Chapter 1

• The large signboard read “WELCOME TO BRIDAL DREAMS” in bold capital letters.
• Renee Wilson read the large electric signage in her mind, and instantly knew she didn’t want to be there. She had her reasons, but they did not matter because she was already committed to marrying Kelvin against her better judgement, so whatever reservations she had in her mind, meant absolutely nothing. She wouldn’t wish such cruel fate on her enemy but this was her cross to bear, so she would bear it.
• “This place is obviously out of my budget!” she said out loud to whoever cared to listen amongst her flock of friends as they made their way in.
• “You are too broke to have a budget, your fiancée is paying for this shopping, so quit talking about budget” Chloe rashly said, “You are so used to poverty Renee, embrace the good life for once! Jeez” she added.
• Before Renee would blink or even utter a reply in her defense, her friends scattered into the forest of wedding dresses, rummaging through racks after racks.
• The atmosphere inside the Bridal shop was too relaxed for comfort, too poised with a delicate and prime ambience holding everything together, It was London's most exclusive wedding boutique after all. It smelt like the sweet scent of fresh lilies and the faint, sweet perfume of unwanted anticipation that had Renee feeling nervous, so nervous she could feel her heartbeats in her throat.
• Renee tried not to appear excited even though a mild part of her loved the Crystal chandeliers that glittered overhead, casting its glow on the carpets and ornate gold-framed mirrors, it was indeed a bridal dream land of a bride from a rich family; definitely for happy and excited brides to be and not her, Renee thought to herself.
• For any other bride, this would have been a moment of pure, unadulterated joy. For Renee Wilson, it felt different, like a nicely decorated shackle, yes, a shackle. Nothing there felt natural to her. Left for her she would have settled for a cheap white dress or borrow her mothers wedding dress than squander thousands of pounds on a dress she was not excited to wear.
• But she was too afraid to mention such to her friends considering they had been to four different bespoke bridal stores and she did not like any of the dresses, this was their last bus stop.
• The only thing that seemed to pacify her was the soft rolling of beyonce’s one plus one playing on the background - it was her favourite song.
• “…Let our love heal us all, right now baby, make love to me..” she hummed under her breath, and regretted the next minute when thoughts of Kelvin making love to her crossed her mind.
• I cast and bind such ungodly thoughts, she muffled.
• She wished her best friend, Leah was here, but Leah had texted that she would not be able to make it as she was swamped with work, but she was glad her girlfriends turned up.
• "Oh, Renee, look at this one!" Clara's voice, usually so calm and poised as always, was now a breathless gasp of delight. She emerged from a line of bright white gowns, holding aloft a gown that seemed to almost defy gravity, good lord, it looked dashing! The layers of tulle cascading downwards like a frozen waterfall. "It's absolutely divine! Like something out of a fairy tale movie, Cinderella would rip your eyes out for this dress."
• Renee jarred from her thoughts, offered a weak, noncommittal smile, her gaze sweeping over the intricate beadwork on the bodice. "It's… certainly a lot of dress, isn't it?" she murmured, trying to sound appreciative, but the words felt hollow, like pebbles rattling in an empty tin. Her stomach churned with a familiar knot of dread.
• Every dress Clara, Brenda, or Chloe pointed out, felt like another nail hammered into the coffin of her disapproval.
• Brenda, ever the practical one, though equally swept up in the bridal fever, joined Clara. "Divine is an understatement, Clara! And the cut would be perfect for Renee's figure. It would truly highlight her waist line" She turned to Renee, her eyes sparkling. "Come on, darling, you have to try this one on. Just imagine how Kelvin would react when he sees it!"
• The mention of Kelvin Bradford's name sent a fresh jolt of anxiety through Renee. Kelvin. The man she was set to marry in two short weeks. "I don't know, Brenda," Renee demurred, her voice barely audible over the excited chatter of her friends. "It looks awfully heavy. And probably terribly expensive."
• Chloe, who had been meticulously examining a gown with a dramatic tail, scoffed playfully. "Expensive? Renee, darling, you're marrying Kelvin Bradford! The man practically owns half of London! 'Expensive' isn't even in his vocabulary. He gave you his black card, didn't he? The one with no limit? He wants you to pick something extravagant. It's a status symbol, sweetie."
• Renee felt a familiar prickle of resentment. She resented the entire idea of spending Kelvin’s money as she felt as though she was sinking deeper into his debt. The "black card" was a reminder of the debt that bound her to that abusive lunatic. A debt she took up as payment for her mother's life.
• A year ago, her mother had been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive heart condition. The specialists had been grim, the prognosis dire. The only hope was an experimental surgery, performed by a renowned surgeon in Switzerland, at a cost that was utterly bizzare – hundreds of thousands of dollars, a sum so large it might as well have been too much to repay considering Renee’s miserly earnings. Renee, then working a modest job, had been desperate. She'd exhausted her savings, appealed to every charity, even considered selling her small, inherited flat. But it wasn't enough. Not even close.
• Then Kelvin had appeared, like a dark knight in shining armour. He was a distant acquaintance, a philanthropist of some sort who knew her late father. He'd heard of her plight through the grapevine, or so he claimed. He'd offered to pay for everything on the condition that she marries him.
