My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

"But Matthew... He's still just a kid playing at being a father...

"And just because you became a father later in life doesn't mean you didn't make plenty of mistakes too. Remember?

"Let's be real, Maximus-why do you want him to stay here? You're not with him every day. You know he's at Moriarty's place. You call him, but that's it. And I'm not blaming you—Lucius isn't exactly an open book-but that's just who he is."

"So what should I do, then?"

"Let him go. I know it doesn't sound like the most reasonable idea-it might not be -but... Maximus, he's always been like this. He's never really been part of this whole thing. Let's be honest-just the fact that you and he have managed to keep the peace is a big deal. But that doesn't mean he has to stay here and watch everyone else live their perfect lives.

"He's looking for his own life. I don't think he knows if he wants it to be perfect- but I'm sure he wants it to be his."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I was the same. Think about it. I never talked about my family. I never had a partner. I settled for treating your kids like my grandkids. We've been through so much-but none of it was really mine. It was theirs. And with age, you accept that.noveldrama

"You accept that time passed, life passed, and there's no going back. Maybe I didn't lose a wife, but I did let go of my life, my youth, my strength.

"I admire Theodore, honestly I do. He's only a few years younger than me. And look at him—he's a dad again. People might think that baby's his granddaughter, but he's happy with Fiona, Adam, and little Grace.

"You know something?"

"What?"

"I think Lucius will always be my karma..."

"Why?"

"He's my firstborn, right? But if you really think about it, life has always kept us apart. We've hardly ever been close. Honestly, we've never had a real father-son relationship. Even now, after we've patched things up, he still lives at Moriarty's.

"Before coming back to his family, he chose the Moriartys. And I don't blame him I never made him feel at home. Watching him suffer in silence kills me. And even if everyone else thinks we're in a good place right now, I don't feel that way. It tears me apart to see that my son didn't get a happy ending. My son, still so young, is a widower. Yeah, I know he messed up a few things, but that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to be happy...

"It hurts. And believe me, it's not something I can just brush off. I can live with it, sure. But..... it hurts more than you could imagine."

"Oh, Maximus... Maybe you're right. Maybe Lucius really is your karma. Honestly, sometimes they say we don't pay for the mistakes we make—those who suffer are the ones we least expect. Maybe that's why you can't find peace.

"If that's the case, let him go. Accept his decision. Show him you support him. Give him your blessing.

"Just like you did with Paul when he left with Pierre...

"That's another bit of karma-watching the sons I love go off with other people."

"It's not karma. It's the right thing. And if your son believed it was the right thing if he truly believes he wants a connection with the man who gave him life—then all you can do is accept his decision, don't you think?"

"Accept that one day, all kids leave home?"

"Maybe that's where the saying comes from 'Children are only borrowed.' I don't

know, Maximus. I've never been a father..."

"You were like a father to me... That counts!"

"In that case, you never left..."

"Actually, you're the one who keeps running off with my dad, you two old guys...

What do you even do on those trips?"

"We escape the chaos your kids bring..."

"What?"

"Hey, we're old, and yeah, we need

our

nece, our peace. And let's face

it,

got kids of all ages-we

need a breather..."

"Mmm..."

"You'll understand in 10 or 15 years, just wait and see..."

"So... what do I do about Lucius?"

"I'd just go see him like nothing's wrong. Say goodbye quietly if he doesn't bring it up. Tell him how much he means to you. Let him know that here, in Italy, he'll always have a family waiting for him. That's it. No tears, no guilt, no drama..."

"Yeah... I think that's what I'll do."

"See? This old guy still knows how to give good advice."