Chapter 139: It's My Fault

After talking with her mother, Esther wasted no time. She went straight to Gaara’s residence, convinced he would be there. But the moment she arrived, her assumption collapsed. Inside the house, there were only Amber and Jack.

A servant led Esther into the living room where the two of them were gathered. The instant they saw her, shock and relief crossed their faces at the same time. Amber rose immediately and wrapped Esther in a tight embrace.

“Oh, Esther. Thank God you’re here.”

Esther honestly had no idea what exactly she was supposed to be thankful for, but she returned the hug anyway. “It’s been a while, Amber. What’s going on? Why does everyone look so tense?”

“You know where Gaara is, right?” Amber asked quickly.

The question made Esther freeze. The hope burning in Amber’s eyes sent a sharp chill down her spine. A bad feeling crept into her chest. With a heart that suddenly felt sore, Esther shook her head. “No. I actually came here because I wanted to see him.”

Amber stared at her in disbelief. “So… Gaara isn’t with you?”

Without another word, Amber stepped away and sank onto the sofa. She let out a long breath, her posture crumbling with exhaustion. Sensing the shift in the room, Jack immediately gestured for Esther to sit beside him. Once she took the empty seat, Jack fixed his gaze on her, sharp and searching.

“When was the last time you saw Gaara?”

Esther felt the weight of the moment press down on her chest. Something was wrong. “A week ago.”

“Did you talk to him?”

She lowered her head. “A week ago too. We were fighting.”

Amber snapped her head toward her. “Fighting?”

Esther nodded. “Did something happen to Gaara?”

Jack inhaled slowly before answering. “Our youngest brother is missing.”

Esther watched as Jack’s expression shifted, his thoughts clearly spiraling inward. “He’s been gone for a week.”

“This is my fault,” Amber said, her voice trembling between frustration and despair. “I should’ve forced him to come with us.”

“No, Amber,” Jack cut in firmly. “We don’t know what happened to Gaara. Stop blaming yourself. He might just need time alone. We can’t jump to conclusions.”

But even as Jack spoke, Esther could feel it. Something was very, very wrong.

Amber straightened up, turning fully toward Jack. “He’s not picking up our calls. He’s not replying to texts. He literally threw his phone away. For God’s sake, has Gaara ever gone this far before? No. Even back when we were fighting with him, he never did something like this.”

Esther could only swallow hard, guilt clawing at her throat. “He… he threw his phone away?” she asked softly, her voice barely there.

“I put a tracker on Gaara’s phone,” Jack explained, forcing himself to stay calm. “When he stopped responding, I tracked it. We found it in an airport trash can.”

“At the airport?” Esther echoed.

“Yes. I also checked his credit card history. The last thing he used it for was a ticket to Sydney. After that, he withdrew cash.”

“We should never have left him alone,” Amber snapped, panic flooding back into her voice. “You said he’d be fine, but look at this. Look at what happened.”

“For God’s sake, Amber, calm down,” Jack shot back. “Gaara isn’t a kid anymore. If he wanted to, he could’ve followed us to London. Instead, he chose to go to Australia. He threw his phone away. This is not our fault. This was his decision.”

Their voices clashed again, sharp and relentless. Esther drifted inward, her thoughts replaying the last moments she had shared with Gaara. If he was supposed to leave with his siblings but chose somewhere else instead, threw his phone away, took cash…

Australia.

“I think Gaara went back to his old house,” Esther said quietly.

Both siblings turned to her at once. “What?” they said in unison.

“If he went to Australia, then I think he went back to his old home,” Esther continued. “The house where he was raised by his mother.”

Jack and Amber exchanged a look. It was clear the thought had never crossed their minds.

“Gaara was raised with us, Esther,” Amber said firmly. “Not in Australia.”

“Stop it, Amber,” Jack snapped. “Think rationally. Don’t drag whatever story you made up about Gaara’s past into this.”

“I’m not making things up,” Amber fired back. “Gaara is our youngest brother. He grew up with us. He has never even been to Australia in his entire life.”

They were arguing again.

Esther’s head throbbed. Suddenly, she stood up. “Can you both calm down for a second?” she said sharply. “For God’s sake. You’re his siblings, but right now you’re acting like kids. I don’t care about whatever history you’re fighting over. That is not the priority.”

She looked at them both, her voice steady despite the chaos in her chest. “If we already have a location, shouldn’t we start looking for him instead?”

Jack swallowed hard after the sharp rebuke from their guest. He clearly had not expected that kind of firmness from Esther. Amber looked just as stunned, as if she had only now discovered this side of her.

Both of them nodded.

“You’re right, Esther. If Gaara went to Australia, he’d go to the only place he knows,” Jack said as he stood and grabbed his phone. “I’ll call Dad.”

Esther let out a slow breath and moved to sit beside Amber. “See? Feeling a little calmer now?” she said softly.

Amber did not answer. Her face was tense, grave, as if the idea itself felt impossible.

“Why out of all places would Gaara go there?” she muttered. “Since Dad brought Gaara to live with us, he never once talked about Australia. Not about that place, not about his life there. And now suddenly he wants to go back? It’s weird.”

Jack returned to them a moment later. “Dad’s not answering."

Amber cursed under her breath. “Where the hell is he at a time like this? Work, work, work, that’s all he ever cares about. He doesn’t even know his kids are here freaking out because Gaara is missing.”

Jack dropped himself onto the sofa, eyes closing in exhaustion.

“I think this is my fault,” Esther said quietly.

Both Amber and Jack turned to her at once.

“I… I did something bad to Gaara,” Esther continued, unable to meet their gaze. Her voice trembled but she pushed through it. “I think I have to go after him. To Australia.” Her last sentence drew the same reaction from both of them.

“What?”

“Are you insane?”

Esther shook her head. “Look at it however you want, Gaara left right after we fought. That alone says I’m the reason he ran. He threw his phone away. That means he doesn’t want to be found, especially not by me. So if I want to make things right, I have to be the one to bring him home.”

“That’s impossible, Esther,” Jack said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Why?”

“For the same reason we haven’t gone after him yet,” Jack replied. “No one knows where Gaara’s house is. No one except Gaara himself and our father.”