, no shattered glass or forced entry. Everything was exactly as I had left it, except for the gown.

My gown.

The one I was supposed to wear tomorrow. The one thing that I had to truly look forward to.

My chest tightened, and I felt the first hot tear slide down my cheek. I didn’t even try to stop it. The tears came fast and hard after that, blurring my vision as I sank to my knees beside the ruined dress. My fingers trembled as I reached out to touch the fabric, as if I could somehow piece it back together with my hands alone.

But it was hopeless. The damage was too great, the destruction too complete.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps pounding down the hall snapped me out of my spiral. The door flew open, and Nicholas burst in, having heard my sobs. He took one look at the mess on the floor, at me kneeling in the middle of it, and his expression darkened.

“What the hell happened?” he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

I shook my head, unable to form the words. My throat felt like it was closing in on itself, and all I could do was gesture weakly at the destroyed gown. Nicholas stepped closer, his gaze sweeping over the room. He crouched beside me, his hand hovering over my shoulder as if he wasn’t sure whether to touch me or not.

“Kayla,” he said, his voice softer now. “Who did this?”

“I don’t know,” I choked out, my voice barely above a whisper. “I just… I was out with Emma and Jade, and then I came in, and it was like this. I don’t know who would do something like this.”

Nicholas stood abruptly, his fists clenched at his sides. “I’m going to check the perimeter. Maybe there’s something we missed. Someone had to have gotten in here.”

He didn’t wait for a response before storming out of the room, leaving me alone with the wreckage once more. I stared at the door for a moment, my mind racing. Who would do this? Who would want to ruin my wedding gown? Was it even a person or all, or some kind of rabid, wedding-dress-hungry racoon?

It didn’t matter who or what did it, though. All I could think about was the fact that the wedding was tomorrow, and my dress was ruined.

My hands shook as I reached for my phone, my fingers fumbling over the screen. On instinct, I called Ava. She would know what to do. She always did.

The phone rang once, twice, before she picked up. “Kayla? What’s wrong?” She sounded like she’d been sleeping.

“Ava,” I sobbed, my voice cracking. “It’s my wedding dress. Someone… someone destroyed it. It’s ruined, Ava. It’s completely ruined.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then Ava’s voice came through, less groggy now. “What do you mean, destroyed? What happened?”

“I-I don’t know,” I cried, my words tumbling out in a rush. “I came back to my room, and it was just… torn to pieces. Nicholas is checking for a break-in, but there’s no sign of one. Ava, it can’t be fixed. It’s destroyed, and the wedding is tomorrow!”

“Okay, okay,” Ava said with a surprising amount of calmness in her voice. “Take a deep breath, honey. I’m coming over. Just… stay where you are. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “Okay. Okay, I’ll wait.”

The line went dead after that, and I dropped the phone onto the floor beside me. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold back the sobs.

Nicholas returned a few minutes later, his face stormy. Marcus, Jade, and Emma were behind him. They told me they had checked the entire perimeter of the house, but couldn’t find anyone who wasn’t supposed to be here. The security team was checking the CCTV footage as we spoke.

“We’ll figure this out,” Nicholas said, already moving toward the door again. “Whoever did this will pay.”

I nodded, and just like that, he and Marcus were gone. Jade and Emma stayed with me, soothing me as I cried like a baby.

It felt like an eternity before Ava appeared in the doorway, still in her nightgown with a coat thrown hastily over it. She was holding a duffel bag in her hands.

“Kayla,” she said softly, stepping into the room. “I’m here.”

I looked up at her, my vision blurred by tears. “Ava, I don’t know what to do. The dress… it’s gone. Everything’s ruined.”

Ava set the bag down on the armchair and perched beside me on the bed, where Emma, Jade, and myself were huddled. She placed a hand on my shoulder, and for the first time, I felt like I could breathe.

“I have a solution, if you’ll hear it,” she said gently.

I stared at her, my heart pounding in my chest. “What do you mean?”

Instead of answering, Ava stood again and walked over to the chair. She unzipped the bag and carefully pulled out a garment bag, then unzipped that, and pulled out a dress.

My breath caught as the fabric spilled out, silky and smooth, catching the light in a way that made it seem almost ethereal. The gown was simple yet elegant, like liquid pearls as it cascaded to the floor. It was timeless, beautiful in a way that made my ruined dress seem almost garish in comparison.

Ava held it up, her eyes meeting mine. “This looks to be your size.”

I blinked, my tears momentarily forgotten. “Ava… where did you get that?”

She smiled softly. “It was your mother’s dress.”

The words hit me like a punch to the chest. I felt the air leave my lungs, and for a moment, I couldn’t speak. Even Jade and Emma went silent, staring wide-eyed.

My mother’s dress. The one she had worn on her wedding day. The one I had never seen, never even known existed.

“My… my mother’s?” I whispered, my voice trembling.

Ava nodded, her smile widening just a little. “She would have wanted you to have it. I’ve been keeping it safe all these years, just in case.”

I reached out, my fingers brushing against the fabric. It was softer than anything I had ever felt, and as I touched it, I felt a strange sense of connection, as if my mother were standing there with me with her hand on my shoulder and her voice in my ear.

“Try it on,” Ava said gently, holding the dress out to me.

I hesitated for a moment, my heart racing. But then, with an encouraging look from Jade and Emma, I nodded and took the dress from her. I stepped into the bathroom, my hands shaking as I slipped out of my club clothes and into the gown. The fabric slid over my skin like water, cool and smooth, and as I fastened the buttons at the back, I felt a strange sense of calm settle over me.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, their eyes all widened, and Emma let out a soft gasp. “Oh, Kayla… you look stunning.”

I turned to look in the mirror, and my breath caught in my throat. The dress fit me perfectly, hugging my curves in all the right places before flowing out into a graceful train. The simplicity of the design only accentuated its beauty, and as I stared at my reflection, I felt a wave of emotion crash over me.

This was my mother’s dress. And now it was mine.