Chapter 4

I knew for a fact that Manuel had abandoned me because of how much he coddled his motorcycle.

When we were setting up the tent in the afternoon, he had parked his bike right in the middle of the clearing directly in front of us.

After she uttered that dramatic line about him hating her, Hathaway had quietly walked over to a nearby pine tree, curling her legs up to her chest.

Manuel didn't say anything more. He quietly went about setting up the camp.

He pitched the tent, set up the portable grill, and did all the heavy lifting without letting me lift a finger. He acted the part of the doting, deeply-in-love fiancé to perfection.

But I could tell he was trying way too hard. It felt like a performance staged entirely for Hathaway’s benefit.

A knot tightened in my chest, but since Manuel was doing everything perfectly, I could only swallow my unease and keep quiet.

Manuel stayed inside the tent with me until dusk. By then, the wind had picked up, bringing a biting chill.

I peeked out of the tent and saw Hathaway still huddled under the tree, shivering.

This mountain wasn't that massive. If she had started walking down earlier, she would have reached the base by now.

The fact that she was still here meant she was waiting on purpose.

Unable to watch any longer, I grabbed a spare jacket and some energy bars, stepped out of the tent, and walked over to her. "The wind gets really cold at night, Miss Miller. You shouldn't freeze."

I held the items out to her. She merely spared them a dismissive glance, refusing to take them. Instead, she looked up at me with a provocative smirk.

"Do you really think he hates me?"

I choked on my words. She was right. Manuel didn't hate her.

If he did, I wouldn't have been feeling this mounting dread ever since she showed up.