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
Maximus sat on a bench, reflecting on the direction of his life. After an hour, he returned to his car and drove to Alexia’s apartment. He had made a decision. 'Sometimes love hurts,' he thought.“Can I stay here?” he asked when she opened the door.“Of course, love! This is your home. What happened
When she returned to the table, Maximus looked colder than before. But Catherine greeted her with a warm, excited smile.“Mary, I wasn’t able to celebrate your birthday, and it saddened me. So, I have a special gift for you,” Catherine said, pulling out a small black box. “Peter told me you used to
"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