On the night of the ball, Eli showed up in a second-hand mottled suit. The dress he had created for Hazel was stunning: ivory, embellished with large embossed roses, both structured and light, as if taken from the pages of a fashion magazine.
For the first time in a year, Hazel looked at herself in the mirror without looking away.
Then Eli walked up to the DJ, grabbed the microphone and whispered softly: "Hazel... Seek under the largest rose. »*
His hands began to tremble. She slipped her fingers under the fabric flower, found something hidden there — and let out a scream.
