Hunter poured his heart out while Hera listened. He was a reckless teenager and had blindly followed his friends because he wanted to explore the journey of sexual needs his hormones caused. Watching porn didn’t help either as it only intensified the temptation. He confessed that being an immature hormonal teenager, he couldn’t say no when that red-haired cheerleader willingly offered to entertain them. 

“Please don’t blame my friends. It was entirely my fault, and I’m the only one to blame. Being the dick I was, instead of using my brain, I let my dick do all the thinking,” he admitted. Hera was in bewilderment. She couldn’t conclude whether his honest confession made her feel relieved, or it added more to the pain of betrayal. 

They silently stared into each other’s eyes for a minute or two. Hera knew he regretted betraying her trust in the past with his immature actions, and as though he could read her mind, he said, “I regret every second of it, Goddess. I could never forgive myself for breaking your heart, but still, I’m begging for your forgiveness.” He poured all his honesty into his confession and hoped she would acknowledge it.. 

“Forgive me for being selfish, but when it comes to you, my being selfish is an understatement. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go, Love. Please don’t leave me ever,” Hunter pleaded. 

His eyes, his voice, his tone, and every word he uttered were begging her to forgive him. All she had to do was scooch over a bit, and she joined him at the edge of the bed. Sitting beside him, she rested her head on his shoulder and looped her arm through his. Leaning on one another, they sat side by side with their heads touching. 

The stretching silence no longer felt uncomfortable as Hera tightened her hold on his arm. However, Hunter was worried, wondering what Hera might be thinking. She called his name softly, and he hummed his reply. 

“Why didn’t you come to me then?” Hera asked, and Hunter pulled his head back to look into her eyes. Eyebrows brought together, and his forehead wrinkled as he frowned, puzzled by her question. Hera looked up and held his gaze, “You should’ve come to me instead of going to other girls. You should’ve spoken to me about it.” She was still speaking softly. She wasn’t fighting anymore, and she didn’t sound sad either. But Hunter could detect the disappointment. 

“Did you think I wouldn’t have understood if you’d told me? I would’ve let you do it with me if you’d asked me. I would’ve never denied you if you wanted it. I would do anything for you, Hunter,” she concluded, and her lips stretched into a bittersweet smile. 

Hunter laughed bitterly at her innocent as well as an absurd suggestion. “You don’t know what you’re talking, Goddess,” he said, his eyes watered, and he looked away in shame. “You were only eleven, not even a teenager,” he said, and Hera sucked in a sharp breath. Hot tears stung in her eyes, and her heart cried along too. “You’ve been cheating on me for that long?” Hera asked, her voice broken and barely above a whisper. 

Hunter’s eyes widened in alarm as he realised the mistake he had done. Unknowingly, he’d revealed more than she needed to know. “If I could go back in time and change anything, I’d do it in a heartbeat and erase every single second of the time that I hurt you,” he said, cupping her face in his palms and his thumbs wiped the trace of tears on her cheeks. He bent down, touched his forehead to hers, and together, they silently cried their hearts out. 

Looping one arm under her legs and supporting her back with his other arm, Hunter carried her bridal-style and gently placed her on the bed. Hera let him kiss her as he joined her on the makeshift mattress. He kissed every inch of her visible skin. 

The warmth of her hot skin stung his wounded lips as he felt a slight burning sensation, but he didn’t care and worshipped her with his kisses. Hera felt his emotions through his kisses. She felt his guilt, his regret, his silent apology, and his promise to love her forever. Cuddling into his warm embrace, Hera drifted off to sleep. 

Hunter spent the whole night watching her, like a lion guarding his lioness. The earlier events at the resort still bothered him, and he couldn’t sleep a wink worrying about her safety. For a moment, he thought about their future filled with endless dangers and death threats. 

His smart brain said that Hera would be better off without him, but as he said, his heart was too selfish to let her go. He thought about his mother and how his father kept her safe for all these years. His parents love each other unconditionally and their lives filled with pure bliss. Hunter smiled involuntarily, looking at Hera’s sleeping form. 

‘If Dad could keep his wife safe and happy, so could I.’ 

Hunter made his decision.

HOURS LATER,

The barking of the dogs woke up Hera, from her blissful sleep. She opened her eyes, but they automatically shut their eyelids to avoid the light. She allowed them a few more seconds to rest and chase away the sleep. Stretching her arms, Hera finally abandoned the blanket and observed her surroundings. She was back in the bedroom, and Hunter was nowhere in the room. He’d left the bedside lamps on. 

Smiling, she left the bed. Switching off the lights, she walked to the window and slid the curtains open. She groaned, covering her eyes with the back of her hand as the warm, bright sunlight filled the room. Hunter’s melodious laughter compelled her to open her eyes, and she looked down the window to find him playing with his dogs. 

He’d already showered and dressed in light blue washed jeans with a white dress shirt. He kept the shirt untucked, and sleeves rolled up to the forearms. He wore white sneakers, and his wristwatch reflected the sunlight, shining like a flashlight as he moved his hand to throw the ball for the dogs to catch it. 

Hera walked back to the bed and saw a small black rectangular box on the white nightstand. A chocolate bar sat on top of the box. Smiling, Hera unwrapped it to read the message. 

Goddess Hera,

A pleasant morning to you.

Get ready and come down for breakfast.

I will be waiting for you in the backyard.

PS. Your smile lights up my world. Can you please smile for me, Goddess? 

And she smiled involuntarily. She didn’t even have to try as her lips were in sync with her subconscious mind. 

Her smile turned into a wide grin, and she wrapped the chocolate bar neatly before placing it on the nightstand. She opened the black box, revealing the soft green fabric inside. It was a checkered shirt dress, and she liked it. But she noticed that it was one size bigger than her actual size. Luckily it had a thin belt made of cloth in the middle, and the sleeves were long enough to reach her forearms. 

 Hera did her morning business, brushed her teeth, and took a quick shower. After towel drying her hair, she shook her head, trying to untangle the knots in her hair and combed her fingers through it, sweeping it back from her face. Dressed in her new dress, which reached just above her knees, she went to the backyard through the kitchen door in search of Hunter. 

A toothy grin graced her face while her eyes roamed around. As Hunter said, the garden looked even more gorgeous in the daylight. She couldn’t study the details properly at night. She walked on the concrete floor, which led to stone steps. Skipping two steps at a time, Hera reached the middle of the garden. 

She saw the furniture arranged in the corner, a black round table and a set of four black chairs with Pista green cushions placed on them. Hera decided not to disturb Hunter as she found him in deep conversation with Mathew. 

She walked in the large garden, appreciating the beauty of it. There were so many different plants, bearing unique flowers that she couldn’t identify their species. Pink, purple, white, and other colourful flowers shimmered like a jewelled crown on the green plants. The lush grass looked soft enough to tempt her to lay on it and roll around experimentally. 

Hunter’s dogs were eating their food in the kennels, and Hera went to greet them. 

“I have to inform your Dad,” Mathew said, and Hunter frowned shaking his head. “You have Dad’s permission to handle the matter however you want, and it wasn’t the first time that you’re dealing with this kind of situations. Why do you want to bother him, Matt? I don’t want him to worry, and you know my Mom, she’ll get sick worrying about me until she sees me and she won’t let my Dad rest either,” Hunter said, trying to convince Mathew but in vain.