Chapter 48: Well, Here Goes Nothing

I've never looked this glamorous in my entire life - or felt as miserable.

The gold gown swishes around my legs as I walk, and the beads sparkle like diamonds in the late afternoon sunlight. My makeup is flawless, and my thick hair has been pinned into a flawless French twist. I debated skipping the salon appointment Roman made for me, but he had one of his assistants email me a reminder this morning, and it felt childish to refuse to go. Still, there was a knot in my stomach the entire time I sat in the chair, and while the results look beautiful, I don't feel as much like Cinderella as I expected. I feel a lot more like I'm going to throw up.

I've been here for almost three hours already, standing in my place behind the partition that separates the press from the red carpet. I've learned the hard way that they give priority positions to television reporters and the members of the press with cameras or other large equipment, but the crowd of journalists here today isn't nearly as la