Chapter One Hundred and Forty

They fell into an oppressive silence as Marco's words hung in the air.

Dahlia shifted uncomfortably, her eyes darting around the cafeteria, searching for an escape.

Marco's gaze remained fixed on her, his expression patient.

He had known Dahlia enough that he could see through her feeble attempt to brush off the truth.

Dahlia unfroze, she stared at Marco with wide eyes before she relaxed.

"I ran into a wall."

Marco rolled his eyes, "you have to come up with a better lie than that. Who did that to you?"

Dahlia's heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing in her ears.

She felt the weight of Marco's question pressing down on her, but the truth remained lodged in her throat, unspoken.

She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Fear gripped her, rendering her speechless.

Marco sighed, his patience slowly wearing thin. "You know I won't let this go, right? I need to know when you started wearing heavy makeup."

Tears welled up in Dahlia's eyes as she struggled to find