It was supposed to be a birthday outing, but Ethan Sinclair felt suffocated for two days.
As he stepped out of the tent, he bumped into Kate Lynch, who was holding a bowl. She smiled at him, "Ian, I noticed you drank quite a bit tonight. I asked the kitchen to prepare so hangover soup for you. Have a little, or you’ll feel terrible tomorrow."
The temperature difference between day and night at Rhyolite Peaks is quite significant, and it was bone-chilling cold, requiring down jackets.
Yet Kate Lynch was wearing only a single layer, bringing him hangover soup.
He wasn’t quite sure why, but despite his affection for her, which should have made him happy about her kindness, he felt imnse pressure at this mont.
He wanted to refuse, but didn’t want to upset Kate Lynch by rejecting her kindness, so he draped his coat over her shoulders before taking the bowl from her hands.
"I’ll drink it. It’s late, and it’s cold outside. You should go back to rest."
"I’ll wait until you finish drinking before I leave, or else you’ll just pour the soup out once I turn my head."
Ethan Sinclair knew Kate Lynch was looking out for him, so he tilted his head back and drank the soup to the last drop.
Kate Lynch finally smiled happily. Then, as if rembering sothing, she comforted Ethan Sinclair, "Ian, don’t take Quinn too seriously. She’s simple-minded, probably ant no harm, and there’s no bad blood between and her."
Kate Lynch was subtly hinting to Ethan Sinclair that Quinn Sinclair was easily manipulated by those with ulterior motives to target her.
Without much expression on his face, Ethan Sinclair didn’t respond further, and Kate Lynch dared not say more. "Alright then, I’m going to sleep. You should get so rest too. We have to drive back tomorrow."
"Okay."
Watching Kate Lynch walk back to her tent, Ethan Sinclair irritably lit a cigarette.
Kate was already awake, and he shouldn’t allow himself to focus too much on Kiana Sutton. Yet even he didn’t know what exactly was going on with him.
Ti ticked by second after second, with only ten minutes left until midnight.
Ethan Sinclair turned around, ready to head back to his tent, but just as he lifted the flap, he suddenly let it go and walked to the tent farthest from him.
Mason Kane was camping next to Quinn Sinclair, vigilantly ensuring her safety.
Upon hearing a noise, he walked out cautiously.
He thought it might have been so rogue, only to find it was Ethan Sinclair.
Why would Ethan Sinclair be heading to Quinn Sinclair’s tent so late?
Yet, with Ethan Sinclair’s sister and wife inside the tent, Mason Kane dared not act rashly and chose to observe.
Upon entering the tent, Ethan Sinclair found Quinn Sinclair half-sprawled over Kiana Sutton.
Quinn Sinclair had always been a restless sleeper, frequently falling out of bed. At ho, protective rails surrounded her bed to prevent falls.
By the ti she turned twelve, she feared her friends might mock her and had the rails removed, so her family laid thick carpets instead.
When Quinn insisted on sharing a tent with Kiana, Ethan was a bit worried.
And now, his worries seed justified.
Kiana appeared uncomfortable under Quinn’s weight, furrowing her brows and trying to push Quinn away, but only ended up being hugged tighter.
Ethan Sinclair: "..."
With a stern expression, Ethan Sinclair pulled Kiana out of Quinn’s grasp.
"Sister-in-law... dear sister-in-law..."
With her arms suddenly empty, Quinn groggily started to get up with her eyes closed. Ethan Sinclair stuffed the teddy bear Quinn always hugged while sleeping into her arms.
Only then did Quinn contentedly turn over and go back to sleep, hugging the bear.
Outside, Mason Kane watched Ethan Sinclair carry Kiana out, his expression complicated.
"Keep an eye on Quinn, don’t let her fall off."
Mason Kane was stunned, thinking he had hidden well, only to be discovered by Ethan Sinclair nonetheless.
Stepping out of the shadows, he nodded, "Understood."
...
Outside, it was a bit chilly. Kiana shivered slightly, instinctively moving closer to the heat source.
With Julian Garrison having taken over the tent, Ethan Sinclair brought Kiana to the car.
Fortunately, it was an SUV with ample space inside.
After placing Kiana in the car, Ethan lightly tapped her cheek, "Kiana, wake up!"
Kiana was sleeping soundly and grew a bit annoyed from being disturbed, reflexively reaching out to hit, inadvertently landing a slap on Ethan Sinclair’s face.
Ethan Sinclair’s face darkened, and he pinched her cheek firmly, "Open your eyes and look at who I am?"
Finally roused from Ethan Sinclair’s pestering, Kiana noticed her vision was still blurry. Weakly, she pointed at Ethan Sinclair, trying to gesture, but her hands lacked strength.
This person, why did he resemble the one who caused her pain so much?
Bastard!
They’re all bastards!
Kiana suddenly pushed Ethan Sinclair away. His patience running thin, he raised her hands above her head in anger, "Enough of the jealousy. In two minutes, my birthday will be over. Don’t you have anything to say to ?"
Kiana shook her head. Hearing Ethan Sinclair’s voice pained her heart; she wanted to distance herself from him.
"Fine! If you don’t want to talk, then let’s act!"
With that, he roughly pressed his burning lips against hers.
Kiana began struggling but was no match for Ethan Sinclair’s strength.
Before long, she had lted softly into his embrace.
Rain began to patter against the windows, as if playing a lody for the two inside.
Without receiving gifts or well-wishes, Ethan Sinclair chose this way to claim a gift from Kiana.
The intoxicated Kiana was softer and sweeter than usual.
Ethan Sinclair never realized his desires were so intense, savoring Kiana’s body as if it were a delicacy.
When Kiana finally regained awareness, her body felt broken, aching all over, with a throat as dry and parched as could be.
A cup of water was suddenly brought to her lips, and she instinctively drank a few sips. Feeling a bit more comfortable, she opened her eyes to find herself in Ethan Sinclair’s arms.
Moreover, they were in a car, which was in motion.
Kiana sat up abruptly. What was going on? What had happened?
Turning her head, she saw the slap mark on Ethan Sinclair’s face and his split lip, causing her heart to skip a beat.
"No need to doubt it, it’s your doing!"
Kiana: "..."
Possibly from drinking too much the night before, Kiana truly couldn’t rember what had happened.
She hurriedly gestured, "Where are we going? Where is Quinn? And why am I in the car?"
Seeing Kiana’s bewildered expression, Ethan Sinclair’s lips curved into a smile as he decided to tease her, "Do you really not rember anything?"
Kiana shook her head, feeling inexplicably nervous. Seeing Ethan Sinclair’s smile gave her an ominous feeling.
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