"Mary, are you awake? Can I come in?" a deep voice called out.She turned around. It was Maximus's voice. She regretted still being in her pajamas and walked over to answer the door."Hi, Maximus!" she said as she opened the door."Hello! I have this for you. My grandmother said it's your birthday!"
Meanwhile, Mary remained seated, watching the waves come and go. Even though her family had a good standing in her country, she had never been able to visit the beach. Her father was very strict with her, often sending her to boarding schools. Weekends were for doing homework because if not, she wou
Mary walked ahead and entered the quaint shop filled with cakes of various flavors. The attendant promptly approached her with a warm smile."Hello, Miss! Would you like some cake, or will you be heading to the café?""Hmmm…" Mary turned to the man beside her for guidance."We'll head to the café,"
"Well, thank you! That's a compliment, and I'll take it," she said, smiling."Now that your father isn't here and you've just turned 18, what do you plan to do?""Well, for now, I can't do much. But when all of this is over, I want to take my things and…" She paused as a thought crossed her mind. Ma
"No, how could I? That's your cake!""Yes, but I'm offering it to you.""No, I can't accept!""Come on! If you don't eat, then I won't either!""You know that's blackmail, right?""No, it's just a show of affection!""What a way to show affection!""Come on! It won't hurt!"Seeing how insistent she
“Maximus, please, don’t take my daughter away from me! Please!”Maximus woke up suddenly from his brief nap and immediately grabbed his wife’s hand to wake her up. It seemed like she was having a nightmare.“Mary, wake up! Calm down, wake up, everything’s okay!” he said, gently shaking her.She open
Suddenly, a deep sense of sorrow washed over him, and he began to feel short of breath as he remembered how just a few weeks ago, she would be waiting for him in the living room with a big smile, saying, “Maximus, dinner is ready! Come on, get comfortable, and let’s eat!”Her broad smile made him fe
Maximus carried Mary in his arms, who had fainted at the sight of him. He felt a deep sense of guilt for his wife's reaction. Before, when she saw him, she would flash a wide, ear-to-ear smile. Then that smile faded into a look of submission, which later turned into anger or indifference. Today, her
"Yeah, Dad. I know it’s not easy, and that there will always be new things to learn. I can’t take anything lightly.""That includes talking to Serenity’s parents. You need to do that.""There’s a lot we have to discuss—including the truth. Dad, I love Serenity. We’re expecting a baby. And we got mar
"Do you even hear yourself?" Diana cut in. "As far as I know, you married Marcus under the exact same circumstances. Don’t go looking for excuses. If your daughter fell for him, there’s a reason. And I don’t doubt that you and Marcus raised her to be a good person. You told me yourself—she’s smart.
Diana and Valerie walked down the hallway in complete silence. When they reached the coffee machine, Diana finally spoke."What happened, Valerie? I don’t really understand the situation, but if I’m not mistaken… that girl was your daughter?""Yes…" Valerie said through clenched fists. "And the boy
"Mary! Please…! This isn’t the place!" Maximus said, fully understanding where her reaction was coming from.Marcus, seeing his wife, had no idea what had just happened. But before he could spot Serenity, Alden, and Ethan, they had already slipped into Peter’s room.Serenity had tears in her eyes, a
Maximus took a deep breath, thinking for a moment while Alden went to the car to get Ethan. Watching him, he said,"Serenity, like I said earlier, I’m probably the last person who should be saying anything. But I just want you to know one thing—no matter what happens, I will support you. It’s only n
"Serenity, Alden…" Maximus said, watching as they checked on Ethan, making sure he was still asleep in the car."Maximus…" Serenity said softly, looking somewhat embarrassed."Alden, you and I talked about this… What happened?""Dad… Maximus… He and I love each other. That should be enough for us to
"Let’s go. I don’t know what happened exactly, but we need to hurry.""Yeah…"Once he saw the others leave, Alden found the car he had arranged, helped Serenity and Ethan inside, and secured them. Ethan had fallen asleep again. As Alden drove, his mind was racing—above all, he was anxious about what
After several long hours of flying, a plane landed at Flameco International Airport in Valentia. Alden and Serenity arrived with the whole family, both feeling a mix of nerves and conflicting emotions. On one hand, Serenity was finally returning to her mother and father after months away. On the oth
"You did a great job as a father too. Alden turned out to be a good man, and let’s not forget your grandson, little Ethan.""Alden is who he is because of his mother. I’ve only been helping shape him for the past five years. He’s a good kid thanks to everything his mother taught him. He’s good in bu