Chapter 121

DAHLIA

“Dahlia, wait!”

Adrian’s voice chased me as I pushed through the doors and into the cool night air. The music from the hall spilled faintly behind me—soft, romantic, cruel. I didn’t stop. Not even when my heels scraped against the pavement and my chest ached from running.

He caught up anyway. Of course, he did.

“Please,” he panted, reaching for my arm.

I spun around before he could touch me. “Don’t!” I snapped, stepping back. “Don’t touch me. Don’t come near me!”

He froze, breathless, guilt written all over his face. “Dahlia, please, just listen to me. I didn’t mean for it to happen like that…”

“You didn’t mean to lie?” I shot back, my voice sharp enough to slice through the air. “You didn’t mean to twist things? You didn’t mean to try to make me hate the one person who you know will actually fight the world for me?”

“I was trying to protect you.”

“From what?!” I yelled. “From who exactly? Sebastian? From someone who cared