Chapter 128

DAHLIA

The moment Sebastian said the words “Dahlia is home,” I forgot how to breathe.

My heart didn’t just skip; it performed a full, dramatic cartwheel. I stared at him, wide-eyed, while he continued talking to Diego like he hadn’t just publicly declared my entire existence important.

When he finally hung up, the room felt smaller. Warmer. Intimate in a way that made my pulse flutter.

He looked at me.

I looked at him.

Everything in me softened—annoyance, panic, and exhaustion all melting into something warm and frighteningly gentle.

“Home, huh?” I asked quietly.

He didn’t even blink. “Yes.”

I swear my stomach dissolved into confetti. I choked on my food. And the more he tried to rub my back after getting me a glass of water, the more the coughs kept coming.

When he noticed the coughs wouldn’t stop, he teased me even further.

“Are you actually choking on the food or on how much you love me?”

The coughing stopped