“No. I’ve just had two years to think about what would happen if this moment ever came about, and now, we’re here. I love you, Ly. You’re my older sister. I hate seeing you unhappy.”
“I was going to be married in a month. What will I do with the dress and the decorations and all the vendors?” Lydia asked in a ramble, seeing all the hard work she had spent the last six months doing unravel before her eyes.
“Don’t worry about it, dear,” Linh said. “I’ll handle everything. If we can’t return it, I’m sure there is a perfectly good girl in need who would want a one-of-a-kind wedding dress.”
Lydia hiccuped both a laugh and a groan. “You’re right. It should go to someone else’s big day.” Then, she burst into tears all over again.
Preston left in his SUV without so much as a word, and it was another hour before Lydia was consolable. Ian and Renée showed up at the tail end of it. Both hesitantly looked around, as if they were entering a war zone.
“What’s going on, everybody?” Renée said.
“Hello, Mrs. Hamilton,” Ian said, always polite, even under the circumstances.
“Hello, Ian, Renée.”
Lydia looked up at Ian and Renée through her puffy red eyes. “I broke off the engagement.”
Ian’s mouth dropped open, and Renée’s eyes were as wide as saucers.
“Wow, Lydia,” Renée said. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. No one else is.”
“Well, I’m sorry you’re upset.”
“She’s going to be okay,” Trihn said, rubbing Lydia’s back. “Still in shock.”
“Yeah. Shock that I wasted two years of my life!”
Renée’s eyebrows rose. “Okay. Well then…we were just seeing if you guys were ready to go, but if you’re not—”
“Can I go with you?” Lydia asked. “No offense, Mom, but I don’t feel like sitting around here, thinking about him.”
“Of course, honey,” Linh said comfortingly.
“Is there room? Am I intruding?” Lydia asked, sinking back in on herself.
“There’s plenty of room,” Ian informed her.
“And you’re more than welcome,” Trihn added.
“Okay,” Lydia said with renewed energy at the thought of having something to do. “Thank you, guys. I appreciate it. I’ll just…go pack my things.”
“That was…unexpected,” Renée said once Lydia was out of the room.
“Yeah.” Trihn nodded. “But also…finally.”
“WELCOME TO MY PERSONAL STREET STYLE—Clothes by Trihn,” Trihn said, spreading her arms wide for the crowd.
She was standing at the center of the runway with a million lights on her and hundreds of people watching and waiting for her designs to grace the runway. It was exhilarating and terrifying.
She kept the smile wide on her face as she turned and walked off the runway, as if she had been made for it.
Francesca passed by her with a wink just as “We Never Met” started to play.
Trihn stepped off the runway and rushed over to the assistant who had been assigned for the show. The girl was a godsend. She knew her stuff, and Trihn was certain she couldn’t have put on such a big production without her.
It was incredible to stand backstage, even more so than last time. The thought that she would have her designs on a New York City runway for a fashion show had only crossed her mind in her dreams. Even if nothing came from it, the experience and realization of a dream made her hard work totally worth it. This moment was worth it all.
They rushed Francesca into the last outfit, and then she walked back down the runway. It was mesmerizing, and that dress always seemed to make the right impression. When Francesca made it back to the staging area, Trihn rearranged the girls so that they could all go and stand onstage one more time, and then it was all over. All of that work was for a whole three-minute song.
When Trihn was finished, Teena Hart was waiting for her backstage. She looked gorgeous in a sleek black dress with her hair stick straight and parted down the middle, falling to her shoulders.
She hugged Trihn. “You were marvelous.”
“Thank you!” Trihn said, beaming.
“Far exceeded expectations.”
“I appreciate everything you’ve done to help me get to this moment.”
“You put in the work. You’re here because you have talent. And even if you don’t win today, we’ll spend the next two years honing that talent.”
Trihn smiled even wider. “I look forward to it.”
Teena nodded and then walked away to speak to someone else. Trihn rounded the corner to a section of the dressing room and stopped dead in her tracks. All of her models were clustered together, and a bunch of the other models were all in a mob-like mess. She didn’t know if models were hurt, in a fight, or had completely lost their minds.
“What the hell is going on?” Trihn asked.
“Damon Stone is here!” one girl gasped.
“I wonder if that means Chloe Avana is here!” another girl said.
Trihn laughed and started pushing her way through the girls. “That’s enough. Go mob someone else.”
And then there he was, looking as sexy as ever. He was missing his signature baseball cap, and Trihn was shocked to see that he was in a goddamn sexy three-piece suit. She walked right up to him and kissed him square on the mouth.