The knock on the bedroom door comes just as I’m finishing tugging the dress into place, my fingers still a little clumsy from nerves as I smooth the fabric over my hips and take a steadying breath in front of the mirror, all soft lines and borrowed confidence staring back at me, like I’ve stepped into someone else’s life without fully consenting to it yet, and I press my palms briefly to the vanity as if that might keep me grounded. I check my hair one last time, adjust the necklace Luna Sophia insisted I wear, and try to convince myself that this is just a party and not a line being drawn around me.
“Bella.” Atticus calls through the door, his voice warm but careful, like he’s bracing for me to snap again, “We’re ready when you are.”
I open the door before I can overthink it, before I c
