Descent (Black Heart Romance presents Heaven & Hell)

She shakes her head no as she fixes the pearl pin in her own elegant side bun.
I don’t even know what the brooch looks like, which makes it much harder to look for it. I search
every bridesmaids dressing station with no luck and finally make it back to mine.
I know I didn’t have the thing, but I start to search my station, anyway. As soon as I do, I notice a
little black gift box with a black ribbon sitting on my counter. There’s a high-quality tag attached with
my name written in fancy calligraphy.
What’s this?
I pick up the box. Frowning slightly, I glance at the bridesmaids’ vanities, but I don’t see a box
that looks like this on any of their workspaces.
“Hey,” I say, to get the attention of the bridesmaid nearest me.
Deirdre looks over, cocking an eyebrow in question.
“Do you have one of these?”
She glances at the box and shakes her head. “Maybe it’s a MOH gift.”
I wasn’t expecting a maid of honor present. The pearl hair clips we’re all wearing in our
matching fancy chignons were supposed to be our bridal party gift from Charity.
Curious, I lift off the top of the box. Draped across a soft bed of black is a lovely diamond and
morganite necklace on a rose gold chain. I gasp softly, carefully tugging the chain free and unclasping
it. I drape it around my neck and secure it, then look in the mirror as I gently finger the pendant.
It’s absolutely beautiful, and just my taste. I don’t know how she could have gotten it here so
quickly if she hadn’t already been planning to give it to me, but Charity was complaining a little bit
ago because I had forgotten my necklace at home. She picked out a uniform look for me and all the
bridesmaids—the same dresses, the same hairstyles, the same necklace. She even sent us direct links
to make sure we ordered the right one. It was more than I would usually spend on a necklace and I
doubted anyone would even look at my neck while I shared the stage with her, but I dug out my credit
card anyway and bought it to make Charity happy. Unfortunately, when I was leaving my apartment
today, I’d been so scatterbrained I left it behind.
This one is different, but a similar look. It looks more expensive, actually.
I know she wasn’t thrilled that my neck would be naked, but I can’t imagine she would be so
hung up on it she would send someone to buy a more expensive necklace from a nearby store.
Clara, one of the bridesmaids, pops her head back into the room from Charity’s bridal suite.
“Hallie, she said she found it. It’s on the bouquet already.”
I thank her for letting me know and she disappears back into the room with Charity.
I look at the pretty necklace one more time, then head back into the suite to thank her, but when I
get to Charity’s room, she has already left.