After that night out, Maximus’s attitude toward Diana softened. He began asking Matthew to involve her in more tasks, realizing she could be helpful and that her presence didn’t bother him. Matthew, aware of their previous outing, was grateful for the extra help but also concerned about Maximus’s in
Maximus developed an unusual relationship with Diana. Every Friday evening, they would meet and talk late into the night, always ending up at the same lookout point. Diana often wondered why he tortured himself with memories of Mary. What could he have done so wrong to feel such guilt? Whenever she
Time passed quickly, and Diana was just 15 days away from returning to Hesperia. Her relationship with Maximus had become something undefined—not quite a friendship, but not a romantic relationship either. In secret, Maximus dreaded the thought of letting her go. His mind was a chaotic mess. Diana,
“Maximus, I understand your guilt now. But do you think living the way you are now changes anything? You’re just sinking further into the same mess you created. Wake up! You’re not doing anything extraordinary; you’re running on autopilot. I truly regret what you did to that woman. She didn’t deserv
Marcus Bartz landed at Kloten Airport in Switzerland, where a security team was already waiting for him. He fully understood the danger of coming to this place. He’d given Frank a chance to protect himself, and no doubt the man was already plotting something for when they met again. Although Theodor
“What the hell are you doing here?” Frank snapped, his voice a mix of anger and fear.“I came to visit you, dear friend,” Marcus said coolly, tossing a towel at him. “Cover yourself up, will you?”“You managed to get past my security…” Frank muttered, silently praying someone would walk in.“Well, h
[Present day]After the heated argument with his wife, Maximus was left with a pounding headache and trembling hands. Over the years, the anxiety he’d developed after his brother’s death had become more evident with each passing day. While Diana had been in his life, he’d managed to keep it under co
After a brief conversation with the clinic director, Maximus stepped out of the office. An overwhelming urge to smoke hit him. He made his way to the smoking area and sat on a bench, watching people come and go. For a moment, he wondered what it would be like to live a normal life. From a young age,
For the Palmer family, discovering that someone as important as Peter’s mother was still alive was a great source of joy. It was remarkable how a family that had once consisted of only four men had now grown into a large, predominantly female household.After a big family dinner—where they had to im
“Alden Pieotrovich Palmer, Grandma. It’s a pleasure to meet you! I think we have many nights of long talks ahead of us to catch up,” Alden said as he hugged Aria and kissed her forehead. “This is Ethan, your great-grandson. He’s six years old. And this is Serenity Bartz. Pretty soon, we’ll be gettin
Peter and Aria held each other for a long time. She still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that this was really happening. It had been so many years—an entire lifetime, really. There was a whole life’s worth of stories to tell, and they wouldn’t be able to share them all in just a few hours or
Peter felt as if time had stopped. He rested his cheek against Aria’s head, holding her tightly. He saw out of the corner of his eye how everyone else had quietly left the room, but it didn’t matter. Nothing else mattered. He felt good—for the first time in a long time—wrapped in the arms of this wo
“Maximus, what’s going on? I don’t understand…” Celeste said, looking worried.“Come on! In a few minutes, you’re going to meet Peter’s real mother. It’s a long story, but let’s go. Peter is nervous and anxious—he ran out so fast that no one could stop him. He’s probably in the foyer by now.”“Yes!
Maximus pulled out his phone and called Magnus, asking him to bring Aria. His father was confident everything would go well, so he had already set off. He was bringing all three guests with him since Danielle, still somewhat distrustful, refused to leave the woman who had been by her side for nearly
When Maximus hugged his daughter, he felt something strange—the warmth of her body, the small bump of her belly. Seeing his 21-year-old daughter pregnant made him imagine what it must have been like for Peter’s mother—the fear she must have felt, the loss, everything… All of it reminded him why he w
Maximus had been driving for about two hours. When he finally got home, he knew that before introducing Aria to his son, he needed to have a long conversation with his brother. He stepped out of the car and gestured for his three guests to do the same. On the way there, he had already messaged Magnu
Seeing Aria go from disbelief to outright desperation stirred something deep inside Maximus. He hadn’t lived through the same pain as she had, but he understood uncertainty—he was living it himself, not knowing where his own eldest son was."We can leave now. My car is parked on the other side of th