Chapter 47
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
THEA
I slip the black dress over my head, then pull the braid to the side of my face and pin it in place.
The moment Massio leaves my bedroom, I hide the pregnancy test in my bathroom cupboard, throw the towel in the laundry basket, and go about showering and fixing my hair. It’s now pink again, thanks to the instant color I keep hidden.
Massio is right, I need to go to this event and be myself, not the person my mother has molded me into and insisted on me becoming. I’ll never make her happy, I know that now.
What matters is Massio, me, and our baby.
My mother is going to go crazy. I glance over my shoulder at the gold dress laid out on the bed. It’s tiny, would expose my tits with the see-through fabric and leave little to the imagination. My panties would show as I bend over, and the thought churns my stomach.
I’m more than an accessory for a wealthy man.
My mother makes me feel like she’s pimping me out, and I’m worth more than that. Massio has drilled it into me a thousand times, and I finally believe it.
I take another glance in the mirror. The long black dress with the slit up the side is definitely more me.
It covers my assets but clings to me like a second skin, and when I palm my flat stomach, a thrill races through me.
We’re having a baby, and I cannot wait. I shove my feet into the black high heels and relish the way I feel.
Alive and free.
Sexy but elegant.
“Theodora! Come along.” My mother’s shrill voice booms through the mansion, and I wince, imagining her hearing Massio and me together.
I grab my purse, spritz myself one final time, and head out the door, prepared for the backlash I’m about to face.
“Ahhh! You little bitch!” my mother screeches, and I take the first step down the stairs toward the foyer where she and my father are waiting for me.
“Keep walking. You look stunning,” Massio whispers from behind me, giving me the strength to remain standing.
When did he appear?
My hand trembles as I cling to the banister like my life depends on it.
“She’s ruined the night like she ruins everything else,” my mother screeches toward my father.
“Theodora, you’ve upset your mother. Could you not just have—”
“Nobody will want her with pink hair and dressed like trailer trash,” my mother interjects.
“Enough!” Massio barks, stunning them to silence. Then he takes my hand and slides it through his arm. He strokes my hand as he guides me down the stairs, making me feel like the most treasured woman walking this earth.
All the while, my mother glares at me, and when I finally reach the bottom of the stairs, a smile tugs on her sinister lips, sending a tremor down my spine.
She shocks the hell out of me when she leans in and places a kiss on my cheek, but instead of a rush of warmth, a coldness sweeps over me, chilling me to my core. “I’m going to destroy you both,” she hisses into my ear, and there’s not a doubt in my mind that she means every word.