Estre cast a sidelong nce at him over her shoulder. Jason just nestled his face close to hers and
closed his eyes again.
Estre didn’t push him away. She let him embrace her in silence until she felt his weight almost slump
onto her shoulder in slumber. She whispered softly, “If you’re tired, go take a shower and hit the hay.”
“Mhm,” Jason murmured with his eyes still closed, then after holding her for a moment longer and
nting a kiss on her cheek, he grabbed his clothes and headed to the bathroom.
Their recent time together really did have the genuine feel of a young couple managing the daily dance
of family life.
With Jason in the shower, Estre went to check on Isaac, who was spread-eagled and sleeping
soundly. She gently stroked his forehead, her face beaming with contentment.
After watching Isaac for a moment, Estre remembered she hadn’t yet listened to the tape from her
therapist Dr. Abigail. With that, she returned to the master bedroom.
“Estre, has anything been happeningtely?” Dr. Abigail’s voice was soft, but Estre fell silent.
After a long pause, she finally spoke with a tinge of loss, admitting she thought Jason had feelings for
her. Then she fell silent again after mentioning Jason hadn’t reached out to her. Her breaths were quiet,
her sobs even quieter, yet she could hear her own emotions, the sound of her own weeping.
Suddenly, Estre felt awkward. No wonder she woke up with tear-stained cheeks, and Jason’s eyes
were red.
Even though she had said so little under hypnosis, those few wordsid bare her old feelings for Jason,
stripping herself emotionally naked for him to see.
She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. Why did she have to remember that? Now she had no
secrets left.
She had never confessed her feelings to anyone, not even to Bryce or Jesse. Yet here she was, years
later, with her emotions excavated by someone else.
Listening to her own soft sobs, Estre turned off the tape recorder, pulled out the tape, just as Jason
came out of the shower.
Jason paused mid-step and towel-drying, then he set the towel aside and approached her. Trying to act
nonchnt, Estre asked, “You’re done?”
13:21
As her words hung in the air, Jason took her hand and pulled her into his embrace. Estre didn’t
resist. Time and the world seemed to stand still, as if they had been transported back seven years.
“We were too young back then,” he said.
That year, Estre was 19, and he was 22.
Resting her chin on his shoulder, Estre replied, “It’s all ancient history now. I hardly
remember it.”
“I never realized I was so important to you, and I never knew you liked me that much,”
Jason confessed.
Estre looked up at him with feigned annoyance. “Cut it out, don’t tter yourself. Like you, huh? I was
just young and-”
Before she could finish her sentence, Jason’s hands cradled her face and he brought his lips down to
hers. Jason’s lips were soft. He knew how to kiss, making it afortable experience.
With his kiss, Estre found herself losing control, stepping back instinctively and wrapping her arms
around Jason’s waist.
Jason remembered her vulnerability in the hospital earlier that day, and deepened the kiss. Estre’s
hands, which had been casually resting on his waist, now wrapped around his neck without her even
realizing. As she had said, at her age, she couldn’t resist this kind of temptation.
Jason, feeling a surge of tenderness, lifted Estre andid her on the bed.
“Let’s not dwell on the past,” Estre whispered softly as Jason caressed her.
Jason kissed her lips again, gently peeling her clothes away as he said, “Estre, can you still like me
the way you did back then?”
Estre closed her eyes, embraced his neck, and surrendered to the warmth of the
moment.
Meanwhile, Holly had been mulling over things for days. After she witnessed Jason and Estre were
getting, and found out they had seen two doctors, including a psychologist, she called Serene for a
meeting.
The next morning, as Serene sat across from her, Holly idly stirred her coffee and asked, “Serene, has
Estre reached out to you? Has she told you the truth about that big fire?”
Serene shook her head, “Not yet. She’s been pretty busytely.”
Holly chuckled with a hint of sarcasm. “Maybe she’ll never uncover the truth. Perhaps
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she’ll never tell you.”
Serene’s expression darkened. “That can’t be. Estre is awyer. Investigation is her specialty.”
Holly’s gaze pierced into Serene, motionless for a long while before asking, “Haven’t you ever
wondered why I’d say that? Why, after seven years, hasn’t Jason uncovered the truth? Or do you think
he’s not capable?”
Confused by Holly’s insinuations, Serene inquired, “What are you getting at, Holly?”
Without a word, Holly grabbed a file folder from the side and tossed it in front of Serene. “Inside, you’ll
find the truth you seek. This is why Estre hasn’t contacted you, and why Jason hasn’t pursued the
reason behind that fire after all these years.”
Stunned by the folder thrown before her, Serene’s shock was palpable. After staring incredulously at
Holly for a long moment, noting herposure, Serene finally picked up the folder in front of her and
cautiously opened it, extracting the evidence within.
Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.
As she confronted Holly’s irrefutable evidence, all pointing towards Estre, Serene, frightened, threw
the papers down, shaking her head in denial. “Impossible! Estre couldn’t have set that fire. Jason
was in there. She couldn’t have done such a thing.”
In a heartbeat, Serene’s face turned as pale as a sheet.
As Serene tossed the incriminating evidence aside, Holly couldn’t help but let out a wry chuckle.
“Impossible? If it’s so impossible, why hasn’t Estre shown up to confront you? And Jason, why hasn’t
he dug deeper into this matter?”
Before Serene could utter a response, Holly pressed on, “And another thing, Serene, do you really
think Jason has been looking after you all these years out of gratitude for saving his life? He’s just been
atoning for Estre’s sins. He’s kept you close to keep tabs on you, fearful that you might uncover the
truth about what happened all those years ago.”