My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

Valerie was completely focused on a piece of jewelry she was crafting. She had been waking up at dawn for days just to work in peace. Marcus usually got up to take care of the babies if the monitor alerted him, making sure nothing disturbed Valerie's concentration.

"Love, how's it going?" Marcus asked, placing a cup of coffee on her desk.

"Good, sweetheart. I'm just setting these stones in the center. I think this is the hardest part so far."

"You need to rest, my love. I know this is important, but you have to take care of yourself. There's still time," Marcus said, concern evident in his voice.

"Don't worry, my love! It's just a matter of days. This has to be perfect-I promised Serenity, and I'm not going to let her down. Just give me a minute..."

Marcus watched as his wife poured all her attention into the exquisite piece. It was a wedding gift, so she couldn't afford to make mistakes.

These past few days had been a whirlwind. Both Valerie and Marcus had been attending couples therapy and individual sessions, and their relationship had noticeably improved. They had agreed that after the wedding and the birth of their granddaughter, they would return to Hesperia. The least enthusiastic about this decision was John-he had thrown several tantrums, but they had been working hard to help him understand that it was the best choice for their family.

John was slowly coming to terms with it, but he wasn't happy. How do you explain to a child that the country he loves is also the place that has caused you so much pain? Valerie and Marcus had worked through their past with their therapist, following every recommendation and exercise. But even with all the progress, it was clear they couldn't stay in that country.

To make things easier for John, they had come up with a plan so he and Ethan wouldn't feel the distance as much. Even if they wouldn't be in the same country or attend the same school, they had promised to visit each other as often as possible. Serenity had even arranged for John to spend his vacations with them so he could still see Ethan regularly.

Valerie wanted to be there for her daughter when she gave birth, but she also had to return to Hesperia to focus on her jewelry business. That meant she would be going back and forth frequently. Marcus, as always, would be by her side, taking care of their children. John had suggested moving in with the Palmers-some days, he was all for the idea, and others, he wasn't. That had been the cycle ever since he learned the family's final decision.

"Done! Finally, I finished! What do you think?" Valerie said, proudly showing Marcus the tiara she had spent days crafting.

"It's beautiful! Serenity is going to love it. So you're giving it to her as her 'something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue'?" Marcus asked, intrigued.

"Exactly! The tiara is new, I'm gifting it to her, it has blue gemstones, and those same stones are 'something old' they're from my favorite bracelet," Valerie explained, feeling proud of her work.

"Wait... You took apart the first bracelet you ever designed?" Marcus asked, genuinely shocked.

"Yes! I know it has a lot of

sentimental value-it was my first design. But that's exactly why I want our daughter to have it. You and I both know that once she gets married, we won't see her as often. Our work, their work... life will get in the way. But I want her to have a piece of me, a piece of us, at home. I also made her a simple bracelet she can wear whenever she misses us."

"Valerie, you talk as if we'll never see her again....."

"Marcus, you and I both know she's starting a new life. She and Alden will be building their own home. The best thing we can do is give them space-that's something we have to learn to do."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Do I have a choice? When we got married, we had our own space. Remember how Frederick moved

into a house down the street? He

told us the exact same thing I'met

novnoveldrama

telling you now. Camille never wanted to live in our house permanently, and they both agreed that we needed to build our own family-how could we do that if they were always around?"