My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus) novel Chapter 822

Alden’s stomach dropped. "What do you mean by that?"

Maximus hesitated before saying, "I’m sorry, Alden… Celeste… But we have to be prepared for the fact that he might not wake up."

"He will wake up," Celeste said firmly, her voice trembling with emotion. "He promised me. You said it yourself—Peter is stubborn. He wouldn’t do this to us!"

"Celeste, please… Calm down. This stress isn’t good for the babies," Maximus urged.

Alden nodded. "Uncle’s right. You need to rest. You can’t stay here like this."

Celeste turned to him, her eyes blazing. "I already told Maximus, and I’ll tell you—I’m not leaving. I promised Peter I’d be here when he came out, and I won’t break that promise. My babies and I are strong. We’ve been through too much to give up now. I’m not leaving this hospital unless it’s with Peter."

Maximus studied her for a moment. She was dead set on staying, and he knew there was no changing her mind. She was just as stubborn—if not more—than his brother.

He let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. But at least let me get you something to eat. If you’re going to stay here, you have to take care of yourself. If anything happens to you or Peter’s children, he’ll never forgive me."

Without waiting for a response, he stood up and walked toward the hospital cafeteria.

On the way, he passed by a small chapel.

Maximus had never been a religious man. How could he be, given the kind of family he had grown up in? He had never believed in prayers, miracles, or divine intervention.

But today, for the first time in his life, he felt the need to step inside.

Slowly, he walked to the front of the chapel, staring at the flickering candles and the cross on the altar. He had no idea how to pray, no idea who he was even speaking to.

But he whispered anyway, his voice thick with emotion.

"I don’t know what people do in these situations… But if you’re listening, just hear me out.

"The man lying in that hospital bed is my brother.

"We never had the chance to be close when we were kids. We were oil and water—completely different. And even now, we still clash. But somehow, we figured out how to be brothers anyway.

"He’s an idiot… but he’s my idiot. And I’m his.

"We’re not related by blood, but these past few months, we’ve spent more time together than we ever did growing up. Please… don’t take him from us. Don’t take away our chance to make up for lost time.