Chapter 162

At the break of dawn, Leanne pulled herself out of bed before the alarm even had the

chance to ring.

Groggy and slow to react, she stumbled out of her room, ready to rouse Joy and Selina for the day ahead.

When she spotted Curtis outside her door, she thought she was still trapped in a dream.

He leaned against the wall, his gaze fixed on some distant point, lost in thought.

He was still in the clothes from the previous day, a cigarette dangling from his hand, burning away into the quiet haze, its smoke curling around his slender, distinct fingers.

The stillness of the early morning enshrouded the hotel, and the night stretched its shadows over his shoulders, a cloak of solitude.

Leanne instinctively reached for her phone to check the time, it was 4:30 AM.

Her gaze shifted back to Curtis, still not fully awake.

Curtis noticed her and promptly snuffed out his cigarette. His eyes were deeper than the night outside, his voice gravelly, either from the smoke or the sleepless night, “Morning.”

Leanne hadn’t expected such a simple greeting and reflexively responded, “…Morning.”

She meant to ask why he was standing there instead of sleeping, but the words fell away before reaching her lips.

She hadn’t slept well either.

Despite her efforts to control her thoughts, Curtis had easily stirred her emotions into. disarray.

thrown into a lake; even if you don’t want to cause

a moment of silence.

speak again, his voice

and Selina emerged from their rooms,

Curtis, Joy, barely keeping her eyes open, turned to Selina and mumbled, “Bite him.”

seemed her jaw might dislocate, then silently closed her mouth, “Can’t

walked straight past

11:29

Chapter 162

already brought the car around to the hotel’s entrance. The Hot Spring Hotel wasn’t far from Echo Summit, just a ten-minute drive to the base

the mountain forest was even sharper than at the hotel, and at this hour, the entire mountain was

instigator of this sunrise hike, “Have you been

adding a couple

South

jacket, shivering, “In my life, I’ve never watched

Only they can get you moving,” Jeremy retorted,

pack, Jeremy asked,

jacket was wind-resistant, and she was well-equipped

slung the pack over her back, feeling a bit clumsy in the bulky jacket, “I’m

cold.”

the darkness as an

hiking gear, getting out of the driver’s seat elicited a groan from Joy, “Great, like stepping in dog poop first thing in the

fire under Devin, who glowered

poop first thing in the morning. My luck’s just fantastic today!”

THE

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