My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

After Amanda's death, many lives were shaken in one way or another. For Peter, the wedding had to be postponed. For Laura, the entire ordeal became a

revelation-it showed just how committed Adrian was to their relationship and to the family that had welcomed him.

Amid all this, Maximus was keeping an eye on Lucius, even though the latter had started isolating himself. Diana's pregnancy added another layer of stress, causing Maximus to unintentionally neglect his younger sons. While the boys understood the situation, they still felt the sting of his absence.

That's when Adrian, stepping into a role he'd never imagined for himself, took it upon himself to be there for the boys. He guided them in his own way-especially when he noticed Paul was beginning to drift, focusing more on girls than on school.

Seeing how much recent events had impacted Paul's behavior, Adrian sat him down for a serious talk. Looking at the boys was like looking into his past. Even though his family had never split-because in their world, scandal was to be avoided at all costs-he still bore the scars of all the issues between his parents.

So, he couldn't help but reach out to the two brothers.

[Months Ago]

"Your dad loves you... Things aren't great right now, but he loves you more than anything. Just be patient, it'll settle down eventually," Adrian said gently.

"Dad's all about Diana now. He's already moved on... He doesn't care about us anymore," Maurice said sadly.

"It's not that he doesn't love you. Come on, sit down," Adrian said as he poured three glasses of chocolate milk. "Your dad worries about you—that's why he takes care of everything."

"It sure doesn't seem like it," Paul said firmly.

"How can you say that? Look around you-you live in a huge house, you've got food, a roof over your head. What do you think would happen if that suddenly disappeared?"

"I don't know!"

"Exactly. You don't need to worry about that because your dad takes care of it. Maybe he's not as close to you right now as he was before, but that doesn't mean he stopped loving you.

"When someone leaves, they leave a huge hole in the hearts of those who loved them. That's what's happening with your brother Lucius. And with Diana-yes, she's pregnant, and of course Maximus is concerned-but it's a different kind of worry."

"You know what? Even if he doesn't say it, your dad is scared the same thing that happened to Amanda might happen to Diana."

"But she's healthy..."

"Amanda was healthy too. Everything seemed fine until it wasn't. I know you're both young, but try to see things from your father's perspective.

"He's got a newborn granddaughter without a mother. He's dealing with a son who's shut himself off from everyone. Lucius is grieving in his own way, but that grief affects your dad and through him, it affects you.

"And now, with Diana in the same condition Amanda was in, it's all piling up on him. But that doesn't mean he doesn't love you or that he's forgotten about you. He's just overwhelmed. You need to try to understand that. I know it's hard, but you're strong enough.

"Your dad has always been there for you. Now he needs you to be there for him— or at least to try to understand him."

"Dad is good to us... but lately he forgets everything. It's like he's on autopilot," Maurice muttered.

"Because things didn't turn out the way they were supposed to. Even you said it— your uncle Peter's wedding was canceled."

"We want to understand him, but we need him too," Paul said, his voice steady.

"Of course. And he needs you too. But sometimes, in life, you have to wait-or speak up. I suggest you find a moment to talk to him. Tell him how you feel."

After some more conversation, the boys calmed down a bit. In their minds, they were already considering what path to take next.

Paul knew there was a door he hadn't knocked on yet-but he didn't want to go through it alone.

[Present Day]

"What's wrong, Laura?" Adrian asked, noticing the mother of his daughter staring out the kitchen window.

"When did life change again? We had a few peaceful months-everything seemed like it was finally settling down... but no, it all fell apart again," she said with a heavy sigh.

Adrian walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek. Over the past few months, the two of them had been slowly rebuilding what they once had, finding their rhythm again.noveldrama

"My love, that's just how life is.

Sometimes it's calm, sometimes it's chaos. A lot of what we go through is the result of our choices, but. some things are just out of our hands-like what we're dealing with now," Adrian said, trying to ease the burden she carried.

"I wish everything could go back to how it was. I wish none of this had happened.

Did you know Lucius wants to move to Hesperia?"

"What?"

"Yeah... He's really going. Serenity told me she already found a house for him and the baby."

"Seriously?"

"Apparently, he wants to leave without even saying goodbye."

"Wow... I wasn't expecting that. But how's he going to nage? As far as we

know, Moriarty's wife is still helping him with the baby."

"I only know what Serenity told me. I want to go see him."

"Then let's go. I'll drive you. Don't stay here wondering."

"I don't want to make him uncomfortable. I know my brother-in show up and say, 'Oh, know what you're planning,' he'll shut down. For years he and Dad fought over everything. When it came time to pick a university, Lucius chose England-he wanted to be as far away as possible just to avoid arguments. This feels like the same thing... except now, it's not about Dad."

"Then you should go talk to him. Try to understand what he's going through. His whole life was turned upside down. It must hurt to see everyone else returning to normal when he's stuck in grief."

"Look... I'll tell you the same thing I told your brothers months ago. Find the right moment to talk to him, but speak from your heart. Let him know you're there for him, that he can count on you. Help him see he doesn't need to isolate himself."

"Hmm, I think I can do that. But I know him-he's not going to change his mind. If he already has a house, he's definitely leaving soon." "Probably. Which is why we're going today. Don't think about it—just do it." "Alright... Let me get Adele ready."

"I'll pack some snacks for the road. That girl eats like there's no tomorrow."

Once Adele was ready, the three of them set off from the Evans house

toward the Moriarty residence. Laura had only one goal: convince Luciusto stay. She needed her brother. He was family, and she couldn't bear to let him go not now, not when he needed her the most, even if he couldn't admit it yet.