My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

Peter watched little Ethan, who still wouldn't meet his eyes. During all the

goodbyes, Ethan had avoided coming near him—but now, the moment had come to do what was right.

"Ethan, come here..." Peter said, looking at the boy.

With his head down, Ethan slowly walked toward him. Peter crouched down to the boy's height the moment he got close.noveldrama

"My little one, I want you to take good care of yourself and of your little sister. You're a wonderful boy, and you'll always be in my heart," Peter said, gently stroking the boy's cheeks.

"If you ever want to visit us, just call me and I'll send a plane for you. We'll only ever be one flight away," Peter added in a comforting tone.

Even though Peter didn't remember raising this boy, he could see the admiration and respect shining in Ethan's eyes.

The man he was now didn't know that Ethan had been watching him practically since the day he was born.

At first, Ethan had been excited to move away with John-but now, the reality of leaving his grandfather was sinking in hard.

"Grandpa... will you come visit us in Hesperia?" Ethan asked timidly.

"Of course! Just let me get things organized a little, and I promise we'll come

visit," Peter said, smiling as he pulled the boy into a tight hug.

Surprisingly, the scent of the child—warm and familiar-made Peter feel something he hadn't felt in a long time: home.

Slowly, a lump began to form in his throat. He fought it back-he didn't want to ruin the moment-so he swallowed it down and pulled back a little to look at the boy.

"Hey... always remember, you've got a family here that loves you. It used to just be the four of us, remember?" Peter said, looking into Ethan's eyes.

"Yeah..." Ethan answered shyly.

"Now the girls outnumber us, so we have to stick together," Peter said with conviction.

Those words didn't go unnoticed by Alden, who, hearing them, felt for a second like he was listening to the old Peter.

As for Peter himself he didn't know where the words had come from. Maybe it was a buried memory, or maybe just a strong déjà vu.

"I love you, sweetheart! Never forget that!" Peter said, squeezing the little boy tightly again.

Afterward, Peter stood up and looked at the young woman standing before him— the one who, at one of the lowest moments of his life, had been an angel pulling him out of a dark hole of uncertainty.

"Serenity Bartz, take good care of this family because now, they'll be your responsibility. Those two might be a little rough around the edges, but now they're yours. Protect them, guide them. And you know, if you ever need advice on how to keep them in line, you can always ask Magnus, right?"

"Peter! And you were doing so well!" Serenity said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"What? It's true! Magnus and Aria probably give better advice than I could! Remember, in my mind, I'm still 25-and that's not exactly a lifetime of experience."

"Alright, alright—I'll take your advice. And you are you getting better?" she asked, leaning in to whisper in his ear as she hugged him.

"You know I am. In fact, when I gave Celeste the ring, I was a hundred percent sure of what I was doing. There's no other woman I want to spend my life with," he said, smiling peacefully.

"We're going to miss you! This little one's going to miss her favorite grandpa!" Serenity said, pulling back from the hug.

"We'll miss you too. But it's time for everyone to go their own way," Celeste said, hugging Serenity tightly along with little Isabelle.

"Celeste, take good care of this man-he still thinks he's a 25-year-old kid," Serenity said with a playful grin.

"Not so much anymore... my knee's starting to hurt," Peter said with a chuckle.

"Alright, alright... Take care of yourselves. We hope to visit you soon-or that you come visit us," Peter said, trying to move them along, feeling that familiar lump forming in his throat again.

Serenity went over to Maximus, Diana, Laura, and Adele. The other kids hadn't.come because they were in the middle of exams, so Serenity had said her goodbyes to them the night before-giving them each a bit of advice before parting.

Now, here at the airport, Serenity hugged Laura. Both of them were holding their daughters-different ages, but now both officially Maximus's granddaughters.

The man looked at the two young women. Inevitable as it was, he compared them: so different and yet so alike.

Both daughters of the same father, but different mothers. They had left behind the pain of the past to stand together as true sisters. Once, Serenity had helped Laura bring Adefe into the world. Then life repaid

the favor when Lucius helped

Serenity with Isabelle's birth.

1.n

"Take care of yourself, Laura. Think carefully about things. Follow your heart, not just your head. It's okay to let your heart guide you sometimes, too.

Take good care of this beautiful little girl. Keep studying-be a great example for Adele. She's watching every step you take," Serenity said warmly as she hugged her sister.