She had absolutely no desire to hear his explanations. Cutting him off coldly, she said, “Mr. Everly, you visiting Liliana is your own business. It has nothing to do with me, and you certainly don’t need to explain yourself.”

Her words hit him like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing his desperate hope.

Finnian looked at her, his eyes swimming with anguish. It took him a moment to find his voice. “Why won’t you even listen? I went to see Liliana. Do you really not care at all? Are you not even a little bit angry?”

If she had even a shred of feelings left for him, seeing him rush to another woman’s side would have infuriated her.

Amara lowered her gaze as a suffocating wave of despair washed over her.

Of course it hurt when she found out he went to see Liliana. She had already endured this exact agony just a few days prior.

Liliana had been hospitalized then too, and when Finnian visited, he had practically held her in his arms.

Liliana had personally sent her the photo. Finnian would never fathom the soul- crushing agony that tore through her the second she saw it.

Amara stared out the window, forcing the suffocating pain back down into the depths of her chest before speaking. “Why would I care? Why would I be angry?”

“Mr. Everly, I’ve already told you. I feel nothing for you anymore. It doesn’t matter who you’re with; it won’t affect my happiness.”

“Besides, you and Ms. Porter dated years ago. You clearly have a strong foundation. If you two end up together, it would just be rekindling an old flame. It’s a happy ending.”

As she spoke, Amara clenched her fists beneath the table, her fingernails biting so deeply into her skin that the physical pain managed to distract from the agony that pierced her heart.

Relying on that sharp sting to numb her emotions, she delivered the words with flawless indifference, looking utterly heartless.

Finnian stared at her in silence. Suddenly, he shot up from his chair and clamped his hand tightly around her wrist.

“Amara!”

His voice was a low, harsh growl.

Her words had cut him to the bone. He felt as though his heart was physically bleeding.

How could she casually call him getting back together with Liliana a ‘happy ending’? How could those words ever leave her lips?

The devastation on his face was unmistakable, leaving Amara momentarily stunned.

If she didn’t know the truth about Liliana, she would have believed Finnian was madly in love with her. What else could explain such an intense, shattered reaction?

But looks were deceiving. Who would have guessed that a man who acted so profoundly heartbroken over her was secretly doting on Liliana behind her back?

“How could you say something like that?” Finnian demanded, unable to hold back anymore. His grip on her wrist tightened as he practically Spared “I have always loved ed you.. From the very beginning, you are the only woman I have ever loved. How could you say that? Do you have any idea how much that destroys me?”

His voice climbed with aggressive desperation, his fingers tightening involuntarily

until Amara winced in pain.

He was telling the truth. He had never truly loved Liliana. He only dated her back then because she saved his life, and when she pursued him, he simply went along with it out of obligation.

They eventually broke up because Liliana realized he had no intention of divorcing Amara. To test him, she threatened a breakup, and to her shock he accepted it without hesitation

Looking back, did he ever have real feelings for Liliana?