My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus) novel Chapter 385

Chapter 0385 

+25 BONUS 

“Serenity, he adored you. Even though he wasn’t your biological father, he loved you. If he had stayed with us, I know he would have loved you more than your real father ever could.” 

Valerie recounted every detail of her life with Peter. Serenity listened quietly, wishing that one day she might find someone like him. For now, all she could do was listen and learn from this beautiful love story. 

Her mother spoke of how painful her grandfather’s death had been and how she never knew what happened to his ashes. The last thing she’d heard was that Catherine kept them as her most prized possession. 

Then Valerie’s eyes filled with tears as she began to describe the day Peter died. Serenity could see the immense pain it caused her mother and decided to stop her. 

“Mom, you don’t have to relive that. I understand that everything led you to where we are today,” Serenity said gently. 

“Dearest, what I want you to understand is that Peter and I made that decision together. He loved you, and so did I. From the beginning, I never intended for you to know that Maximus was your father. It hurt too much to think about what he had done to me. He raised my hopes and then abandoned me. 

“Now, I know time has changed him, but I don’t know who he is today. Maybe if you want to, you can get to know him. I won’t stop you from seeing him, and if one day you decide to accept him as your father, I will understand. But that choice is yours to make.” 

Valerie paused, her voice trembling but steady as she continued. “Just remember this: even though Peter wasn’t with you, he loved you even before he met you. And Marcus loves you now. Without being anything to him, he took you in and watched you grow. He has never treated you differently because you’re not his biological daughter. He loves you above all else. 

“Serenity, you’re the reason Marcus and I are together. When you were almost three years old, he found us–or we found each other by chance. From that moment, he never wanted to be apart from you. The love between your father and me grew through you, through our time with you. Marcus is the love of my life, and he is your father in every sense of the word. Never forget that, please.” 

Serenity nodded, her voice trembling with emotion. “Mom, I would never doubt your love or his. It just hurt to learn that the man who caused you so much pain is my father. I always imagined what my father would be like. I knew you loved him deeply, and I thought he must have been a good man. I regretted not having the chance to know him.” 

She paused, her voice breaking slightly. “Two days ago, when I learned that Maximus was my father, it broke me. The image of Peter shattered. That’s what made me react the way I did not because I was blaming you, but because the kind, loving man I thought was my father wasn’t. Instead, I had to accept that the man who is my father was your tormentor when you were young. Believe me, that’s not easy to accept.” 

Tears spilled from her eyes as she continued. “I’m so sorry if I said or did anything to hurt you. You’re my mother, and I love you more than anything. Please forgive me if my reaction hurt you.”