Chapter 238
Chapter 238:
Was I hallucinating?
My mind spun as I stood there with my mouth slightly open, watching him take my suitcase and put it in the trunk of his car.
After that, no words came to me. The shock left me frozen, unable to process Daniel’s sudden boldness—especially with his mother and sister watching everything.
“All right, sweetheart, we should go. If you need anything for the competition, just call me, okay?” Mom hugged me warmly.
“Thank you for making the trip with us, Mom.” I managed a smile and kissed her cheek.
“Of course. I wouldn’t have missed it. And congratulations—you deserve to make it to the final rounds. Give it your best p>
“We’ll do our best, Mom p>
“Alex, please take care of my daughter. I should go. Your father won’t rest until I’m home p>
“We all know that, Mom p>
We stood by the curb, watching her drive away before anyone moved.
𝘔𝗼𝗋𝖾 𝗇о𝘃el𝗌 𝗈𝗻 𝘨𝘢𝗅𝗇𝘰𝘷еlѕ.𝗰o𝘮
A tired sigh escaped me as Alex helped Rian into the back seat. I reached for the door without waiting for help—because Daniel was never exactly a gentleman with me.
Sinking into the seat, I tipped my head back and closed my eyes, waiting for him to join me. The world blurred after that, and everything that came next—driving home, arriving, stumbling into bed—vanished from my memory.
This morning, I woke with the weight of yesterday still clinging to me. The endless rehearsals, the nerves before the competition, the rush of emotion during our performance—it had drained me. But what stayed with me the most was the pure shock of Daniel kissing me in front of his entire family.
Still, what truly caught me off guard was waking up in my own room, wearing pajamas, with no idea how I’d gotten there.
“Good morning, Anak.” Nanay Emily’s voice greeted me the moment I walked into the kitchen.
“Good morning, Nanay,” I said, returning her smile. I went straight to the counter and poured myself a cup of fresh coffee.
“Congratulations on making it to the semifinals. I’m proud of you.” She slid a plate of chocolate pancakes toward me.
“Thank you so much, Nanay. Hey, do you remember what time we got home last night? And who brought me upstairs p>
Her eyes crinkled with amusement as she nodded. “It must’ve been around ten. Your husband carried you to your room p>
The news caught me off guard. I almost choked on my coffee and pressed a hand to my chest. “Wait—if he carried me up, does that mean p>
I didn’t finish, but her laughter said she understood.
“Relax. I’m the one who changed your clothes, not him p>
Relief washed over me, and I couldn’t help laughing.
“Thank you, Nanay,” I said, offering an awkward smile.
“No problem, Anak. Shouldn’t you be getting ready to go to work p>
“Not today. Craig and I agreed to take the day off to rest before rehearsals for the final round begin p>