My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

Serenity, Alden, Ethan, and little Isabelle were slowly adjusting to their new life.

For the kind of work Alden did, not much had changed. But on a personal level, he couldn't deny he missed their life in Valeria.

He was definitely growing fond of Hesperia, though he'd had to work on his relationship with Marcus.

Little by little, he noticed how his father-in-law had started to lower his defenses, especially as he saw Alden's unwavering support for Serenity-supporting her completely so she could return to her normal life.

Serenity was back at university and immersed in her world of photography, selling her work to ad agencies.

The family usually lived a quiet life, and Ethan spent most days at the Bartz household.

For Alden and Serenity, it had become normal for their son to call and ask for permission to stay at John's-to eat, do homework, or even sleep over. It wasn't that they were being left out, but the truth was, John had helped Ethan adjust to his new reality.noveldrama

Serenity and Alden often talked about what the future might look like for those two boys.

Ethan wanted to be an architect-he dreamed of designing and building huge skyscrapers. John, on the other hand, admired his father and wanted to become a powerful businessman, so he planned to study something that would help him follow in Marcus's footsteps.

Their paths were already looking different, and both sets of parents knew that someday, the boys would go their separate ways. But for now, they were glad to see how close they were.

Marcus often joked with his daughter and son-in-law that he'd practically adopted Ethan-since Alden and Serenity's son only seemed to be with them on weekends.

Those same weekends were when the Bartzes took the opportunity to explore different heritage towns.

They did it partly to help Valerie fulfill the dream she had once shared with her grandfather, back when she was still just a young girl.

Valerie had made a list of places she'd wanted to visit with Albert Preston while he was still alive.

It was a long list, and though it might sound a bit out there, every time they traveled, Valerie would prepare a small locket with a bit of her grandfather's ashes and leave behind in the church of each town they visited.

It gave her a sense that she was gradually fulfilling her grandfather's last wish.

Leaving a little part of his ashes behind was deeply meaningful to her, knowing how much he had wanted to help his granddaughter achieve her dreams when she was younger.

It was clear that, if they hadn't had to run away because of everything that happened, she and her grandfather would have taken off together-living adventure after adventure on the road, exploring town after town.

Marcus did everything he could to make sure they went somewhere on Valerie's list every weekend. For him, nothing was impossible, and he spared no expense

to help his wife and her late grandfather's dream come true.

Sometimes the Bartz family was joined by the Palmer-Bartzes, but most weekends, it was just the Bartzes.

Valerie would check her list and so far, they'd already been to Willowridge; Bellavista, Stonebrook, Fogvale, and Sunnymeadow-and the list kept going. They'd started with places close by, but little by little, they were preparing for longer trips.

Valerie had saved Solaria for last-a place where she and her grandfather had once promised they'd buy a little piece of land and live out their days in peace.

Back then, Valerie knew little about the winding roads of love. Even being in an all-girls school, boys never really caught her interest.

Looking back, maybe that's why she was so dazzled-so swept away by the powerful presence of Maximus Palmer when he came into her life.

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Falling in love had never been part of the plan. She truly believed she'd spend her whole life with her grandfather. All she wanted was a quiet life, far from her cruel father-the man who had never loved her, or at least, that's how it always seemed to her.