Chapter 96

SEBASTIAN

The soft murmur of conversation filled the café as I stepped inside, the faint scent of roasted coffee wrapping around me like something familiar — something that always led me back here. I’m too attached to the restaurant that the thought of handing it over to anybody always made my stomach turn.

I don’t know what actually birthed this passion, maybe because food was a big deal for me growing up as an orphan living in an orphanage. No matter what I become, I’d always be attached to this food business.

I paused by the entrance, eyes scanning the room automatically, as though they already knew who they were looking for.

And then I saw Dahlia.

She was at the counter, sleeves rolled to her elbows, her hair tied loosely, a faint crease between her brows as she arranged a tray of mugs. The late afternoon light caught on her skin, softening every edge, and for a brief second, the rest of the world receded.

God, I’d missed that sight — the q