My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

It was 7:00 p.m. when Maximus parked his truck in front of Valerie and Marcus's house. He helped his daughter out, watching as she held the urn with her great- grandfather's ashes like her life depended on it.noveldrama

"Come on, let's go. I'll walk you in—I don't want you getting scolded because of me," Maximus said as if talking to a little girl.

Serenity took her father's hand. Moments like these were rare, but they meant the world to her. In a way, Maximus had built a wall between them. He knew he couldn't ask for much-she was his daughter, but everything that had happened was still a reality.

Just like with Lucius, he would let time-only time-heal what had been lost. "Miss Serenity, your parents have been looking for you like crazy," the maid said. "Oh! But... they didn't call me?" Serenity asked, confused.

"They did... but you weren't answering," the maid replied as she watched Serenity walk in, still holding her father's hand.

"Sweetheart! Oh my God! Where have you been? We've been searching for you everywhere! Your father even called Alden, and he's on his way. We feared the worst..." Valerie said, rushing over the moment she saw her daughter.

"Sorry, Mom! I was with—"

"She was with me, Valerie... I'm sorry, I think we lost track of time," Maximus admitted, embarrassed.

"I should've known. Only you would be this irresponsible..."

"Mom! Why didn't you call me? If you had, you would've reached me," Serenity interjected before her mother could lash out at Maximus.

"We did, sweetheart... but your phone was off or something. You weren't answering," Valerie said, both frustrated and worried.

Serenity handed the urn to Maximus, pulled out her phone, and saw it flooded with missed calls from Marcus, Valerie, Alden, Peter, Theodore-basically half the world.

"My phone didn't ring... I guess it must've glitched. I'm so sorry. I really didn't think we'd be gone that long. We went to Maximus's house..."

"Serenity, don't ever do this again... We really thought something terrible had happened, especially with you being pregnant..."

"I'm sorry, I really am..." Serenity murmured, ashamed, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Serenity!" Marcus called from the front door.

He immediately noticed Maximus's presence. The man looked like a bundle of nerves.

"Where the hell did you take my daughter? I should've known-of course, she'd be with someone as irresponsible as you," Marcus said angrily.

"Look, Bartz, Serenity is home, safe and sound. This was entirely my fault. We didn't think we'd take this long, but there was a lot of traffic. She fell asleep on the way back, and I thought it wouldn't be a problem to detay a little. I'm not here to argue-l just wanted to make sure Serenity was okay," Maximus said, glancing at his daughter. swnovel

His heart clenched, but he knew that if he stayed any longer, things would only escalate. So he took her hand and gently said, “Serenity, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken you so far Give your mother what I brought her. And don't stress, okay? It's not good for the baby." swnovel

Serenity looked at him, realizing that things had spiraled out of control. Given her current emotional state, she'd probably just end up crying. She smiled through her tears, wiped them away, and let go of his hand.

Maximus gave her one last look and walked out of the house. The wedding was only two days away. He didn't want to do or say anything that might cause tension. That day had to be perfect for her, so, as much as it hurt, he chose to leave without another word.

"Okay, sweetheart, calm down. I didn't mean to sound like I was scolding you, but we were really worried," Valerie said, trying to soothe her daughter.

"I know, Mom... I'm sorry. I never meant to worry you. It's just that time flew by today. I thought you'd take longer to get back, so when Maximus called, I asked him to take me out. Oh! Maximus! Mom Serenity suddenly remembered why her father had come. swnovel

"What is it?" Valerie asked, startled by her reaction.

"Maximus left!" Serenity said in shock.

"Yes, that man is gone," Marcus responded dryly.

“No! No! Maximus came to see you, Mom!" Serenity said desperately.

"Me? Why? What for?" Valerie asked, looking confused.

"Oh my God! Mom, here he brought this for you," Serenity said, handing her the

urn Maximus had given her.

"Serenity, what is this?"

"Maximus brought it for you. It's... It's..."

"My grandfather!" Valerie gasped, immediately taking the urn in her hands.

"Yes. We were at Maximus's house, and he found it. He said he wanted to give it to you personally, but then we got caught in traffic. I fell asleep, and I lost track of time. Mom, it really wasn't his fault," Serenity said, feeling guilty.

“No, sweetheart... This isn't your fault. It's just that we were so worried about you, especially with your pregnancy..." Marcus said, stepping forward to hug his daughter.