My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus) novel Chapter 81

Chapter 0081 

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Mary and Emma focused on preparing dinner, completely unaware of when Maximus had left the mansion. As the sun began to set, Mary went up to her room and found the dress and jewelry box her husband had left for her. When she opened the box, butterflies fluttered in her stomach. The dress was daring, but if he had picked it for her, she would wear 

Emma left early to spend the holidays with her children. The Palmer mansion was quiet–Emma didn’t want to intrude and always spent the end of the year with her family, far from the stresses of work. 

Mary got ready as best as she could. The dress fit her perfectly, and the neckline wasn’t as bold as she had feared. She applied some makeup, pinned up her hair to show off her slender neck, and adorned herself with the exquisite necklace and earrings Maximus had given her. She went downstairs to set the table but stopped by his study first to leave a small gift a box containing a silver medallion and chain. She wasn’t wealthy, so she had worked hard to afford the gesture. 

Mary had secretly been writing song lyrics for her friend Aurora Rinaldi, who paid her a small sum for each piece. This had allowed her to save up for Maximus’s present. 

By 7:00 p.m., she was sure Maximus would arrive at any moment. She turned on the garden lights and Hit the candles on the table. Her hands were sweating, and her stomach churned with nervous anticipation. 

When she checked the time again, it was 8:30 p.m., and he still hadn’t shown up. Worry began to creep in -what if something had happened to him? She called but although the phone rang, there was no answer. She kept trying until, at 9:15 p.m., a text from her husband arrived: [Have dinner without me. I’m a little busy and probably won’t make it.] 

Mary sat alone at the beautifully set dining table. The food had gone cold, and the mansion felt just as chilly. Maximus wasn’t coming. She now knew where he was with Alexia. Once again, she had been humiliated, just like on her wedding day. 

By midnight, she finally stood up from the table. She didn’t bother cleaning up the untouched food. Instead, she grabbed a bottle of expensive red wine, opened it, and began stripping off her dress. She went to her bathroom, removed her makeup while drinking straight from the bottle. It had been years since she’d even known how to drink wine properly. 

Now she did–but only because of Maximus’s influence. Tonight, though, she wasn’t holding back. Tears rolled down her bare body as she drank. She let her hair down, slipped on a silk gray nightgown and robe, and went downstairs. She grabbed two more chilled bottles of wine from the fridge and headed out to the garden. 

She sat at one of the garden chairs, drinking the two bottles until she was too drunk to stay awake. 

but as soon 

Feeling the cold, she stumbled back inside the mansion. Somehow, she made it to her room, 

as she reached her bathroom, she threw up everything she hadn’t eaten. She wiped her face and stared at her reflection in the mirror. 

She didn’t like the woman staring back. 

Grabbing a pair of scissors, she tied her long, beautiful hair into a ponytail and cut it off. 

Chanter (1986) 

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