My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

Seeing Aria go from disbelief to outright desperation stirred something deep inside Maximus. He hadn't lived through the same pain as she had, but he understood uncertainty-he was living it himself, not knowing where his own eldest son was.

"We can leave now. My car is parked on the other side of the bridge. Just say the word, and we'll go." He tried to keep his voice steady, calm.

But inside, his nerves were a tangled mess.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized-Peter didn't even know that he and Maximus weren't full brothers. Had he even considered that? In all the rush of finding Aria alive, he had never stopped to think about how Peter would react to this revelation.

He'd have to explain it all on the way. He didn't want Aria to be caught off guard. Aria stood up and walked briskly toward the reception desk.

"Danielle! Danielle!" Her voice trembled with emotion. "I have to leave! I have to go to Valeria! I have to my son! My son! He's alive! Do you hear me? He's alive!"

Danielle froze. "Aria... wait... what? You have a son? And he's alive? I don't understand any of this."

Aria had always been fiercely private about that part of her past. She had never spoken about her child. Never even whispered a word. She had always feared that saying it out loud would somehow erase what little memory she had left of him.

Danielle shook her head, trying to process. "Aria... you can't just trust this man! We don't know who he is or what he really wants!"

"She'll be fine!" Maximus interjected, though he hadn't considered how this must have looked from Danielle's perspective.

"Oh, no, no, no, Aria. I know this sounds wonderful, but how can you trust someone so easily?" Danielle was growing more anxious by the second.

"He has photos of my son! I know it's him! I just know it's him!" Aria's hands fumbled as she grabbed a sweater and a small bag.

"Aria! You're not going alone. Let me call the neighbor to watch the hotel, and we're going together. You are not going alone."

"And Ellie?" Aria hesitated.

"She's coming with us." Danielle's voice was firm.

She was afraid, but she couldn't let Aria leave on her own. And there was no way she was leaving Ellie behind, either.

So, in a moment of complete recklessness, she prayed to every saint she could think of, entrusted the hotel to the neighbor, and joined the group heading to Valeria.

Once they crossed the bridge, Maximus led them toward his car. Danielle and Aria's eyes widened the moment they saw it.

It was a car that screamed wealth, power. It was impossible to ignore.

Danielle took a deep breath. "Oh, dear God... Please don't let this be a mistake."

She turned to Aria. "This is the first time you've ever acted like this. Do you really want to go? Do you really trust this man?"

Aria exhaled stowly. "Danielle, I understand if you don't want to come. But I've lived my whole life without my son. If there's even the slightest chance that I can see him, I have to take it. Please... try to understand."

Danielle sighed. "I'm not letting you go alone. If you go, we go. Remember?"

Aria smiled weakly. "Thank you."noveldrama

Even if she couldn't explain it, something inside her told her that this man—this stranger-was telling the truth.

As they got into the car, Maximus

turned to Aria. "Before you meet Peter, you need to hear about his life. At least, what I know of

Aria simply nodded and waited.

As they drove, Maximus took a deep breath and began telling her everything. The

life Peter had lived, the things he had endured.

Aria listened in stunned silence.

By the time Maximus finished, she was gripping the edge of her seat Her son had been through so much. Andyet, somehow, he had survived.

"So, how exactly are you going to introduce Peter to his mother?" Danielle finally asked, skeptical but no longer openly resisting.

Maximus exhaled. "Before I bring you to him, I need to talk to him first. He needs to hear this from me first."

Danielle glanced at her watch. "So we're going to take longer than expected...?"

"All I ask is for a little patience. I know this will work out. Just trust me. Peter is a good man. He's the best of the Palmers."

And for the first time since their journey began, Maximus spoke with absolute certainty.