My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus) novel Chapter 996

After the whole scene that unfolded, Alden arrived at the Bartz house, completely worried. When he found his wife sitting in the living room with her parents, he was finally able to breathe.

Serenity hugged him, apologized, and explained what had happened. She took the time to tell the story of her day and how guilty she felt for making them worry.

Even though Maximus had taken a while to get home, she had completely forgotten to let her family know who she was with.

That night, Alden stayed at the Bartz house—something unusual, since Marcus didn’t always look thrilled about it. But this time, he had to admit that Serenity needed him.

Once Serenity and Alden went to their room and everyone else went to bed, Valerie sat in front of her vanity in her own room, gazing fondly at her grandfather’s ashes. She couldn’t stop herself from crying.

It had taken 21 years for her to finally have her grandfather’s ashes. She had always known Catherine had them. Then, with her sudden departure from the country, she didn’t even have time to ask for them. She didn’t even get to say goodbye. She never thought she would see them again.

“What’s wrong, my love?” Marcus asked when he saw her crying.

“It’s hard to think that this is all my grandfather has been reduced to. It’s hard to think that all the dreams we had when I was a little girl never came true,” Valerie said through her tears.

“Do you regret this life?” Marcus asked, leading up to his next point.

“No! Of course not! I would never regret this life… You know how much I love you, you know I love our children, I love my whole family, and I’m grateful every day for this life,” Valerie said, surprised.

“Then… don’t look at this urn with sadness. See it as a bridge—he was the reason this whole life of yours came to be.

"I know it must have been painful, losing someone you loved so much—it is—but his legacy remains. The love you feel for them remains. It never goes away.

"And you, my love, you’ve followed in his footsteps. What would have happened if you had followed in your father’s legacy instead?”

“What about my father?” she asked, startled and nervous.

“From what you’ve told me, love, your father wasn’t the best person. He locked you up, beat you, and blamed you for what happened to your mother. Imagine what your life would have been like if he had stayed by your side…”

“No! I don’t even want to imagine it… I think he would have forced me to marry someone I didn’t love. Honestly, I could even say that what happened with Maximus was the best thing that could have come out of the worst situation.”

“Exactly! But your grandfather came and changed everything. Maybe he didn’t stay with you, and maybe, for a while, you thought he abandoned you. But no, he just wanted to make your dream come true in another way. He gave you the best he could at that moment—he gave you your freedom.”

“Marcus…” Valerie whispered, turning to look at him with tears in her eyes.

“Yes, maybe he thought that by leaving you there, you could move on with your life. He knew he couldn’t do more for you. He knew that, given the situation he was in, he would only risk dragging you down with him.