Naturally, a deeply hidden, unspoken desire laced his words—it gave him a bulletproof, logical excuse to stand permanently by her side.
Honestly, who wouldn't be deeply moved hearing a confession like that?
Yara was practically fighting back tears. Leaning in closer, she whispered, "Quinn, I had no idea Ethan was hiding such a heartbreaking story beneath that aloof exterior. He's always so perfectly polite and gentlemanly—you'd never guess he had a fragile side like this."
"If the kids can actually heal that kind of pain for him, you need to stop overthinking it. Let's just go with this arrangement."
Quinn's heart melted completely, a stinging tightness flooding her nose.
The suffocating layer of guilt and the awkward hesitation holding her back from accepting his kindness dissolved almost instantly.
A deep, empathetic ache of solidarity swelled inside her. She desperately wanted to throw her arms around him—no hidden strings attached, just a pure, platonic hug to lend him a shred of warmth.
As someone who likewise craved nothing but stable warmth, she perfectly translated the lifelong, completely unsoothed isolation buried deep beneath his gentle words.
Wrapping a trace of genuine warmth into her voice, Quinn flashed a brilliant, soft smile. "Ethan, thank you!"
Ethan returned a heart-meltingly tender smile, a dark, hidden glint flashing quickly through his handsome eyes. "I'm the one who should be thanking you and the kids."
"Alright, everyone knock it off with the thank yous. We're practically family here!"
The second the words left Yara's mouth, she realized she had misspoken and scrambled to correct it. "I mean, we're all one big found family! A giant, super warm family! Haha..."
...
Regency Bay.
Walking downstairs, Jade spotted the man and the boy at the dining table. She greeted them gently, "Miles, you're up so early."
"Mommy, time for breakfast!"
Leo hopped joyfully off his chair and threw himself straight into her arms for a hug.
Lowering his voice, he threw out a quick warning. "Mommy, Daddy looks really mad."
The warning sent Jade's heart into a nosedive. She carefully studied Miles, who was sitting in dead silence at the table.
Dark circles hung heavy under his eyes, his entire face clouded over. What on earth had happened?
"Miles, did... did Leo do something to upset you?"


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