Chapter 155

• ALYONA
• Her profile filled the screen. Model. Former beauty queen. Winner of the International Pageant three years ago. Brand ambassador for luxury perfumes and jewelry. Magazine covers showed her flawless face, perfect smile, and a figure that seemed unreal. She wasn’t just beautiful; she was the kind of woman everyone noticed the moment she walked in. I stared at her picture, my chest tight. Of course, Alexander would go out with someone like her. What did I have in comparison? Just a regular New York girl who took the subway, loved greasy burgers and fries, and worked behind a desk.
• And then my mind betrayed me, slipping back to that night. The ball. The gown. That kiss. The way he had responded. For one foolish heartbeat, I had believed he kissed me because he wanted me. But what if he hadn’t? What if he had thought the mysterious woman in the blue gown was someone like Veronica? Someone glamorous. Someone who fit into his world. Not me.