Her shoulders lifted. “I have no idea, dear. A courier boy just gave me the parcel and left. Anyway, I’ll leave you to this. A lot of chores are on hand.”

Nodding, I flashed her a smile along with a thank you and closed the door.

I searched for a name on the box, but there wasn’t one. Who could’ve sent it?

Biting my lip, I unpacked it.

A gasp slipped through my lips as my gaze landed on the red gown lying in it. Taking it out, I unfolded it. It was the same gown I saw him checking out that day.

A note that was placed beneath the gown caught my eye. With a skip of my heart, I picked it up.

This one was left out from trying. I want to see it on you tonight. -A

So, he… bought it for me?

A warmth surged through my chest as I ran my hand on the beautiful cold shoulder gown. The fabric felt smooth under my palm.

Holding it against me, I stood before the mirror. It looked… beautiful.

But why did he get it for me?

Flashes of that night on the road floated in my mind. That horrible night we almost faced death…

My hands clutched the gown tight.

A car had lost balance and came our way. To save us, he had to avoid a collision and our car ended up hitting a street lamp.

I closed my eyes as the fear of that moment hit me back.

He’d put his arm over me to save me from getting hurt, not caring for himself. Even after the seatbelts, I was about to hit my head on the window, if not for him. The hit was that severe. Good thing neither of us had any major injuries. I got a small scratch on my leg. But his shoulder was hurt. The jerk of the crash and the way he stretched to protect me gave his shoulder a muscle injury.

I was so rattled after the incident that he clutched me to his chest for almost half an hour until I gained some composure. I hated the feeling. The fear I felt at that moment. The fear of death, the fear of losing him…

I shook my head, shaking off the inauspicious thoughts.

I shouldn’t be thinking of that. Everything is all right now. Today is Tess’s engagement night, so I should just concentrate on that.

I looked back at my reflection.

This gown.

Shouldn’t I be mad he sent another gift for me? But I wasn’t. The red tint on my cheeks proved that.

A sigh left me.

What was I doing? I was wandering away from my goal: avoid him until three months passed so I could finally go back to New York, away from him.

But… it’s just a gown…

I bit my lip.

“Em? You ready?” Mom called out from downstairs.