“Maximus! Well, it’s just that… I don’t know what… I don’t know what to think.”“Mary, I want us to talk about what happened and what comes next.”“What do you mean?”"What I told you a few hours ago is true. I want you with me, Mary, and it makes me anxious to think you’ll leave soon. I want you to
Maximus returned to the office after two weeks away, the longest he had been absent since becoming the president of the company. He looked exhausted, but he had no choice but to push through and keep his mind off the memories and thoughts of his wife, who was now under Emma's care since yesterday."
Dr. Xavier, noticing her tone, began to piece together that her emotional turmoil was likely connected to her husband. He had seen similar cases before—patients whose mental health was deeply affected by their relationships. But something else troubled him. When Mary had first arrived, he had notice
"Nonsense! I've already signed everything. We don't need Maximus for this. Your things are already at my home, and we'll be heading to the vineyards this afternoon. There's someone there who's eager to see you."Mary's eyes widened in surprise, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "My grandfath
"It was on our wedding day…""Go on…""I wanted to see Mary before the ceremony…""Don't you know that's bad luck?""Grandma… are you going to listen, or do you already know where this is going?""No, not yet.""When I was about to knock on the door, I noticed it was open, and you were inside.""Oh,
Maximus felt a sharp pain in his chest. If everything his grandmother was saying was true, Mary had been the only victim here. She was a victim of him and Alexia, but mostly of him."Maximus, I want you to know that it really took a lot to convince her. She was young, but she wasn't a fool. It's obv
Maximus stood up from the bench, feeling the weight of guilt pressing down on his heart. For so long, he had been a fool, the executioner of Mary's hopes and dreams, all for a crime she had never committed. She had given him her heart, her youth, and her innocence, only to be treated like a pawn in
Mary leaned her head against the car window, her face pale from the strain of the memories swirling in her mind."Mary darling, I know the journey has been long, but once we're settled, you'll start to enjoy your new home," Catherine said gently from the passenger seat, while Peter drove the black M
Before long, Peter arrived at the hospital where Celeste was being examined by a doctor Peter trusted."Peter," the doctor said, "I’ve checked on Celeste. Her wounds are healing well. If things continue like this, we can consider discharging her. After all, I know you’ll take good care of her. There
Peter took a bath and a short nap. He woke up when he felt someone tugging on his hair—a small hand playing with his curls."Ethan, aren’t you going to school?" said Peter, groggy, with his eyes still closed."Yeah, but I want you to take me. Where have you been, Grandpa?""I’ve had a lot of work, a
Camille, having seen Marcus storm out, went to find the girl she considered her daughter. She found Valerie in tears, embraced her, and said:“Valerie, my love, I don’t think this is going to work. Have you thought about whether it might be better to end things?”“What?”“Valerie, darling, I’m not b
Minutes after Frederick received Marcus’s call, the man was knocking on his door. When Frederick opened it, he was greeted by the sight of his friend and colleague’s battered face.“Marcus, what happened to you? Who did you fight with?”“Can I come in?”“Oh! Right! Come in, come in, my boy. When you
Peter circled around Maximus’s car. It was clear he owed him a window now. He was heading to his house to ask Theodore for help taking it to the shop. Besides, there was no way he could return to the room with Celeste in this state. It was past 5:00 a.m., so the best option was to go home, take a ba
He paused, leveling a hard look at Marcus. “By the way, why the hell haven’t you killed Frank yet? Everything that happened—this whole mess—is because of him! Did you forget what he did to your family?”“Don’t you dare bring up my family,” Marcus warned, wiping blood from his lip.“Oh, I haven’t for
“Stop! Stop it! Calm down!” Peter shouted, holding Marcus back with all his strength.A stray punch escaped Marcus’s struggle, smashing into the window of Maximus’s car. The glass cracked, and Marcus’s hand began to bleed.“Enough!” Peter bellowed.“You’re a damned bastard!” Marcus shouted. “Why, Pe
Marcus drove aimlessly, trying to cool his head and avoid escalating the argument with Valerie. Yet, his heart guided him to a place he instinctively knew wouldn’t bring him peace. Parking outside the hospital, he stepped out of the car, ready to confront the turmoil consuming him.At the reception
"No, Marcus, it’s me who needs to apologize. Something’s been bothering me, consuming my thoughts, and it’s not fair to you—to you, my husband."Before Marcus could respond, Valerie was already by his side. Her growing belly brushed his shoulder as she stood close. Marcus turned to face her and stoo