While Aurelia stood frozen,Santino struggled to hold back his emotions,his fingers digging into his palms as he forced his voice to stay calm.
“As long as you explain,I’ll believe you.”
His weak tone made Aurelia’s heart pound,her temples throbbing with pain.She saw the tear stains on Santino’s face,and her chest ached as if it were being torn apart.
She wanted to explain,but she couldn’t.Rather than letting Santino know her time was running out,she chose to let him hate her.
“There’s no need to explain,”her own voice came out frighteningly calm.“It was me.”
“Because I wanted to control you,I had to keep all your weaknesses in my hands.”Her heart felt like it was being ripped apart.“Those rumors about me keeping you,those were also started by me.”
Santino’s body froze,and the shock and hurt in his eyes made it hard for her to breathe.
After a long silence,he let out a laugh,the sound carrying both bitterness and pain.“I really am a fool,to have loved a cruel woman like you…”
Aurelia’s fingers,hidden behind her back,trembled slightly.She had once imagined many times how Santino might confess his love to her,but she never thought the word“love”would only appear when he despised her most.