My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 276

Chapter 276

Gianna

I stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom of the venue, and I just… looked. The dress had already settled on my body like it belonged there, like it had been waiting for me.

Black smooth silk catching the light in soft flashes every time I shifted my weight. It didn’t cling, not desperately, not cheaply, it followed like it knew exactly where to stop and where to suggest.

I turned slightly, watching the fabric fall along my hips, the slit opening just enough to reveal my leg before slipping back into place when I stilled. My fingers brushed down the side of it.

Five years ago, this had been my world.

Cocktail dresses. Soft laughter over glasses of champagne. White walls lined with art that people pretended to understand while pretending even harder not to care.

I used to belong to nights like this. I exhaled slowly, my gaze flickering back to the mirror, but I wasn’t seeing myself anymore.

I was seeing that night.

The last gallery I ever walked into.

I had been on Leone’s arm, the man I thought I would marry, the man I loved in a way that had felt permanent back then. I could still remember the weight of his hand at the small of my back, guiding me through a crowded room like I was something precious he refused to let out of his reach.

I remembered the way he leaned in to explain a painting I barely cared about, the way I nodded anyway, more focused on the warmth of him than the art in front of us. I remembered laughing softly at something he said, the kind of laugh that came easy back then with him.

I remembered thinking this is it. This is the life. This is where I belong.

My throat tightened.

I turned, slowly, letting my back face the mirror now. The dress dipped low, exposing my spine, the silk falling away just enough. My hair slipped over one shoulder, leaving my skin bare, vulnerable in a way that didn’t feel weak, just real.

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