Fred left the mansion fuming, but not before reminding Maximus that Mary needed to be seen at the hospital. If not, he would have no choice but to inform Catherine of everything.Once Fred was gone, Maximus approached Mary, who was sitting quietly in the garden, still trying in vain to recover her l
Emma and Mary arrived at Fred’s clinic, and he was visibly surprised to see Mary accompanied by the housekeeper rather than Maximus.“Mary! How are you feeling?” he asked warmly.“Hi, Fred. I’m okay. Honestly, I don’t really know what happened. I just remember heading toward the stairs, and after th
That afternoon, as Mary tended the garden with music blasting from her small speaker, she didn’t notice the shadow looming behind her. Maximus had returned. The loud music had drawn his attention to the garden, where he found his wife singing cheerfully, her clothes smudged with dirt and her face gl
Maximus looked up from his desk. “Mary… Come in.”Her heart sank at the unexpected invitation. She hadn’t planned for this. Memories of their last confrontation flashed through her mind, and she hesitated.“Come in,” he repeated firmly. “I need to talk to you.”She stepped inside reluctantly, bracin
Mary left the study carefully after hearing Maximus. Once she was in the hallway, he heard her running down the stairs. A smile appeared on Maximus’s face. Silently, he followed her and listened as she excitedly shared the good news with Emma.“Ma’am, but we haven’t decorated the house in ages. The
-[Maximus' Thoughts]I can’t deny I miss Alexia, but I’m so angry with her—her silence, her absence, leaving without a word. It’s the same as years ago when she went to Paris.Spending time with Mary confuses me. Alexia’s absence, her not being here to whisper in my ear about what to do with this g
Mary and Emma focused on preparing dinner, completely unaware of when Maximus had left the mansion. As the sun began to set, Mary went up to her room and found the dress and jewelry box her husband had left for her. When she opened the box, butterflies fluttered in her stomach. The dress was daring,
“Love, I missed you so much!”“I missed you too, but…” Maximus hesitated.“I know, I know! I’ve been a bad girl. There’ll be time for you to punish me later…”“Alexia, I need to go back home. You know I don’t like celebrating Christmas.”“I know, which is why there are no decorations here. For me, i
"Monday?""No, I mean… what’s the date?""August 15th.""What year?"She laughed softly, as if I were playing some kind of joke on her."2003… Peter, what kind of prank are you trying to pull? Come on, get out of the bathroom. I need to pee, and you’re taking forever. And don’t forget—we have the ap
After thinking it all through, I knew I couldn’t leave her alone. If something happened to me, all my wealth would go to her. My children would never be left unprotected, and she would never have to worry about money again. But that wasn’t enough. I didn’t want to leave her alone to raise our childr
Diana and Maximus stepped out of the room, both looking exhausted and worried. It was already 10:00 a.m., and there was still no news about Peter. Celeste had finally fallen into a deep sleep after drinking the tea they had brought her.Marcus and Valerie had left the hospital a few hours earlier to
"Just curious…""Hmm… Are you sure?""Yeah…"Peter had been wondering about this ever since he came across an old photo of himself standing next to Mary, who had pink hair at the time. Fate worked in strange ways. Celeste had always been there—she was the little girl in the corner of that very pictu
Celeste went back into the room, and Peter looked at her, his eyes softening."Come here… I want to hold you."Something in his gaze unsettled her, but without hesitation, she stepped closer."Do you know that since the moment I met you, you became my whole world? I still can’t believe you’re going
"What is it? Peter, I don’t understand… I’ve never asked you for anything. Well, except earlier, when I made you promise not to leave me alone with our kids. That alone would make me happy.""I know! But this time, I want to do things right… I mean, I’m a man, a proper man—I can’t keep doing things
Valerie and Alden kept chatting while the café prepared a salad for Serenity. Valerie was surprised at how well Alden already knew her daughter’s tastes.As she watched her future son-in-law, she realized her daughter had made a good choice. Guilt crept in when she thought about her initial reaction
Alden nodded. "Yes. And I know the history between them. But to be completely honest? I don’t care."That was years ago. You moved on with your life. My father did the same."As adults, the past shouldn’t dictate our present. I know it’s hard to ignore it, but to me, it’s not important."Valerie sig
Alden had gone to find a room for Serenity. He knew this wasn’t a hotel—it was a hospital—but sometimes, accommodations could be made for certain people. He figured it was worth a try.Marcus was right. Serenity had endured a six-hour flight without any breaks, and it was already past midnight. She