My Love Until the Last Goodbye by Alut

Chapter 996 +25 BONUS 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 tto 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 tto 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 ctrue," 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 cto 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 forcedto marry someone I didn't love. Honestly, I could even say that what happened with Maximus was the best thing that could have cout of the worst situation." "Exactly! But your grandfather cand 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 ctrue 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.

"Think of it like this-the trip you two had planned, you took it. You just had to make slast-minute route 1/2 Chapter 996 changes along the way." "Thank you, my love..." +25 BONUS "There's nothing to thankfor. I think both you and I still have a lot to learn. And the most important thing here is learning to accept that those who are gone left a part of themselves in us.

"Imagine if I spent my days suffering over my father, my mother, my brother, my wife, and my son..." "Marcus... I think I've been really selfish. I've never really thought about that side of you. You've lost more than I have, and yet you're always here, standing strong," Valerie said as she leaned her body against his.

"Well, my love, it's not a competition. Everyone has their own demons. Therapy has helpedunderstand that. I know it's not easy, but little by little, I'm getting there.

"Now tell me, what are you going to do with these ashes? Do you have any idea yet?" Marcus asked, intrigued.

"No... Not yet. But I hope that once I get to Hesperia, my mind will clear up and I'll figure something out. A the meantime, having them here withbringspeace... even if it also fillswith nostalgia. Finally, he's back home, in my arms." "I know, sweetheart... I know. Now, I know I'm going to regret saying this, but I think we should pay someone visit tomorrow..." "Who?"

"Maximus. I think we were a little too harsh on him. We were so worried that we didn't give him a chance to explain. And from what Serenity says, what happened wasn't entirely his fault. It could have happened to anyone. "Sure, the idiot could have called and told us he was with her, but our daughter didn't call either. Imagine that..." "You're absolutely right. Besides, we've all made an effort to keep the peace. We can't ruin everything just because we suddenly feel like picking a fight with him..." "Exactly. In the end, I have to admit something, whether I like it or not-he's Serenity's father. And if he didn't have contact with her, it wasn't entirely his fault. A lot of different factors played a role.

"I'm not saying 'poor guy,' but the truth is, he never even knew she existed... and so far, he's been doing a good job just trying to get closer to her. Not as a father, not as if he wants to take her away from us, but just as someone trying to be in her life. "I know I'm swallowing my pride here, but in the end, if you've forgiven him, then I have no problem with him either. Life has already made sure he pays for all his mistakes-his arrogance cost him everything." "Technically, he lost everything overnight...' "Yeah! But that's his karma. And let's stop talking about him. Con, let's get ssleep. This whole thing has leftexhausted." "Let's go... Tomorrow will be a new day." mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1 mmMwWLliIofifl0&1 mmMwWLlilofiflo&1