Amelia POV
I never intended to take the bag.
When Maxwell handed it to me, I thought it was some last-ditch bribe—another attempt to manipulate emotions he couldn't voice aloud. But when I opened it and saw the gown, everything in me stilled.
I should've walked away. I told myself I would. But then he said it.
"Just tonight. Give me one night, Amelia."
And I don't know what shattered me more—his voice when he said it, or the fact that he didn't beg… he asked.
So now, here I was, standing in front of the tall mirror in the guest bedroom, holding the emerald gown against my body like it was made of something fragile. Like it would vanish the second I doubted it.
My fingers trembled as I slipped it on.
It fits like a second skin. The neckline was soft but elegant, br
