My Substitute CEO Bride

The warmth made one drowsy, and Dahlia finally succumbed to fatigue, her eyelids heavy as she drifted off to sleep.

When she awoke again, it was already evening.

Dahlia rubbed her eyes and yawned.

At that moment, a wedge of orange appeared before her.

She instinctively took the orange and popped it into her mouth.noveldrama

"Mr. Hughes, you're here?"

However, when the bedside lamp was turned on, Dahlia realized it was Helio, who had woken up.

"I'm sorry, did I disturb your sleep?" Helio asked in a gentle tone.

As Dahlia's vision cleared and she truly saw Helio's face, her eyes blurred again.

It was... tears. A few drops fell onto the hospital bed.

Helio quickly reached for tissues and offered them to Dahlia.

"No, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to disturb your sleep! Please don't cry!"

At that moment, Dahlia threw herself into Helio's arms. "I'm... I'm so glad... I'm so relieved you're alright."

Helio's lips curved into a smile. His eyes were moist. In the lamplight, they seemed to sparkle. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

Fabian stood outside the door, now aware that Helio was awake. Seeing the situation, he chose not to disturb them.

Inside the room, Dahlia cried heavily, her tears soaking a large patch of Helio's clothes.

Meanwhile, Helio stroked Dahlia's head, gently comforting her, "It's okay, don't cry. I'm fine, aren't I?"

Dahlia remained nestled in his embrace.

"I... I was so scared... I thought... I thought you were going to leave me too..."

"How could that happen..."

"It's... It's all because of me... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

"It's alright."

Dahlia shook her head, holding him even tighter.

"I'm sorry I said such harsh things to you back then. I..."

"It's okay, I don't blame you."

The more understanding Helio was, the stronger Dahlia's feelings of guilt grew.

Helio knew Dahlia's thoughts; he always had. Otherwise, he would not have risked his life to save her.

Dahlia buried her head in Helio's chest and continued speaking through her sobs.

"Thank you... Thank you for always being there. I've been so selfish all this time. Thank you for always accepting me. Actually... I... I know that. I can't live without you anymore... I..."

Dahlia released Helio and looked at him with what seemed like pleading eyes.

Nevertheless, Helio gestured for her to stop speaking.

"Dahlia, if these feelings stem from guilt, please let go of the past and forgive my mistakes. I won't ask anything of you, and you don't need to force yourself to do anything. For me, having you and everyone else by my side is enough. So, don't put pressure on yourself, okay?"

Helio felt Dahlia should not continue living with guilt. Moreover, this guilt was born from his own mistakes, yet it was constantly disturbing Dahlia. It was making her always want to compensate him for something.

If it was that kind of emotion, Helio thought it was better to refuse in advance. He

did not want guilt to dictate Dahlia's life.

"Do you... hate me?" Dahlia's head dropped.

Helio quickly moved to comfort her. "Of course not! I just..."