Before Olivia spoke, Ethan added, "Don't see it as a burden. The fact that I like you is my business to deal with. I'll diminish my presence as I did before. I won't intervene much in your life but … liking you is my right. You can kill me, but you can't stop me from liking you."

Her ears were burning at his honesty, which caught her off-guard. She didn't know how to respond to that.

Ethan broke the awkwardness as he lifted his blanket to get out of bed. "Okay, I told you not to see it as a burden. Let me send you back. It's getting late. You should rest up."

"It's alright. I can walk back by myself. It's not that far."

"The ship's not that safe at night. I can walk you back." He had already put on his coat.

Noticing that she was wearing thin layers, he casually draped another coat over her shoulders.

Before she could reject him, Ethan explained, "It's clean."

"I—I didn't mean it that way. I …"

"I know." Standing by the door, he reached out his hand for her.

Olivia blinked he