My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus) novel Chapter 959

Feeling his father’s embrace, Lucius didn’t know how to react. His first instinct was to pull away, but something strange washed over him—a warmth he hadn’t felt in years.

Memories flooded his mind: Maximus hugging him as a child, playing with him, fixing his tie, saying goodbye when he left for London—even though it had been against his will.

He fought against that feeling, resisting the embrace. But for the first time in as long as he could remember, the constant fear that had lived inside him seemed to fade. And just like that, the wall he had built around himself crumbled.

Tears spilled down his face.

“How can you love me?” Lucius’s voice broke. “For years, all I did was push you to the edge, remind you how much better Leonardo was as a father, how much better Frank was… I breathed, I lived just to make your life miserable. Maximus, I haven’t even called you Dad in years. How can you love me when everything points to the fact that I don’t deserve it?”

Maximus let out a breath, his voice filled with quiet certainty. “Lucius, the day you become a father, you’ll understand. No matter how much trouble your kids give you, no matter how difficult they are, you never forget that they’re yours.” He let out a small, tired chuckle. “And let’s be real, you were a teenager. You were easy to manipulate. Just like Anthony Moriarty once said, ‘You’re a pain in the ass.’ But you’re my pain in the ass.”

Lucius let out a weak, breathless laugh through his tears.

“Now that you’re here, I don’t want you to keep hiding. I don’t want you wandering around alone when you have a family waiting for you. You have a father who doesn’t know how to ask for forgiveness—for all the things he let happen, for all the times he failed you. You have, and always will have, a father who doesn’t care about the headaches you’ve caused. A father who would be happy if you decided to come back. And if not…” Maximus finally released him, his hands still on Lucius’s shoulders. “At least I’ll be at peace knowing you’re okay and in good hands.”

Lucius wiped his face quickly, still struggling to process everything. “Do you have pictures of Adele? Can I see her?”

Maximus’s face lit up. “Oh, I have tons of pictures. Videos too!” He quickly pulled out his phone, scrolling through his gallery. “Look, she’s a little ball of energy, and she’s only six months old.”

Lucius took the phone and played the videos, watching his baby niece babble happily. In some clips, Laura appeared, holding Adele close. And then, unexpectedly, a video showed all his siblings together. His chest tightened at the sight of them—smiling, laughing, happy.

But what really stunned him was seeing Maximus himself, rolling around in the grass with Maurice, playing like a man who had never let life harden him.

His fingers hovered over the screen as another face caught his attention. “Who’s that woman? She’s in a lot of these.”

Maximus hesitated for a moment. “…Her name is Diana. Diana Mendez. She’s my partner.”

Lucius’s expression darkened. “So that’s it? You just forgot about my mother? Just moved on like it was nothing?” His voice was laced with bitterness, but as soon as he said it, he exhaled sharply. “Never mind. What’s the point of even bringing it up? You and my mother only stayed together for appearances.”