CHAPTER 648. RED PROMISE. Red PromiseIt was, without a doubt, a terrible day to be Mauro Keller. He had the opening gala for two hospitals to deal with, the country’s entire press watching his every move, a ten-year betrayal weighing on him, and the painful certainty that he had lost the love of his life.Yet, no matter how many obligations he had or how much he wanted to finish beating the crap out of Lugh, his priorities were crystal clear. They propelled him to run down the same hallway Ainara had disappeared into.“You and I will settle this later, you traitorous bastard!” he spat in Lugh’s direction before leaving, saying nothing to Charmaine because Ainara’s slap had clearly left her choking on her own blood.Ainara felt relieved. That was the only word she could use to describe how she felt—not “happy,” definitely not that. But she was calm, finally able to resolve the uncertainty that had plagued her for years.She headed toward the door, knowing she had no reason to stay at
CHAPTER 649. RED PROMISE. A HellPerhaps the only thing that could interrupt the stormy silence in that garden was the untimely clatter of heels belonging to one of the organizers, frantically looking for Mauro.“Mr. Keller! It’s time for your speech. The guests are getting impatient.”“I need five more minutes,” he replied without looking at her.“But—”“Let them wait! Let them drink more champagne! This is a party, isn’t it? Let them keep celebrating, and I’ll give the speech when I’m ready!” Mauro growled impatiently, and silence returned as the woman hurried away to carry out his orders.Deep down, however, he knew that neither five, ten, twenty minutes, nor all the time in the world would be enough to convince Ainara to stay. And for some inexplicable reason, he felt that the moment she disappeared from his sight, she would be gone forever.“Ainara… I need you to stay. Please, this conversation can’t end here…” he said anxiously. “Stay, come with me to—”“Are you crazy, or is th
CHAPTER 650. RED PROMISE. The TruthMauro’s smile was sarcastic as he closed the office door behind him, his eyes fixed on Lugh with a murderous glare.Senator Rosso looked on incredulously as Mauro unbuttoned his suit jacket, shoved his hands into his pockets, and smiled.“So, good boy. Why don’t you tell Senator Rosso about the relationship Ainara and I had ten years ago, and why it ended?” Mauro hissed, glaring at Lugh, whose fists clenched tightly.“Stay out of this! Get the hell out of here! I don’t—”“I don’t think you’re stupid enough to believe he won’t find out,” Mauro growled. “Do you think Ainara will never speak to her father again? That he won’t ask why she broke off her engagement to you?”Rosso held his breath; it was clear someone else now knew his secret. Unlike his lawyers, Mauro owed him no loyalty or silence.“That’s enough, Keller! You’re treading dangerous waters here!” Lugh threatened, pointing a finger at him. Mauro ignored him entirely, walking past him to ad
CHAPTER 651. RED PROMISE. The Known and the… UnexpectedThere was a fine line between desperation and guilt that kept Mauro from closing his eyes. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had slept, but he was certain that the last time he had truly rested was in Ainara’s arms.A flood of memories from ten years ago filled his mind—all that had happened, the way he had broken her heart, because now he understood that this was exactly what he had done.He had broken his promise; he had hurt Ainara just like her father had hurt her. And in recent months, he had tried to keep her as a hidden lover, exactly like her mother had been all her life.“If that’s not the dumbest thing ever!” he exclaimed furiously, hitting the steering wheel. But veering slightly off the road forced him to focus again before causing an accident.He arrived in Zurich before noon and only called his father to let him know he was back. After all, his direct involvement in the construction process wasn’t necessary
CHAPTER 652. RED PROMISE. Painful RevelationsNothing—not even Superman himself descending epically from the sky in front of him—could have had such an impact on Mauro."June." Only then did the memory hit him like a punch, bringing back the name of Ainara’s mother.“June Jáuregui,” he murmured, and the little girl clapped her hands excitedly.“Yes, yes! That’s my name!”Mauro couldn’t tell what hurt more: discovering that Ainara had a daughter, or realizing that this little girl was the second child in the family to carry her mother’s surname.He took a shaky step back, leaning against the staircase railing as the two people in front of him tried to understand why he had gone so pale.“Would you like to come in, Mr. Keller?” the older woman asked hurriedly. “I’ll make you some tea! Come on, come on!”The little girl’s tiny hand tugging at his was what seemed to snap him out of his daze. Mauro felt his heart stop as he finally entered the apartment. Every single thing inside—the decor
CHAPTER 653. RED PROMISE. My Heart Is Yours“The man you said yes to.”Mauro’s words brought a sarcastic smile to Ainara’s face, and he understood it in an instant.“You never intended to marry him,” he murmured, recognizing how much her demeanor had changed since the last time he had seen her—enough to lie and survive at all costs.He watched her walk past him to the window, where she gazed outside at the small park where her daughter played.“Lugh has always wanted something. And I always knew I couldn’t get rid of him because of the relationship between our parents,” she replied coldly. “The problem is, I wanted something too—I just needed time to get it. His marriage proposal was… rushed, inconvenient. But I’m smart enough to know that rejecting it could have disastrous consequences for my plans, so I accepted it until I could… do what I’m doing now.”She looked him in the eye for a moment, and Mauro felt a lump in his throat.“You’re running away. You’re escaping,” he realized, h
CHAPTER 654. RED PROMISE. A SuspicionMauro wanted the ground to swallow him whole, for hell to consume him, because every one of Ainara’s words had the power to tear his heart apart. She didn’t trust anyone anymore—and that included not trusting him.“Listen… wait… Please, Ainara, wait,” he begged, taking her hands. “I know you have no reason to trust me. I know I broke my promise, I abandoned you… I’ve behaved in the worst possible way. But please, hear me out. I can change all of that. I can ease any doubts you have, I can protect you if you want to escape… Please, let me do it.”But all Ainara did was step back.“No. I’ve already planned my destination, and I… I have to go,” she declared. “Because you’re not part of it. In the end, everything that’s happened in these past months has helped me leave with a clear conscience, but it doesn’t change the fact that I want to leave.”Mauro buried his head in his hands, despairing as he watched her walk away to grab a few more items from h
CHAPTER 655. RED PROMISE. A Terrifying MemoryAinara felt her heart pounding uncontrollably in her chest. She didn’t even have the energy to make a scene over the fact that Mauro had been following her since she left her apartment. He was an idiotic traitor, but that only applied to their romantic history. No matter how much she despised him at times, she knew he was a man of integrity in other ways.Glancing in the rearview mirror, she squinted through the glare of headlights and spotted the black SUV just a few cars behind her.“Mauro… what… What’s going on?” she murmured, her eyes darting to little June, peacefully asleep in the backseat.For a moment, the only response was a muttered curse before Mauro’s voice came through, calm and resolute.“Ainara, listen to me very carefully,” he said, trying to keep his composure. He knew there was a woman in that vehicle, but he couldn’t be sure if anyone else was with her. “I need you to take a right at the next light, okay? Then take two m