Chapter 24: Chapter 24

“A-Aiden and I… we’re not just the type to always remind each other that we love each other. He does not like that. He thinks it’s too corny,” she denied and avoided his gaze. She knew that argument was weak, but she could not think of a better response.

“If you really love him, you won’t kiss me.”

"Is that all?" she asked. "M-my wedding coordinator said that there's such a thing as a bridal shower. Someone brings a naked dancer for the bride. It was the same case as yours. I kissed you. That meant nothing."

His eyes narrowed. “You mean I am like a stripper? Your last hurray before you get married?”

“Something like that. But I don’t really like you. It was just because of my curiosity that I kissed you. That’s all.”

He nodded. “A stripper. How about I give the bride a show for free?” Then he took his wet shirt off.

Esmeralda panicked. She was not expecting him to do that. “What do you think you’re doing?” she asked nervously.

“Giving the bride a little show as you described. This is how you see me, right?” he said, grinning, despite the pain in his eyes. “A man who had no emotions. I am just a body to entertain you.” He put his hands on his waist, flaunting his beautiful body before her eyes. “Do what you want with me. Do you want me to dance for you? Do you want to touch me? Don’t worry. You can have me for free. Guilt-free. You said it’s only normal for soon-to-be brides.”

She should have run away from Richard in fear. But she knew in her heart that he won't hurt her. It was her who hurt him. She treated him like a toy, a man for temporary happiness. Worse than a male prostitute.

She lied about her true feelings. That kiss meant deeper than she was trying to say. But she and Richard could never be more than that.

She was a practical woman. She forgot that she could fall in love. She had no freedom.

She frowned at him. “I-I told you I’m not interested.”

Richard pinched her chin and caught her avoiding gaze. “Your eyes say otherwise.”

“Why can’t you just accept that I don’t want you?” she snarled.

“Because I know that you want me. And it is not just a physical thing. You can feel how my heart beats for you.” He pulled her hand and placed it on his bare chest. “We have something special that moment we first met. As if you’re claiming my soul. And I’m sure that you can’t feel it with the man you’re going to marry.”

She shook her head and pulled her hand away. “N-no. I have no feelings for you.” There was no conviction in her voice, though.

“You want me, Esmeralda,” he said in a low, seductive voice. He planted a kiss on her forehead, on the tip of her nose, and her lips. She could not resist. He was slowly breaking her defenses. “It is not right to marry that man. He will never make you feel like this. Do you want to spend the rest of your life with the man you don’t love? He can’t even make you feel this good. Your life will only be miserable. Come on, Esmeralda. I won’t let that happen to you.”

Esmeralda shook her head as she felt her eyes watered. “Aiden is a good man. I will never be miserable with him.”

“He is a good person; I can feel that. But you don’t love him.”

"I will marry Aiden. I promised him, and I will keep my word." She could not just leave him at a time like this. And she will never turn her back on her brother for temporary happiness.

Richard looked at her intently. She felt like he was watching her under a microscope. The only difference was that he was not seeing her tiniest cells but what’s inside her heart and soul.

“Will you marry him for your brother’s medical treatment? To give him a brighter future? To bring back everything that you lost when your parents died? This is not the right thing, Esmeralda,” he snarled.

"This is not the right thing, really? Who are you to judge me? What are you to me? We're not even related. You just appeared in my life out of nowhere. We just met. The day after tomorrow, you'll be gone. You'll return to wherever you came from, and we would never see each other again. This is my life. So, you have no right to tell me what is right or wrong or how I should live my life. You know nothing."

He pulled her close to him. “Can you really marry him while thinking of me? Even though you are longing for my kiss?”

It was damn hard to fight your own feelings. But what was going to happen to her if she followed her own desires? Could she beg Richard to stay by her side? He will return to Manila tomorrow. What are the possibilities that they would meet again?