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