Chapter 147: I Only Learn The Truth

Esther placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him, but his agitation remained. “Vinson has his own reasons, Gaara. I only learned the truth through my father. Vinson and his brother once lived on my family’s farm. It happened a long time ago. I forgot everything because I was in an accident that erased my childhood memories. Vinson was blamed for what happened and was expelled. That is when he began to hate my family.”

“What?” Gaara breathed.

“It is complicated,” Esther continued. “My cousin, Elson, gave false testimony. Vinson was framed. My father protected Elson, and as a result he had no choice but to banish Felix and Vinson.”

“Then he should hate Elson. Not you.”

“He should. But in Vinson’s mind, I, Elson, and my family all hated him for something he never did. And the fact that I did not even remember him probably hurt him even more. Enough to turn it into resentment.”

Gaara’s voice dropped. “You still have not answered my question, Esther. Why are you defending him?”

Esther lowered her hand from his shoulder and slowly stepped back.

“You came all this way to clear your name,” Gaara continued. “So why are you defending Vinson in front of me?”

Esther pressed her fingers to her temples. “I do not know,” she shouted. “Even after learning everything, I still cannot remember anything. I just feel awful because I am the only one who lived peacefully after all of that. Of course he hates me, Gaara. His actions are the logical consequence of my indifference. I cannot blame him. I had a part in the wounds of his life. I cannot stop him from hating me.”

Gaara stared at her in silence. Only one thought surfaced in his mind, clear and piercing.

“Then why did you accept the bet, Esther?”

“What do you think, Gaara. Did I even have a choice?” Tears welled at her lashes and spilled over. “I was alone. If there was even one chance for me to save myself, of course I would take it.”

“How could you do that when—”

“Who do you think would have helped me back then?” Her voice trembled but did not falter. “You, Gaara? You? I never once thought of that, because I was a stranger to you while Vinson was your close friend. And what did you do when you knew I was struggling on campus, when Vinson was bullying me? You did nothing.”

Gaara opened his mouth to interrupt, but Esther raised her hand at once, stopping whatever defense he was about to voice. “We talked about this once, a long time ago. I am not trying to blame you for how things turned out. The truth is, at that time I had no one. Not a single person who could help me. In the end, I had to do something so I could save myself. Honestly, that bet felt like a breath of fresh air.

She let out a shaky breath. “Maybe it sounds like I am trying to justify what I did. But that was exactly what I was thinking then. That was the honest truth inside my head when I accepted the bet. I understand why you hate me, for playing with your feelings. I tried to make you fall in love with me so I could free myself from Vinson. That was the plan. And from every angle, I know what I did is unforgivable.”

Her voice softened. “But you know this, right? We do not get to choose who we fall in love with, Gaara. I never imagined I would truly fall for you too. And as crazy as it sounds, I do not regret accepting that bet.”

Her tears finally broke free. She began to sob. “If I had never accepted it, I would never have known you. I would never have fallen in love with you. I would never have known that I was capable of feeling something this beautiful when I am with you.”

She paused, dragging in a breath and wiping her cheeks. “I know I did something terribly wrong, Gaara. But even if loving you was a mistake, I am grateful for it. I love you, Gaara. I even wish there were a word greater than love to define what I feel for you.”

She buried her face in her hands and cried without restraint.

Time slipped by, uncounted and quiet, until Esther felt Gaara pull her into his arms and press her face against his chest.

“I am sorry,” she whispered again and again.

Gaara did not answer. He only stood there, one arm wrapped around her back, the other stroking her hair in slow, soothing motions.

“If you love someone that deeply,” he murmured at last, “then maybe it is alright if you end up doing something wrong.”

Esther lifted her head. She smiled when Gaara leaned in, and they shared a kiss filled with warmth.

This kiss was nothing like the ones they had shared before. Gaara’s lips touched hers gently, carrying a depth of feeling that made Esther’s breath hitch. She parted her lips instinctively, allowing his tongue to slip inside, meeting hers in a slow, intimate dance.

A low, quiet groan escaped Gaara as he deepened the kiss, his head tilting, Esther following his lead. Their lips pressed closer, searching, lingering. Esther sighed, pouring every emotion she had carried since the day Gaara left her alone at the festival into that single kiss.

She had never felt a kiss this intoxicating. Gaara had kissed her before, yes. But here, in the late afternoon light of the Australian desert, in the house where he had grown up, the warmth he gave her and the fierce love burning in him were enough to make her unravel.

Gaara played with her lips until she was breathless, until she wanted more.

Esther’s hands slid up to his face, brushing his temples. A rough sound left Gaara’s throat at her touch. Her other hand tangled in his thick hair, gripping it tightly.

Gaara’s hand moved between their bodies, unfastening the buttons of her shirt one by one. Esther no longer tried to stop him. He had seen her without a bra before, yet he still caught his breath at the sight of her full breasts.

They stood there, lips roaming freely, kissing everywhere. Chin, nose, cheek, jaw, neck. Gaara guided Esther to the sofa in front of the fireplace, and somehow they managed to shed each other’s clothes until there was nothing left between them.

Gaara laid Esther down carefully, his attention wholly captured by her beneath him.

Her hips, her breasts. He wanted to memorize every inch of her body. Her loose hair, her half lidded eyes, her lips curved in a tempting smile. To Gaara, every curve she had was perfection.

“Are you sure?” he whispered, never taking his eyes off her.