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*Bella’s POV *

“Turn slowly, Bella. I want to see the back of the dress again.”

My mother’s voice trembled somewhere between awe and pride.. I lifted my chin, letting the ivory silk whisper across the floor as I pivoted before the full-length mirror. The light caught the delicate beadwork along my spine, scattering tiny flecks like early morning dew.

Sophie flopped onto the plush chair by the window, chin propped on her hand, eyes wide. “You look like… like a queen about to conquer an empire. Oh, goodness! You are stunning.”

I laughed, a soft sound I didn’t realize had been held in my chest. My palms smoothed over the fitted bodice over the faint, perfect tension of the fabric against me. “Stop exaggerating.”

“I’m not exaggerating!” Sophie leaned forward, the tip of her sneaker brushing the hem of my dress. “Alex is going to faint when he sees you walking down the aisle. Someone better have smelling salts ready.”

I caught my own reflection, flushed cheeks, wide eyes, a smile I didn’t even know could stretch so freely. The weight of my mother’s words pressed in.

“Three months,” I echoed softly, letting the words linger on my tongue. Almost tasting them.

The seamstress moved behind me, nimble fingers tugging at pins, smoothing the train, whispering to herself in soft syllables only she could hear. “Almost perfect. Just a few more adjustments and we are good to go.”

I hardly heard her. My mind wandered, painting the scene I longed for: Alex’s dark eyes, the way they lit up when I teased him, the rumble of his laugh rolling low in his chest. The memory made my chest ache sweetly, a mixture of anticipation and something deeper, something that had been simmering quietly for years.

“Do you think he’ll cry?” Sophie asked, snapping me from my thoughts.

I blinked. “Who? Alex?”

“Of course! Big, tough CEO reduced to tears in front of everyone. Now that’s a sight I’d pay to see.”

I laughed, hiding my mouth behind my hand. “I don’t think so. He doesn’t… You know, cry. Why would he?”

Mother’s hands smoothed my veil, lingering on the delicate lace along my shoulders. “Even the strongest men cry when they realize they’ve found the love of their life. Don’t you know?”

I pressed my lips together, unsure if my throat had tightened. My hand went unconsciously to the fabric at my waist, as if I could steady the fluttering inside me.

My phone buzzed on the chair next to Sophie. She snatched it up with a flourish, eyes sparkling, and raised a brow. “Speaking of love… guess who?”

My heartbeat stuttered. “Alex?”

“Of course. Your husband-to-be,” she said, grinning wickedly, passing it over.

I lifted it, the familiar weight warm against my palm, and pressed it to my ear. “Hello, handsome. How are you?”

His voice came through, deep, threaded with exhaustion, but still comforting. “Hello, beautiful. I’m good. How’s the fitting going?”

“Perfect,” I said, soft, almost reverent. “The dress… It’s everything I dreamed. I love it.”

“Good,” he murmured, and I could hear him exhale, the faint creak of his office chair. “You deserve everything you’ve ever dreamed of.”

I felt a tremor along my spine, that familiar warmth that always settled there when he spoke to me this way. Mother pretended not to eavesdrop, but Sophie leaned closer, shamelessly straining to catch every word. I turned slightly, laughing under my breath, letting the line become a private world.

“Are you coming home soon?” I asked, careful to sound casual.

“I wish,” he admitted, the weariness threading his tone making my chest tighten. “I'm still tied up at the office. Long day… endless meetings. But I’ll make it up to you tonight. I promise.”

I tilted my head, teasing. “Better keep that promise, Alex. A girl can only wait so long.”

He chuckled, low and rich. “Trust me, I wouldn’t dare break it. I’ll be home late, but I’ll be there. You’ll be the last thing I see before I fall asleep.”

My throat tightened, a sudden prickle of tears at the corner of my eyes. “I’ll hold you to it.”

“I love you, Bella.”

I closed my eyes, letting the words coat me like a warm blanket. “I love you too.”

For a moment, the line went quiet, heavy with the unspoken, neither of us wanting to break the fragile connection.

Finally, he sighed. “I have to run… but remember. No one is allowed to outshine my bride.”

“As if they could,” I teased, voice catching on the edge of laughter.

He chuckled again, and then the line went dead.

When I turned back, Sophie smirked. “Well, wasn’t that disgustingly sweet?”

I tossed a handkerchief at her. “Shut up. Must you comment?”

Mother shook her head, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “You two really are in love. I can hear it in your voices.”

I sank into the chair beside Sophie, letting the dress slide around me. The seamstress returned with her measuring tape, the faint scent of starch and lavender clinging to her apron. “One last pin at the waist, dear.”

I stood again, hands lingering over the fabric at my waist, imagining Alex’s hand there instead. The thought made my stomach flutter in ways both tender and sharp.

“You’re glowing, Bella,” Mother said softly, almost reverent.

“I feel like I am,” I admitted. “I can’t wait to be his wife.”

Sophie leaned back, fingers drumming lightly on the armrest. “And I can’t wait to catch the bouquet. Just saying.”

I rolled my eyes, laughing, feeling the warmth in my chest expand. “You’ll have to fight the others for it.”

“Please,” she scoffed, flicking her hair dramatically. “It’s practically already mine.”

We all laughed, the sound filling the small fitting room, chasing away the sterile quiet. The ivory silk of my gown shimmered in the light, but it wasn’t just the fabric. It was the joy radiating through me, the way my chest seemed to stretch impossibly wide, like it could hold all the hope and love in the world.

I sat again, staring at the reflection that had become someone new. Not because of the dress, not because of the veil, but because of the way I shone from the inside out. For the first time, I recognized the woman in the mirror. Strong, untouchable, and utterly human—tangled in anticipation, longing, and that dangerous, delicious certainty of love.

And in that quiet, suspended moment, I believed it. Everything I had dreamed was here. Right in this room. Waiting for me.

The seamstress adjusted the final pin with careful precision, her hands surprisingly gentle. “There. That’s it. Perfect.”

I let my fingers brush along the silk, tracing the seam, imagining Alex’s lips tracing it instead. A shiver ran down my spine.

Mother leaned close, eyes shimmering. “Soon, Bella. Soon you’ll walk down that aisle.”

I nodded, my pulse echoing her words in my ears. “I can’t wait.”

Sophie whispered conspiratorially, “And I can’t wait to see him when he sees you. He won’t know what hit him.”

I chuckled, letting the tension ease with the sound of our laughter, but my chest tightened with something tender and overwhelming.

As the sunlight slipped through the window, casting the room in gold, I leaned back, letting it wash over me. My reflection smiled. Not because of what I wore, but because of the life waiting for me—because of him. Alex. My future. My forever.

And for the first time, I didn’t feel small. I didn’t feel scared. I felt infinite.

Because love had found me, and this day, this dress, this moment… was proof that nothing could take it away.