My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

"I want to hear that from him," Maximus answered, certain of his words.

"Mmm... Well, from the beginning, I was against separating him from you. But I made a promise, and I don't intend to break my word," Moriarty said firmly.

"Who did you make that promise to?" Maximus asked curiously.

"To Alexia Levett, of course," Moriarty replied nonchalantly, instantly irritating Maximus.

"What does she have to do with my son being missing?" Maximus said, raising his voice slightly.

"He's not missing. Let's just say... he's been kept away from everything that hurts him," Moriarty replied, keeping his tone calm.

"What do you mean by that?"

Maximus couldn't believe how calm the man in front of him was. He was desperate to find his son, unable to rest knowing he was God knows where, while this judge seemed completely unbothered.

"Maximus, I have to admit something-taking care of your son is exhausting. Your father and Mr. Frank Levett turned him into whatever suited them. Honestly, I think being away from all of you has done him a lot of good. Though I'll admit, your son is a real pain in the ass... My wife looks after him, but I think he has some serious discipline issues."

"What can I say... He's a Palmer," Maximus replied with a small grin, relieved to hear he wasn't the only one struggling with Lucius's temper.

"I know! But at least now, he's living peacefully and making progress," Moriarty said confidently.

"I need to know where he is... I need to see him, talk to him," Maximus said, his voice almost pleading.

"If you don't mind me asking... why?" Moriarty asked, genuinely curious.

"He's my son! I need to see him!" Maximus answered, trying to make him understand his desperation.

Judge Moriarty let out a tired sigh and said, "I'm going to see him in two days. I already know I'll regret this, but if you want to come with me, my flight leaves at 5:00 a.m. I won't be going alone-my wife and daughter are coming too. For some reason, they've become quite fond of him. Can you believe that?"

"I'll be there!" Maximus replied, feeling a surge of relief at having convinced Moriarty.

"Maximus, I know I seem harsh, but I'm a father too. I don't know your full story firsthand, but hearing Alexia's version was enough for me to understand that, in the end, both of you were victims of soulless, ruthless people."

"You spoke with Alexia?" Maximus asked, intrigued.

"Well, can you leave now? Let me enjoy the rest of my afternoon in peace," Moriarty said, abruptly cutting the conversation.noveldrama

"Just one more question..." Maximus said, trying not to test his patience.

"Go ahead," Moriarty replied calmly.

"Why is Alexia Levett in France?" Maximus asked, deeply interested.

"That's one thing I can't answer. I'm giving you the chance to speak with your son because he's your blood, but Alexia... That's between her and me," Moriarty said, leaving no room for argument.

"I just want to know if she's okay," Maximus said sincerely.

"Maximus, if there's one thing I can assure you, it's that I would never harm a woman. She's fine. Maybe not entirely convinced, but she will be."

"Did she choose this?" Maximus pressed, trying to dig deeper.

"She had chosen euthanasia. This is better," Moriarty said casually, as if it were nothing.

"I don't like your half-answers," Maximus replied, frustrated.

"And I don't like your questions, yet here I am answering them," Moriarty shot back, his tone sharp.

Maximus had no choice but to stay

quiet. He knew that if he pushed Moriarty too far, the judge could easily refuse to take him to see his

son- worse, move Lucius, leaving him back at square one with no leads.

"I just need to know she's okay... That's all," Maximus said sincerely.

"She's okay. She's struggling to

adjust to her new life, but I can

assure you it's better than the one she had before the accident,"

over

Moriarty answered, giving him just enough of the truth without

revealing too much.