Aria's POV
The private consultation lounge felt like a bubble of luxury suspended in time. Soft champagne light spilled from crystal chandeliers, catching on the pale blush walls and the long tufted velvet chaise where Chloe and I sat waiting.
White roses spilled from low crystal vases, their scent mingling with the faint vanilla of scented candles. Everything looked curated, expensive, and completely untouched by the realities of life.
I sat with my hands folded in my lap, staring at the racks of gowns the assistants had wheeled in earlier. The dresses hung, ivory satins that shimmered like liquid moonlight, blush lace overlays delicate as spiderwebs, minimalist silk columns that flowed like water. Each one more breathtaking than the last.
And all of them felt like costumes
