Chapter 140

DAHLIA

Trouble.

The way he said it made something cold settle under my skin.

Before I could ask another question, Sebastian grabbed my hand and pulled me into the hallway, both of us practically jogging. My heartbeat wasn’t even in my chest anymore—it was everywhere. My throat, my palms, my head.

The closer we got to the dining area, the more voices I heard. Sharp. Loud. Rising.

Too many.

And one, above all, slicing through everything like broken glass.

Loren.

Sebastian tightened his grip on my hand. “Stay behind me.”

But I didn’t need to.

Everyone in that room saw me the moment we rounded the corner.

All eyes snapped to us like they had been waiting.

Loren stood in the middle, chest heaving, eyes bright with poison. The moment she saw me, her voice pitched higher.

“There she is!” She practically shrieked, pointing at me like I carried the plague. “The slut of the restaurant!”

A collective gasp punch