• Renee, desperate, had agreed. Her mother's life was paramount. But now she did not want to admit that she regretted her decision to marry him.
• The surgery had been a success. Her mother was recovering. It was time to pay the debt.
• This marriage was her way of honouring her side of the bargain as there was no way she could repay the five hundred and fifty thousand dollars he had spent on her mother’s surgery. So it was a case of her mother's life for her own. She was sure no woman in her right mind would settle for a scum like Kelvin, unless she was a golddigger, because he had been nothing short of verbally and emotionally abusive since she accepted to be his fiancee, he almost hit her the last time they had an argument and when she tried to talk to her friends about it, they shut her down.
• A man like Kelvin Bradford, could not possibly lay a finger on a woman, they thought.
• "Renee?" Clara's gentle voice pulled her back to the present. "Are you alright? You look a bit pale."
• Renee forced a smile, pushing the suffocating thoughts down. "Just a bit overwhelmed, that's all. So many choices!" She gestured vaguely at the endless rows of dresses. "I was thinking something a bit simpler, perhaps? More… understated."
• Brenda sighed dramatically. "Understated? Renee, this isn't a garden party! This is the wedding of the year! Every major newspaper, every society magazine, will have photographers there. You need to make a statement. You're marrying Kelvin Bradford, not some local vicar!"
• "Exactly!" Chloe chimed in, her voice brimming with excitement. "You're going to be the envy of every woman in the country! This is your moment to shine, darling. To show them all that you belong in Kelvin's world."
• I don't want to belong in Kelvin's world or the envy of any woman, Renee thought bitterly. She wanted to be anywhere but here. She wanted her old life back, simple and free, even with its struggles. She wished she could just scream, rip off her dress, and run out of the boutique, out of London, out of Kelvin's orbit entirely. But the image of her mother, smiling weakly from her hospital bed, her eyes full of hope and gratitude, flashed in Renee's mind. She had to pretend. She had to play along. For her mother.
• "What about this one?" Renee asked, pointing to a modest A-line gown tucked away in a corner, its fabric a plain, unadorned satin. It was elegant, yes, but utterly lacking in the extravagance her friends seemed to crave.
• Clara, usually so agreeable, actually winced. "Oh, Renee, no. That's… sweet. But it's not for you. Not for this wedding."
• Brenda snorted. " Renee, darling, your fashion sense has always been a bit… quaint. But you're marrying Kelvin Bradford, not a farmer or a wretched gospel preacher! You need to look like a woman who commands respect, who belongs to a man of his status."
• Chloe, meanwhile, had discovered a new treasure. "Girls! Come here, quickly! This is it! This is the one!" Her voice was a high-pitched squeal of delight.
• Renee's heart sank further. She knew Chloe's taste. Whatever it was, it would be grand, audacious, and utterly contrary to everything Renee felt. She dragged her feet, reluctantly following her friends to the far end of the showroom.
• And then she saw it.
• It hung on a specially lit pedestal, bathed in a spotlight, as if it were a museum piece. It was a masterpiece obviously, a sleek, form-fitting gown inspired by Naomi Campbell 1996 bridal walk, it shimmered with thousands of tiny, hand-sewn crystals. It had a plunging neckline that was daring, yet somehow still elegant, and a back that plunged even lower, revealing a breathtaking expanse of skin. The fabric was like liquid silver, moulding to the form, promising to turn heads. It was, undeniably, the most stunning, most audacious, most expensive-looking dress in the entire boutique.
• "Oh, my goodness," Clara breathed, her eyes wide with awe.
• "It's… magnificent," Brenda murmured, momentarily speechless.
• Renee stared. Her breath caught in her throat. It was magnificent. It was also everything she wasn't. It screamed glamour, and a willingness to be seen, to be admired. Renee felt none of those things. She felt exposed, vulnerable, and utterly terrified.
• "I can't," Renee said, the word escaping her lips before she could stop it, a raw, desperate whisper.
• Her friends turned to her, their faces a mixture of disbelief and growing frustration. Chloe's jaw tightened. "Renee Wilson," she began in between gritted teeth’s, her voice descended into a growl, very low, "you are going to wear this gown. Whether you like it or not. What, specifically, is wrong with it now?"
• Renee's eyes darted to the discreet, almost invisible price tag tucked into the inner seam. Her eyes widened, her breath hitching. The number was wild, she was so gagged. A quarter of a million pounds. For a dress. It was obscene.
• "It's… it's too revealing," Renee stammered, trying to find a reason beyond the cost. "And… and it's too damn expensive!"
• Clara gasped. "Too revealing? Renee, it's elegant! And expensive? Darling, you're marrying a billionaire! Money is not your problem!"
• Brenda stepped forward, her expression firm. "Renee, we've been here for hours. This is the last dress. It's perfect. You will wear it."
• Renee looked from the glittering gown to the determined faces of her friends. They were a united front, their eyes gleaming with an unshakeable resolve. She was trapped. Boxed into a corner. The dress, like the marriage, was inevitable. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, wishing she could disappear, wishing this nightmare would end. But then she opened her eyes, forced a small, brittle smile, and nodded. The pretending would continue. It had to.
• “Alright! I will wear it” she managed to say.