Later that evening, I emerge from my room, dressed in a stunning one-shoulder asymmetric Organza cloque dress. The bodice is adorned with shimmering white and gold beads. Anticipation hums through my veins as I make my way to the living room to meet Stefano.
He stands by the door, an Adonis in a perfectly tailored navy tuxedo that molds to his muscular frame like a second skin. As I approach, he glances up from his Rolex, and I watch as his eyes widen, a flicker of appreciation sparking in their green depths as they trail over my form.
His lips move, forming a word that I can't quite catch. Hello? Bella? The latter seems too intimate, too revealing of a side of Stefano I've never been privy to. Surely, he wouldn't see me as beautiful, not when our relationship had always been one of anta
