My Love Until the Last Goodbye by Alut

Chapter 0959

Feeling his father’s embrace, Lucius didn’t know how to react. His first instinct was to pull away, but something strange washed over him–a warmth he hadn’t felt in years

Memories flooded his mind: Maximus hugging him as a child, playing with him, fixing his tie, saying goodbye when he left for London–even though it had been against is will.

He fought against that feeling, resisting the embrace. But for the first time in as long as he could remember, the constant fear that had lived inside him seemed to fade. And just like that, the wall he had built around himself crumbled.

Tears spilled down his face.

“How can you love me?” Lucius’s voice broke. “For years, all I did was push you to the edge, remind you how much better Leonardo was as a father, how much better Frank was… I breathed, I lived just to make your life miserable. Maximus, I haven’t even called you Dad in years. How can you love me when everything points to the fact that I don’t deserve it?”

Maximus let out a breath, his voice filled with quiet certainty. “Lucius, the day you become a father, you’ll understand. No matter how much trouble your kids give you, no matter how difficult they are, you never forget that they’re yours.” He let out a small, tired chuckle. “And let’s be real, you were a teenager. You were easy to manipulate. Just like Anthony Moriarty once said, ‘You’re a pain in the ass.‘ But you’re my pain in the ass.”

Lucius let out a weak, breathless laugh through his tears.

“Now that you’re here, I don’t want you to keep hiding. I don’t want you wandering around alone when you have a family waiting for you. You have a father who doesn’t know how to ask for forgiveness–for all the things he let happen, for all the times he failed you. You have, and always will have, a father who doesn’t care about the headaches you’ve caused. A father who would be happy if you decided to come back. And if not…” Maximus finally released him, his hands still on Lucius’s shoulders. “At least I’ll be at peace knowing you’re okay and in good hands.”

Lucius wiped his face quickly, still struggling to process everything. “Do you have pictures of Adele? Can I see her?”

phone, scrolling through his gallery. “Look, she’s a little

In some clips, Laura appeared, holding Adele close. And then, unexpectedly, a video showed all his

him was seeing Maximus himself, rolling around in the grass with Maurice, playing like a man who had

over the screen as another face caught his

“…Her name is

was laced with bitterness, but as soon as

loved your mother. I still love her, in a way. I know Alexia had her flaws–her temper, her selfishness, her cruelty–but I loved her anyway. Things between

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was a time when we were

“It’s hard to believe that, Maximus. I never saw it.”

did. But it’s the truth. And I made a mistake protecting her from her own actions. One of those mistakes was what happened with your uncle Peter.” He sighed heavily, “She never took responsibility

of lashing out, he inhaled deeply. “I want to see my siblings. I want to see Laura and her daughter. But let’s get one thing straight–I’m not coming back. I’m staying here, I’ve lost too much time already, and I’m finally getting somewhere with my

this battle–not entirely. But this was already more than he had hoped for.

“Fair enough,”

hesitated for a moment before lowering his