Chapter 18

Emma’s POV The noise of clanging doors filled the police station. I stood there, shaken, in the middle of the police station, my arms wrapped around myself, still wearing the silver-blue gown. It no longer felt beautiful. It felt like evidence. I knew I was in deep trouble. The officer at the desk leaned back in his chair and looked me over slowly, from my face down to the dress. His name tag read Caleb. “So,” he said with a smirk, “you walked out of a boutique with a thirty-thousand-dollar gown and thought no one would notice?” “I didn’t steal it,” I said, forcing my voice to stay calm. “My friend, Miss Bella Thompson, brought me there. She told them to pack it. She said she would pay.” “Your friend,”Miss Bella Thompson, he repeated, amused. “Let me guess. She is rich, powerful but invisible.” “She’s real,” I said. “She…” He laughed loudly, cutting me off. “Funny how all thieves have rich friends who suddenly disappear.” The store clerk stood beside him, arms folded but she wouldn’t l