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 bu