312 CHAPTER 312: He Felt His World Shake

"I already vowed that I will never let you feel that way again. The feeling of losing the one that is important to you. I will keep on living until we grow old and die of old age. Whether you accept my love or not, I'll continue doing because I am also your precious friend."

Willow instantly shook her head when she heard him speak of him being a precious friend.

"No, you know it. There was a gap in between but what I feel towards you now and what I felt towards you back then were nothing of that a childhood friend!!"

Drake smiled seeing her being indignant, he gave her hand a light squeeze, "Calm down, I am well aware but I was speaking of before you talked to me today. But I am well aware of it and I will tell you as well. My feelings never changed, back then or now. They were one and the same and I promise not to simply loving you but to keep on living no matter what. I will fight for my life even if I am already a step away from death itself."

Willow looked at him with an emotional look.

"I love you."

Drake was a bit taken aback by how straightforward she had spoken of the words.

"I love you, Drake. And I want to have happy times with you. No matter how difficult our journey will be from now on, I want to be open just like Stormie and Saphira. I don't want to hold back anymore. I love you."

Drake smiled again before raising her hand that he was holding and then planting a kiss at the back of it.

"I love you too, Willow. I was stubborn back then but I also don't want to be the same anymore. I want to keep on loving you without anymore thoughts of holding back. I will cherish you and I will protect you as much as I protect myself. I will not love anyone else other than you from here on out. You and you alone."

Willow was teary eyed but she couldn't help and laughed at the overwhelming happiness she was feeling.

She bit her lip before smiling widely.

"This happiness, I will forever remember it."

"And I will keep on making you happy no matter how bleak things could get."

She happily hugged him tight and sighed in contentment.

The smile on her lips didn't leave her face until they met their friends again.

This time, Hunter and Saphira were the last to return.

Seeing the looks on their faces, Saphira smiled happily, she knew things between them are now setting into place.

To selfishly be happy even just for a bit, that is her current wish for these people who are precious to her.

Then her eyes went to Kara and Hans who were smiling for Willow and Drake who were being teased by everyone.

"They could have been happy as well," she muttered but Hunter was still able to hear it.

"They could have indeed if not for that day that took their lives together," Hunter spoke.

"What if their lives weren't taken on that same day?" she subconsciously asked.

Hunter instantly turned to look at her.

She realized her words and looked at him with uncertainty.

"Shall we move to the side?"

Saphira didn't reject and simply followed him, the others looked at them curiously but because they were used to them being like this, they didn't try to ask.

Once out of their earshot, Hunter faced her seriously.

"You have been so out of it for the past days. No not just lately but way before at different circumstances. What do you mean by them not dying on that same day?"

Saphira blinked and looked conflicted something Hunter found familiar.

That's when he remembered that she had this same look when they killed Ardel.

As he opened his mouth, Saphira spoke up.

"The one at fault on that tragedy didn't die on that tragedy."

Her eyes were still filled with conflicted emotions.

Hunter furrowed his brows, "Didn't die on that tragedy?"

Her lips quivered, she wanted to speak but could only nod.

It really is difficult for her to speak of it but she was subconsciously leaking things because of how guilty she felt.

Then Hunter stopped after realizing a crucial part in what she had just spoken.

Saphira's words contradicted so many things in what he believed in.

He stared at her and Saphira could only smile with uncertainty.

Hunter's mind worked and the puzzle pieces in his head that couldn't fit in to the picture started finding their places when the other pieces were removed and placed on another part.

He felt his world shake.

He was too preoccupied over the past months or even year that he didn't realize the confusing things that were surrounding Saphira's words and what they believe in.

But with just a trigger, he was able to see it clearly.

"You…"

Saphira chuckled but it was clearly filled with bitterness.

"I…"

Hunter's breathing turned uneven that he could only pull her into a hug.

Feeling her warmth was what was pulling him back to this moment, that the things he realized were the truth and was the reality, not his imagination or a dream.

"All this time…" he continued.

Saphira reached and hugged him by the waist, "Sorry…"

"I…"

She was breathing heavily as she thought of it once again.

She had been feeling heavy that she was simply trying to stop her emotions from going haywire.

"No… no… no…"

Hunter bent over and made sure their faces are on the same level he can clearly tell what she was thinking at this moment.

"Listen to me Saphira… You are not at fault about everything. Not a single thing, the reality is just too harsh but no one could have expected things to be like this. No one would have believed it."

He remembered how she was feeling during the 9th year anniversary of their death.

'It's unfair Hunter, it really is. It is also heavy, too heavy. Your trust I can't break it. You'll get hurt.'