CHAPTER 127

The evening had only grown heavier with each passing minute, a calculated orchestration of small talk, polite smiles, and hushed tones under the strings of golden lights Antonio had adorned the terrace with.

This engagement party was all about elegance, yet my mind was entirely elsewhere as I was clouded by the palpable tension hanging between me and the one person I wished had never shown up—Thiago.

From across the room, I felt Thiago’s gaze on me, stealing glances whenever he thought I wouldn’t notice. It wasn’t anything explicit or inappropriate—at least not outwardly—but it was there, unignorable, like a fire licking at the edge of my carefully composed demeanor.

Each glance felt like a luring magnet that was making me look into him. And I know that if I do that things would become a lot more awkward. I took a steadying breath while faking a smile on my face as I greeted yet another well-meaning guest offering congratulations for me and Sevi.

Sevi’s arm was a comforting weight