Page 102 of The Unraveling

My heart is beating so fast, the poor, broke child inside me absolutely alight with excitement. I can’t help but smile.

“Why don’t I pour you some champagne and you start looking about. Alistair’s instructions were to let you have anything you want, but you need a dress for an event tonight. You really only need the one dress, he said, but asked that I pull extra, thinking that you might need to fill out your wardrobe. So I obliged, as you can see.” She smiles.

“Is Alistair coming here?”

“No, no,” she says. “Don’t worry, it’s just us girls.”

I feel a little disappointed, but I pretend not to. It’s easy to pretend, considering I’m looking at an entire room of expensive clothes, knowing I can have anything I want.

For the next half hour, I look through everything, feeling my greedy little heart explode as I see the labels and mentally guess how expensive they are. The clothes in this room could buy a house. A nice house.

Laura has stripped me down and helped me into a stunning dress when I hear my phone buzz.

“Oh, could you—” I gesture. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to mess up the—”

“Of course, darling.” She steps off her pedestal and retrieves my phone.

I look and see that it’s Alistair.

I hide the screen from the woman, and read the text.

Send me a picture of what you’re thinking of wearing.

I take a picture of myself in the three-way mirror I’m standing before and send it to him, along with a text.

So…what event is this? Sorry about the guest by the way.

He texts back quickly.

The event is at nine. I’ll pick you up at Ivory at quarter-til.

He says nothing about the guest.

Do you like the dress? I ask.

It’s an Alexander McQueen, a strapless, draped chiffon dress in hot pink.

I think it would look ridiculous without diamonds. Have Laura pull some for you.

“Um,” I say.

“Is everything okay? Am I pinching?”

“No, it’s just…Alistair asked that you pull some diamonds.”

“Of course, dear,” she says. “You see how this feels as you move around, and I’ll go get some. I had some set aside just in case.”

And then I’m alone in all this opulence.

I take another picture, a more relaxed one, and send it to Sylvie.

My donor is buying this McQueen dress for me. Fucking crazy

She responds after a few minutes, saying: no strings attached??

I write back, idk, I don’t think so…?

She sends back a cringing emoji, and then adds, it looks fucking amazing though.

---