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
[Present Day]After their conversation in the garden, Maximus and Mary walked toward the mansion, where Catherine was already standing on the balcony, waving at them.“Maximus! I’m glad you finally decided to visit your wife!” Catherine said cheerfully.“Yes, Grandma. In fact, we’ve been talking. I
[Present Day]Maximus spent the entire day at the mansion, staying by Mary’s side and helping her with her medication. Meanwhile, Peter, unable to stomach Maximus’s decision, left in a fit of anger.By evening, Catherine seized the opportunity to foster intimacy between the couple. She had dinner se
In Valeria, several miles away from Florentia, events were unfolding that would change everything.Alexia had officially signed her termination papers but remained calm, confident that Maximus would visit her soon. She was certain he’d have a good explanation for everything that had happened.Days p
Back in Lunavalle, Maximus had spent an entire week at his grandmother’s house, diligently caring for Mary. One morning, he had even surprised her by bringing her breakfast in bed.“This is delicious, Maximus! I never imagined you could cook!” she exclaimed.“Well, there’s a lot we don’t know about
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