My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

Laura quickly grabbed her car keys. It was obvious she hadn't expected to run into the father of her daughter. Honestly, after everything that had happened, yes, she sometimes thought about him, but she immediately tried to push those memories away-most of them were tainted by their last interaction.

Now, more than a year later, they were face to face again. Her father and family had supported her up to this point, but she couldn't deny that seeing him in person made her stomach twist.

"Laura... Can we talk?" Adrian asked, his voice pleading.

Laura looked at him warily. The last time they had seen each other, he had made it painfully clear how little he cared and how much damage he could do.

"Adrian, I'm sorry... but no. You and I have nothing to talk about. Don't take my reaction the wrong way, but the last thing I want is to have problems with you again," Laura said, summoning all the courage she could.

The years she had spent drifting away from her family had made her timid. Little by little, she had built up some strength-for her daughter. Just thinking about the fact that she was raising a little girl, that she was her example, meant she couldn't afford to be weak. But that didn't stop her from feeling intimidated, especially by the man who had humiliated her.

"Laura, please... I promise I won't do anything to make you uncomfortable," Adrian said, lowering his voice.noveldrama

"You already are. If you don't mind, I need to go home, and I can't do that while you're standing in front of my car door," she said, holding his gaze.

"I just want to talk about her... about my daughter," Adrian said, playing his last card.

"Adrian, we have nothing to talk about. Yes, you have a daughter, but just like you rejected her when she was conceived, now I'm the one asking you to stay away. I never asked you for anything. I never asked you for child support. She is my daughter, my life, and I know she means nothing to you," Laura said, her voice calm but unwavering.

Adrian felt the weight of her words. Without yelling, without losing her composure -so unlike his current wife-she was giving him a lesson in dignity.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go. My daughter is waiting for me," Laura said, reaching for the car door handle.

Adrian grabbed her hand, and Laura immediately pulled away. Just his touch felt like it burned her.

"Just give me ten minutes. I just want to talk. Just-"

Laura sighed. She knew how stubborn he was, and if he wanted to, he wouldn't let her leave. This conversation would happen eventually, whether today

rano et

day. And honestly, it was better now, white her father was out of the country-because if he were here, he would never allow it.

"You have ten minutes. Say what you need to say," Laura said, glancing at her watch.

"I saw her yesterday. She was with your brothers. She... she's beautiful, Laura.

She looks so much like you," Adrian said, his voice full of emotion.

Laura processed his words. She hadn't known her brothers had taken Adele out, But one thing was true-yes, Adele was her exact image and for that, she was

vel

grateful. If it had been the other way

around, it would have been even

harder than it already was to remember who her father was.

"Laura... I looked for you. You have no idea how much I regret what I did and said. You must have been three or four months along when I tried to find you. But

no matter how much I searched, you never appeared," Adrian said sincerely.

"Adrian, I don't want to hear that

part. Please won't deny that it was

hard for me to accept that you weren't a good person. It took time to realize that you only played with

me, that you gave me false hope, that you took advantage of me. But not all the blame is yours? Some of it is mine too-for being too naive.