Ethan knew Olivia so well that he was certain she wouldn’t stay by his side after what had happened.
He had long expected such a day would come, so he had been avoiding her and simply wishing that the day would come later.
She first poured him a glass of water before seating herself on a chair. “Speaking about it, this is the first time I’ve poured you a glass of water even though you’ve been looking after us for a long time.”
Looking sideways, Ethan coughed with a fist over his mouth. “Thank you.
“Would you like to take your medicine?” asked the concerned Olivia.
“It’s alright. It’s just the coughing. I’m much better now.”
“Thank you so much for what you’ve done for us. You’re a nice person. You’re hard-working and experienced. It’s unbecoming of me to make you look after the kids. You’re still young. You should try building a career out there,” she said implicitly.
Ethan held the glass with two hands. His fingers caressed the smooth surface slowly. He lowered his gaze, and no one knew what he was thinking.
He responded after a moment of silence, “My feelings for you are troubling you.’
His blunt remarks rendered her at the end of her wits.
Judging from his stiff character-which was similar to her-she initially assumed that he would pretend nothing had happened that night.
To her surprise, he was forcing her to answer him face-to-face by bringing it up.
Olivia licked her lips and clasped her hands, gazing at her fingers with her head hung low. “This is only one of the reasons. Even if not for that incident, I was already planning to go our separate ways after arriving in Aldenvine.
“Alicia likes me a lot.”
“I know.”
So… can’t you give me a chance?” Ethan was nearly pleading. “I won’t hurt you like your ex-husband did. I’ll only love and protect you. If the fact that I’m poor is putting you off, I can earn a living. I have a lot of ways to do so. I’m sure I can feed you guys.
“Don’t misunderstand me. I have no intention of doing anything to you. It simply pains me to see you like this. You haven’t recovered yet, and it’s dangerous for you t raise a child alon
“If my feelings for you are what concerns you, I can return to my original place. I’ll neither come close to you nor disturb you. I’ll protect you in secret. Miss, please don’t drive me away.”
Olivia’s head was in a mess.
People said that sincerity would always be the sharpest weapon that ever existed.
Ethan’s sincere and honest remarks were thwarting every possibility of rejection possible.
“I…”
“At least let me make sure that you and Alicia are safe. Only then can you drive me away. Please?”
Noticing her fazed emotions, he added, “Miss, you’re a clever person. Are you sure you wanna drive me away because of my feelings for you? What are you going to do when you guys are in danger?
“Besides, didn’t you say that person is influential in Aldenvine? Without help and cover, he might be able to find you as soon as you return there. Do you want everything to go back to how it was in the past?”
The mentioned factors were exactly the reasons Olivia couldn’t reject him.
“You can stay, but I hope that you’ll maintain a safe distance from us.
Despite the disappointment, Ethan was glad that he could stay. “Got it.”
The way he lowered his head was making it harder for her. “Logan, as I said that night, it’s not that I dislike you. It’s simply because I don’t have feelings for any man. It’s nothing directed at you. You’re a good person. I’m sure you can find yourself a perfect partner in the future.”
Raising his head, he looked right into her eyes. “There’s no one better than you.