My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

[A few months earlier ]

It was nighttime. Alden was out of town, and Serenity couldn't sleep. Her belly was still round with pregnancy when she noticed Peter sitting alone in the garden. She decided to join him-as long as he was okay with her company.

He had recently woken up, and to him, nearly everyone around him felt like strangers.

"Peter..." Serenity said softly as she approached him.

"Hi....." Peter replied with a smile, though his face was streaked with tears.

"Is something wrong?" Serenity asked, concerned.

"Uh, no! Nothing," he said quickly, wiping at his tears.

"Doesn't look like nothing... Do you want to talk?"

"Not really... To be honest, I don't even know who you are," Peter said, eyeing her with confusion.

"Well... I'm Serenity Bartz, daughter of your best friend, Marcus Bartz-and now, wife of Alden Palmer. Your son..." Serenity explained as clearly as she could.

"You know, this-this is what makes me feel weird. It's been a few weeks since I woke up, and everyone acts like I'm fine-but I'm not.

"I feel out of place. They tell me stories about a life I have no memory of living."

"Take it easy. I think you just need time to adjust," Serenity said, trying to soothe him.

"I'm trying, but... imagine what it's like for me. I walk into a room and sleep beside a woman who, everyone tells me, is my wife-and the craziest part? She's pregnant-with twins!"

He looked down at his hands, bewildered.

"I know it sounds overwhelming. I know that after waking up, you probably feel like you're still 25. But more than 20 years have passed. In that time, you helped your son become a good man.

"You met a woman you once looked at with love. And maybe you don't feel it now, but I'm sure there was a reason she caught your eye."

"That's the hard part, kid... To be honest, the person I am now-I would never be with someone like her," Peter said bluntly.

"Why not?" Serenity asked, surprised.

"I just feel like... she's not the right person for me. Like someone else should be beside me. It feels wrong. I feel like I'm waiting for someone else," he admitted— for the first time—what he'd been feeling deep inside.

"Mmm... Are you waiting for Alden's mom?" Serenity asked, testing the waters.

"Maybe... Back in my younger days, I was crazy about that woman. She drove me wild and..." Peter caught himself mid-sentence, realizing he'd said too much.

"Are you really waiting for Peter's mom... or for my mom?" Serenity asked, eyes narrowing curiously.

"Who's your mom?" Peter asked, confused.

"My mother is Valerie Bartz-but you knew her as Mary Preston."

"That name doesn't ring a bell..." Peter said, clearly trying to dig through his memory.

"Here—this is her." Serenity pulled out her phone and showed him a picture. Valerie watched him closely, trying to read the expression on his face.

"Well?" she asked.

"No... I don't know her," Peter answered, frustration in his eyes.

"Well then, that makes it easier for me to explain... I don't know who you're waiting for, Peter Palmer. But maybe just maybe the woman you're waiting for is Celeste Mason. And maybe you don't remember it, but your body does. Maybe that feeling of unease comes from your subconscious not letting you rest."

"Why?"

"Well, Celeste Mason was your last partner. And from what I know, you moved heaven and earth to find her after she ran away. Why she left, don't know. But I do know that back then, Peter didn't care about anything else. He just wanted to find the woman who brought him peace."

"I don't know, Serenity... All of this has me so confused. I want to do what's right,

but tell me what is the right thing?"

"Well... the right thing is to follow your heart. Be mindful. Take your time."

"You're just a kid. How do you know all this?"

"I don't know. I'm just saying what my heart tells me. I saw you upset, and I didn't

like it. I think you should take a breath and let things come to you slowly."

"You think? Because honestly, I do

feel how you described...

overwhelmed. And if this is all real then in less than five months I'll be a father again, and the woman carrying my children-just by the way she looks at me-I know she expects me to be the father they need."

"Peter... I know nothing I say can fix this for you, but how about this? Take a good look around you. Observe us. Watch everyone. The people who say they're your family. Give yourself the chance to get to know us.noveldrama

"Some of us you'll like, others maybe not. Talk to us. And if you still don't feel like you belong, well, you've got more than enough money-you can always go in search of whatever it is you feel you're missing."

"What?" Peter asked, taken aback.

"Yes. If after spending time with us the people who call you family-you still don't feel at home, it's better you go and find whatever it is that brings you peace.

"Sure, there'll be people here who'll be sad to see you go. But that's better than you staying just to please others and ending up miserable, right?

"Of course, if you do decide to stay... then stay with the intention of becoming a better person every day. Be Peter Palmer: the son, the father, the grandfather, the man... and one day, the husband."

Peter sat in silence, digesting her words. He could only manage a nervous smile. "Well, I'll leave you now. It's getting chilly, and I don't want the cold to affect the baby."

"Rest well, kid. Get some sleep."

Peter stayed there a little longer, going over everything that young woman had said. She'd made a lot of sense. He couldn't judge the people around him without giving them a chance.

He had a lot to think about, and a lot to process. He didn't know how-but somehow, that girl had given him a whole new perspective on what his life meant in that moment.