My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus) novel Chapter 893

That Peter’s intense gaze…Wasn’t directed at the woman behind her.

It was entirely, solely meant for her.

Peter stepped closer to Celeste and murmured,

"You look breathtaking. You’re the most beautiful woman here tonight."

Celeste wanted to believe him. But deep down, she was certain that her beauty couldn’t possibly compare to Katherine’s.

Peter sensed something was off. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead.

"You really look incredible," he whispered into her ear. "Believe me… if it weren’t for this dinner, you and I would be anywhere else right now."

His voice, low and teasing, sent a small shiver down her spine.

Before Celeste could respond, Alden entered the room—bringing someone with him.

The moment Serenity saw the woman on his arm, a cold chill ran down her spine.

Her hands became clammy, and she felt an inexplicable tension as her future mother-in-law’s gaze landed on her.

There was no way around it—she had to face her.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am," Serenity said, extending her hand. "I’m Serenity Bartz."

Katherine gave a small, poised smile. She reached out, took Serenity’s hand—and pulled her in for a traditional double kiss on the cheeks.

"Lovely to meet you, Serenity," Katherine said warmly. "Alden has told me so much about you. I was so excited to finally meet you." Then, with a dramatic sigh, she added, "This son of mine… sometimes he forgets about his mother…"

Alden groaned. "Mom—"

Katherine ignored him. Her eyes flickered down to Serenity’s belly, and with absolutely no hesitation, she placed her hands gently over it.

"And how is our little princess doing?"

"Now that we know she’s healthy, we can finally relax," Serenity answered truthfully.

"I’m so glad," Katherine said with sincerity. "Finally, I get to be with all of you. I’m so happy our schedules aligned so we could meet."

Alden smiled. "Speaking of meeting people—Uncle Maximus, Laura?"

Maximus and Laura turned toward them, along with Diana.

"Everyone," Alden announced, "this is my mother—Katherine Ivanoff."

"A pleasure to meet you, Madam Ivanoff," Maximus greeted formally.

But in the background…

Peter froze.

The moment he heard her name, his head turned toward the tall, elegant woman.

She was different from what he remembered.

But she was still her.

Time had been kind to her. She had aged gracefully, still carrying that air of effortless beauty and charm.

But she wasn’t the same woman from his past—the one with the wild, fiery red hair.

That version of her was gone.

A flicker of a smile crossed his lips as old memories surfaced—memories of another life.

Celeste saw it.

And she felt sick.

The moment was brief, but she caught it.

The nostalgia.

The recognition.