My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

After finally finishing all the paperwork and preparations for the creation of PBE Group, Maximus and Peter drove from Florentia to Valeria. Both men were determined to get there—after all, their daughter, so to speak, had just given birth, and it was essential to meet the family's first granddaughter.

"What have you decided about Paul?" Peter asked, curious.noveldrama

"Mmm... What can I say? I still haven't really made up my mind, and Paul hasn't shown any interest in meeting Pierre. We talked, yeah, but it all kind of ended up in the air."

"Don't let more time pass. Stuff like that doesn't just go away. Pretending it's nothing just because you're not talking about it won't fix it. Time does pass, and that's what gets lost. Set a date and let whatever's going to happen, happen."

"Since when did you get so wise?"

"Do you remember I have a son-who also happens to be your son-in-law now?" "Yeah, but if I remember right, you don't remember much of anything..."

"Well, let's just say age has made me wiser..."

"Aha! More like Celeste is the one giving you all the advice..."

"Well, a bit, yeah. But trust me—it's worth listening to them. They've got this sixth sense... If they say something's going to fall or happen, it will happen."

"It's already happened to me a few times, and now with the twins, I've got to be extra alert."

"Hey... since it's just the two of us, can I ask you something?" Maximus said, curiosity in his voice.

"Go ahead..."

"What do you think of Valerie-Mary-or whatever you call her?" Maximus asked, genuinely curious.

"What do I think of what?" Peter asked, not quite following.

"Well, I know you don't remember anything, but with everything you've been hearing lately... doesn't any of it stir something inside you?"

"Alright... You want the truth?"

"Yeah, tell me."

"The truth is... no. No matter how hard I try to remember her, no matter how much I want to, Theodore has told me a lot about the two of us. I do feel something, but not what you're probably thinking. I feel bad. I feel guilty-but not for the reason you might assume."

"What do you think I assume?"

"That I might still have feelings for her or something. Because according to Theodore, I was deeply in love with that woman... But honestly, no matter how much I search inside myself, I just can't feel that."

"Now, in Celeste's case, it was different. I had to react right away. I woke up and saw that, basically, the mother of my children had been the only one who stayed strong, who didn't let them disconnect me... That hit me hard."

"I don't get it. Why was it such a shock?"

"Look, I woke up thinking I was 25 years old, right? And back then, I was a complete idiot. I liked exotic women-curves, big boobs, the whole 'take me now' look. You get it?"

"Celeste is nothing like that. But the moment I saw her, saw that she was pregnant with my twins, saw that she'd never left my side, not even for a second, even while heavily pregnant-it changed the way I saw her."

"And then, just spending time with her... It sounds weird, I know, but with time, I've fallen in love with her. I mean, she's the complete opposite of what I used to go for. She has this angelic face, and physically, well-she's nothing like what I was used to."

"Honestly, in the short time I've been awake and around her, I can't imagine my days without her or without my daughters. Without my family."

"I wouldn't trade what I have now for anything. Not even if someone offered to take me back to the moment when I thought I was the happiest man alive."

"Here and now that's when I feel like the happiest man in the world. I've got a good woman, I've got three kids, I've got two grandkids, a daughter-in-law, I have you, and all my nieces and nephews."

"My mom, Aria, is still with me. And Magnus-he's like a father to me. Everything's just falling into place."

"Sure, we made mistakes. I was a

damn womanizer in the past. I guess I did fall in love, sure. I don't remember it, but I must have. Even if I can't recall her now, Mary was

probably important. She was probably meaningful. But she's happy, and I'm happy. And that's what matters, right? That we all live in peace and find happiness."

"Wow... That was deep."

"I saw it in a movie."

"That wasn't from Celeste?"

"No. If it were from her, the speech would've been way longer."

"So what's the plan?"

"Well, now that the merger's finalized, I want Alden to take over most of the business stuff. I'm planning to move."

"What? Move? Where? How?"

"Yeah, I didn't really get the chance to be a real dad to Alden when he was a kid. But now, with my baby girls, I want to do it right. I want to move. I want to make my future wife happy—and that means moving to Willowcombe.

"I've already started expanding the house, bought some land, and it's coming together beautifully. I want Celeste to start painting again, and I want to support her in becoming a well-known artist-just like her parents were."

"And what about Aria?"

"I already talked to her. She really likes it here, so we thought maybe she,

Danielle, and Ellie could stay at the mansion."

"You think they'd want that?"

"Mmm..... If not, I'll get her something smaller, but I think Ellie could really influence her decision."

"Wow... I thought for sure you'd be taking her with you."

"That was the original plan. But she's grown so close to Danielle and Ellie, I really don't think they'd want to be apart. They came from a place that was isolated from everything, and now they're loving the city life. I can't take that away from them.

"Plus, Danielle and Katherine have really hit it off. Apparently, they're planning to open an exclusive gemstone business together. If you'd told me back in the day that my ex and my almost-sister would be getting along, I'd have laughed in your face."

"Man, what a life you've got. And here I thought I had a lot on my plate..."

"Don't flatter yourself we all have our drama. Some of us are just better at keeping it quiet."

"Peter, you have no idea how thankful I am for all of this for having you, for life giving us the chance to be together like real brothers, like a true family." "Okay, okay, don't go getting all sentimental. We're here, we get along, and that's what matters, right? We'll stay like this until one of us decides to check out early..."

"Don't jinx it—you've got more lives than a cat, and one of these days, that luck's gonna run out."

"Don't say that. I'm just getting started. I just became a father to two beautiful girls, and I'm about to get married."

"Speaking of which, when are you getting married?"

"I already talked to Celeste. She wants something simple and intimate, so we're thinking of doing it once we move to Willowcombe, right at the house."

"Nothing would make me happier than finally seeing you get married..."

"It won't be long now, it's coming soon..." Peter said, smiling.

For Maximus, seeing his brother like this meant everything. If anyone had reason

to be grateful, it was him. Things in the past hadn't gone well at all, but now they really looked like brothers, even if they technically weren't.