My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

Just as Anthony Moriarty had said, two days later at 4:50 a.m., Maximus arrived at Eterna-Flameco Airport.

"Maximus, I was still holding out hope that you wouldn't show up-or at least not on time," Moriarty said sarcastically.

"I've been here since 4:30 a.m. There's no way I'd be late when it comes to one of my children," Maximus replied seriously.

"Well, color me surprised, Mr. Palmer!" Angela said, holding Valentina in her arms. "If someone had told me Mr. Palmer would be joining us, I wouldn't have believed it."

Maximus turned toward the voice and immediately recognized the woman. It was none other than Angela Sinclair, the only daughter of one of Valentia's most powerful political families.

"Hello, Mrs. Moriarty," Maximus greeted her respectfully.

"Hello, Maximus! Just call me Angela. Technically, I'm your son's sister, and I adore him with all my heart. So I'm going to ask just one thing of you..."

Maximus was surprised by her words but chose not to ask questions-at least for

now.

"Go on..." he said, still caught off guard.

"If Lucius doesn't want to talk to you, please don't push him. I've had the chance

to get to know him, and he's a good kid. I know he carries a lot on his shoulders,

but he's not a bad person. He just grew up in the wrong environment, and you, of all people, should understand that," Angela said, her tone both firm and empathetic.

"I just want to see my son and know that he's okay. You have a daughter-believe me, if you had more, you wouldn't feel at ease having one far from your care," Maximus said, his voice tinged with nostalgia.

"I know, Mr. Palmer. However, all I ask is that you don't pressure Lucius. As I said, he's a good kid, but sometimes, he can't forget that he was once on the wrong side,” Angela reminded him, bringing up a not-so-distant past.

"I promise you this, Angela—if he doesn't want to talk to me, I'll be content just seeing him and knowing he's alright. I won't force anything," Maximus said, meaning every word.

After their brief conversation, the Moriarty family and Maximus boarded the plane to their destination. Maximus still couldn't believe that in just a few hours, he would finally see his son again-the son he had once thought was lost forever.

[Meanwhile, in Auckland]

Sebastian sat in the same café he had been frequenting for days, sipping his usual black coffee while working on his university assignments and waiting for Amanda to finish her shift.

A few hours later, she finally came out, only to be caught off guard by the small gift Sebastian handed her.

"This is for you. I was at the jewelry store and saw it, and I thought you might need one just like it," he said, handing her a small box.

Amanda looked at the white box in surprise but didn't hesitate to open it.

"A watch?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah... You're always running late, and now with this, maybe you won't lose track of time as much," he said with satisfaction.

Amanda closed the box and smiled, shaking her head. In the end, though, she appreciated the gesture.

"What am I going to do with you?" she said, placing a hand on his cheek and giving him a quick kiss on the other.

Sebastian hadn't expected that reaction. He got a little nervous-he knew Amanda always did whatever she wanted, so by now, he should have been used to these little surprises.

"You know what? I don't feel like staying in my room tonight. Can I crash at your place?"

"What? Wait, what?"

"Yeah... I assume you've finished your homework by now. So we can make some coffee, and you can go over today's lesson with me. Unless you're too tired... or you don't want to."

"No! Of course not! Let's go to my place," Sebastian said, still a little stunned.

Once they arrived, Amanda made herself right at home. She went straight to the kitchen, brewed some coffee, and then sat on the coffee table, facing him with two mugs in hand.

"Alright, Sebastian... What did we learn in class today?" she asked, staring at him intently.

"Well... we learned... um... We learned..." He stopped mid-sentence, flustered. "Ugh, stop looking at me like that!" he blurted out, standing up from the couch.

Amanda watched him curiously. "Looking at you how?"

"Like that—with those eyes. You're making me nervous," he admitted, visibly uneasy.

"Sebastian, why have you never told me you like me?" Amanda asked bluntly. "What?" he stammered, caught completely off guard.

"Yes! Did you really think I wouldn't notice?"

"You've been coming to this café for months, and let's be honest-there must be tons of cafés around here probably better ones. But you keep coming to this one. You wait for me to finish work, walk me to myplace... It's obvious something's going on in that head of yours," she said, standing up and positioning herself right in front of him.

Sebastian, looking at her up close, couldn't deny she was right. He liked her-a lot. But he also feared her just as much. Amanda was too direct, too independent, and she could put his nerves on edge like no one

else.

“Well..... I mean..... I just... I don't know how to—" he tried to form a coherent sentence.

"Sebastian... My whole life, I've only ever done what my grandparents expected

of me. But now, I finally have freedom, and I don't even know how to handle it," he confessed nervously.

"Sebastian, I don't care about your past. Just like mine, it's a mess-but none of it is our fault. If you keep dwelling on it, you'll never move forward. So why don't you just relax a little and enjoy what's right in front

of you?" Amanda said, gesturing around them.

"Can I be honest?" Sebastian asked hesitantly.

"Please," she said, surprisingly serious.

"I don't know how... My whole life, I've only done what my grandparents told me

to do. The few times I stepped out of line, it was just for the sake of rebellion."

Amanda's serious expression softened, and she smiled.noveldrama

"Well... if you want... I can teach you how. What do you say? Do you dare?"