Chapter 136
Audrey’s POV
The red dress hugged my body perfectly. Standing before the full–length mirror, I barely recognized myself. The ruby embellishments caught the light with every movement, making the dress seem
alive.
“Audrey Sinclair, I’m talking to you! Are you deaf?” Thalia’s voice cut through the boutique, sharp and impatient.
I ignored her, smoothing the fabric over my hips. With only three months left to live, why shouldn’t I be bold? The vibrant red made my skin glow against my newly cut short hair.
“What, gone mute now too?” she snapped, her reflection glaring at me in the mirror.
Rachel’s voice echoed in my memory: “You were born to wear red, Audrey.”
I thought about when the Sinclairs found me – their biological daughter who’d been switched at birth. They brought me home from my small town, but I always felt then comparing me to the girl. who’d grown up in my place – Victoria Sinclair. I never quite measured up.
Back then, I wore grays and blacks, trying to disappear in crowds. It was Rachel who dragged me into that department store, insisting I try on that first red dress.
“Don’t let being raised in a small town make you feel inferior,” she’d said, her eyes bright with certainty. “You’re a Sinclair by blood – it’s not your fault you were switched at birth.”
She squeezed my shoulders as I’d stood nervously in that first red dress. “They prefer that fake daughter because they’re blind. It’s not your failure.”
“You should be beautiful and vibrant,” she’d insisted. “Let everyone see you!”
The memory brought a bittersweet ache. If Rachel could see me now, vibrant in red rather than hiding in the background, she’d be thrilled.
“Hello? Earth to Audrey!” Thalia’s voice grew louder, breaking through my thoughts.
I turned slightly, running a hand through my short hair, and gave her a dismissive glance.
“Thalia, I asked her to try it on Blake’s voice was firm and calm. “Don’t forget, she’s attending tomorrow’s ceremony.”
Thalia snorted. “Brother, she’s your–ex–wife now.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s one thing to invite her to your ceremony tomorrow, but
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letting her try on something like this?” She gestured toward the red dress with obvious disgust
“Mr. Parker mentioned he might gift it to me if I liked it,” I remarked, my voice deliberately light and mocking.
Thalia’s jaw dropped. “Brother, have you lost your mind?”
Blake gave her a blank stare. “It’s just a dress, Thalia.”
“The most expensive one in the store!” Thalia’s voice went up an octave. “Both Laurel and I thought it was too pricey to even try on!”
She glared at me. “Yet she has the nerve!”
“If you really cared about your brother’s finances,” I replied, smoothing the dress, “you wouldn’t shop
at a boutique where everything costs five times what it should. Pretty obvious, isn’t it?”
I met her glare coolly. “You drain his accounts every day. What right do you have to criticize me?*
Thalia’s face turned almost as red as my dress. “I’m his actual sister! He should spend on me!”
She jabbed a finger in my direction. “You’re divorced! Stop taking advantage of him!”
Laurel stepped forward with her practiced gentle voice. “Miss Sinclair, when you divorced Blake darling, you chose to leave with nothing.” She tilted her head with fake concern. “I thought material
things didn’t matter to you.”
She paused dramatically. “But if they do… why act so noble during the divorce? Was it all for the
cameras?”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Miss Sinclair, do you really need to be like this? Blake only tolerates these demands out of sentimentality. Anyone else would be called greedy…”
I had to admire her skill at twisting reality. She knew nothing about what Blake and I had discussed, yet could fabricate a whole narrative making me seem like I was shamelessly demanding gifts from
my ex–husband.
“Actually…” A saleswoman’s hesitant voice broke through the tension. “This gentleman asked her to
choose a dress…”
She gestured toward Blake. “She didn’t ask for anything. She just
”
Another staff member quickly slapped a hand over her colleague’s mouth and pulled her away.
“Blake darling,” Laurel turned to Blake, her expression suddenly uncertain. “You… actively offered to buy Miss Sinclair a dress?”
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Blake nodded without hesitation. “Yes. You know she’s attending tomorrow.”
Laurel paused, clearly recalculating. “Is red… appropriate for Miss Sinclair tomorrow?”
I smiled, a hint of challenge in my eyes. “Why wouldn’t it be appropriate? I think it’s perfect.”
WI
I could see the realization hit her me in vibrant red while she wore white at her engagement. I’d steal attention just by existing. Which was exactly my plan. If Blake wanted his ex–wife at his proposal, I’d make damn sure everyone noticed me there.
Blake rubbed his temples, clearly tired of the bickering. “Enough,” he said firmly.
He flagged down a saleswoman. “I’ll take all three dresses they’re wearing. Ring them up.”
“Right away, Mr. Parker!” The saleswoman practically skipped toward the register.
“Thanks so much,” I said with mock sweetness, gathering–the dress and heading to change.
Blake’s POV
We gathered at the register fifteen minutes later. Thalia kept glaring at Audrey, who stood calmly with her shopping bag. The red dress was now wrapped in tissue paper, but its presence was still causing tension.
“Laurel,” Thalia complained, pointing at Audrey’s package. “If we’d known she would have the
audacity to try on the most expensive dress…”
“You should’ve tried it first! You’d look way better in it than her!”
“I should make her hand it over so you can wear it instead!”
“Drop it,” Laurel said, her voice surprisingly firm. “That kind of bold color isn’t right for me.”
I frowned, studying her expression. “You don’t like red?”
A memory surfaced clearly – Rachel’s voice from five years ago when I was blind:
“Why don’t you like red? My sister loves red.”
“You have no idea what a vibrant girl she is. She looks especially beautiful and passionate in red.”
“When your eyes heal and you can see again, I’ll definitely have her wear a red dress for you”
I’d never forgotten those words. But after I regained my sight and returned to New York, Rachel had her accident. I never mentioned red dresses again.
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Come to think of it, I’d never seen Laurel wear red. Not once.
She looped her arm through mine, smiling up at me. “It’s not that I hate red. I just don’t wear red
clothes.”
Her eyes searched mine. “Blake darling, have you ever seen me in red?”
The question triggered something deeper, making me study her more intently. “Laurel, how much from before do you actually remember?”
Laurel tensed slightly, her eyes darting to Audrey’s shopping bag.
“A lot is… gone,” she said, biting her lip and lowering her voice. “Since developing cancer, my emotions and memory… they’re not the same. Blake darling, did I used to like red?”
I sighed, patting her head gently. “It doesn’t matter. Forget about it.”
For a split second, something cold flashed in her eyes before she lowered her head.
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