The first half of the night passed peacefully between them.


    But Yvonne wasn''t the stillest sleeper, and at some point, she rolled right into Bet''s arms.


    Bet''s body instantly tensed, his breathing growing heavier.


    Yvonne, pressed against his hard, warm chest, felt ufortable and woke up rubbing her eyes.


    Still not fully conscious, she dazedly saw Bet lying beside her and murmured, "Ben."


    Then, her soft red lips brushed against the corner of his tightly pressed mouth.


    It was a fleeting kiss, but it felt like a spark igniting a wildfire. Bet felt his entire body catch fire, all his blood rushing uncontrobly to one ce.


    He suddenly gripped her chin, kissing her urgently and possessively, and rolled her onto her back beneath him.


    Kisses, caresses, an intimate entanglement.


    Just then, the sound of a child''s voice came from the next room. It must have been Nic waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.


    Then, Karina carried the child to the bathroom, making a fair bit of noise. Noah woke up too, asking Nic in a low voice if she was hot or thirsty.


    Bet''s tall frame, pressing down on Yvonne, froze for a moment. Then, he let her go and sat up, turning to sit on the edge of the bed.


    He sat with his back to Yvonne.


    The room was dark, lit only by the faint moonlight, so Yvonne couldn''t see the expression or emotion on his face.


    She huddled under the covers as the passion slowly faded, a chill creeping over her body.


    They had just done nearly everything but the final act, yet he had stopped at the most critical moment. This feeling of being left hanging was truly awful.


    Yvonne''s mind was aplete nk; she even wondered if this was all a dream. "Bet, what''s wrong?" Yvonne sat up and hugged him from behind.


    Bet, having calmed himself, turned around and half-embraced her, his warm hand gently stroking her head.


    "Don''t tempt me again. We can''t do this here," Bet''s voice was incredibly hoarse.


    This ce is way too basic. And on top of that, the walls are paper thin.


    They could hear the sounds from the next room so clearly. By the same token, could they have also heard their heavy breathing and Yvonne''s subconscious moans?


    The thought made Bet''s scalp tingle.


    Yvonne seemed to realize this as well, and her cheeks burned red.


    Bet put on his jacket, stood up, and picked up a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the nightstand.


    "I''m going out for a smoke. You should get some sleep."


    “It''s cold outside, don''t stay out too long," Yvonne reminded him, wrapped in her nket.


    “Okay.” Bet gave her a gentle look, nodded, and then turned to leave.


    Bet pulled on a thick coat before stepping out of the cabin. The sky was already showing the first pale


    light of dawn, but it was still quite cold before the sun rose.


    He walked aimlessly along the stone path until he was about a hundred meters from


    the cabin, where he sat down on a bench.


    The view from this spot was excellent, offering a spectacr sight of the river, as vast as the sea, withyers of mist rising from its surface.


    Bet lowered his head and lit a


    ?


    cigarette with his lighter. The small me flickered at his fingertips, and the


    the smoke quickly disperseve


    wind.


    After finishing one cigarette, Bet had calmed down, but it felt as if a fire was still smoldering inside him, making him incredibly ufortable.


    He shouldn''t have touched her. Now, being left in this state of limbo was even more torturous.


    Bet subconsciously tapped another cigarette from the pack, feeling like he was a glutton for punishment.