My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus) novel Chapter 1154

After Amanda's death, many lives were shaken in one way or another. For Peter, the wedding had to be postponed. For Laura, the entire ordeal became a revelation—it showed just how committed Adrian was to their relationship and to the family that had welcomed him.

Amid all this, Maximus was keeping an eye on Lucius, even though the latter had started isolating himself. Diana's pregnancy added another layer of stress, causing Maximus to unintentionally neglect his younger sons. While the boys understood the situation, they still felt the sting of his absence.

That's when Adrian, stepping into a role he'd never imagined for himself, took it upon himself to be there for the boys. He guided them in his own way—especially when he noticed Paul was beginning to drift, focusing more on girls than on school.

Seeing how much recent events had impacted Paul's behavior, Adrian sat him down for a serious talk. Looking at the boys was like looking into his past. Even though his family had never split—because in their world, scandal was to be avoided at all costs—he still bore the scars of all the issues between his parents.

So, he couldn't help but reach out to the two brothers.

[Months Ago]

"Your dad loves you... Things aren't great right now, but he loves you more than anything. Just be patient, it'll settle down eventually," Adrian said gently.

"Dad's all about Diana now. He's already moved on... He doesn't care about us anymore," Maurice said sadly.

"It's not that he doesn't love you. Come on, sit down," Adrian said as he poured three glasses of chocolate milk. "Your dad worries about you—that's why he takes care of everything."

"It sure doesn't seem like it," Paul said firmly.

"How can you say that? Look around you—you live in a huge house, you've got food, a roof over your head. What do you think would happen if that suddenly disappeared?"

"I don't know!"

"Exactly. You don't need to worry about that because your dad takes care of it. Maybe he's not as close to you right now as he was before, but that doesn't mean he stopped loving you.

"When someone leaves, they leave a huge hole in the hearts of those who loved them. That's what's happening with your brother Lucius. And with Diana—yes, she's pregnant, and of course Maximus is concerned—but it's a different kind of worry."

"You know what? Even if he doesn't say it, your dad is scared the same thing that happened to Amanda might happen to Diana."

"But she's healthy…"

"Amanda was healthy too. Everything seemed fine—until it wasn't. I know you're both young, but try to see things from your father's perspective.

"He's got a newborn granddaughter without a mother. He's dealing with a son who's shut himself off from everyone. Lucius is grieving in his own way, but that grief affects your dad—and through him, it affects you.

"And now, with Diana in the same condition Amanda was in, it's all piling up on him. But that doesn't mean he doesn't love you or that he's forgotten about you. He's just overwhelmed. You need to try to understand that. I know it's hard, but you're strong enough.

"Your dad has always been there for you. Now he needs you to be there for him—or at least to try to understand him."

"Dad is good to us... but lately he forgets everything. It's like he's on autopilot," Maurice muttered.

"Because things didn't turn out the way they were supposed to. Even you said it—your uncle Peter's wedding was canceled."

"We want to understand him, but we need him too," Paul said, his voice steady.

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