After Max's condition, Maria got out of bed despite the nurses' warnings to avoid exerting herself to prevent exhaustion. She completely ignored this and walked toward Max, hugging him tightly, saying in a broken voice, "My love... I'm here, don't worry."
Max stood by, tears flooding his face, and shouted in despair, "Dad! No... Maria, I have no one left but my father... and now he's gone... gone and left me alone!"
Maria tried to calm him, but she could barely speak through her own pain, "I'm here, Max... we're all here with you. You will never be alone."
But Max didn't calm down. He turned to everyone and shouted in agony, "Call the police! They must arrest whoever did this to my father. I won't let them escape!"
His eyes searched the room for Nina, but she wasn't there.
Max (angry): "She ran away! How did we not catch her? How are we going to find her now?"
Leo stepped forward, trying to calm him, "Max, please calm down. We will find her. We will pursue her to the end."
Matthew (putting a hand on Max's shoulder): "Don't be sad. We're with you. We will get through this together."
But Max couldn't control his anger and pain, shouting in torment, "How can I not be sad? How can I stay calm?! I lost my father right before my eyes! I can't stay here any longer... We need to go back to France immediately!"
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After an exhausting hour of travel, Max arrived in France. As soon as he stepped out of the car, he rushed towards the house without waiting for anyone. He entered, panting, just as his father's funeral ceremony began.
He stopped for a moment, then shouted in anger, his eyes filled with tears, "Where were you?! How did you let my father leave alone?!"
One of the bodyguards, named Jack, stammered in response, "Sir... He told us he would return quickly, and there was no need to accompany him..."
Max glared at him and shouted loudly, "You should never have listened to him! Your job is to protect him, not to follow his orders blindly! What good is this now?! My father... my father is gone, and he will never come back!"
Max collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face. Leo approached him and hugged him tightly, trying to comfort him.
Leo: "Max... Be strong, we're here with you."
But Max couldn't hold it together anymore:
Max (crying): "He's gone... my father is gone, the only person who was always by my side... I can't bear this pain, Leo."
Maria approached slowly, placing her hand gently on his shoulder:
"My love, please... we're all here for you. You won't be alone."
But Max, drowned in his sorrow, said in a broken voice: "He was so happy when I told him I met you, and that we'd be getting married soon. But he left before he could see that day... How I want to take revenge on those who caused this! How will I live in this big house now that he's gone?"
A moment of silence passed before Matthew spoke softly, trying to calm him down:
"Max, we're always here for you. We are your family, and we will never leave you."
Max looked at everyone with sad eyes and said firmly, "I will sell this house... I will sell everything. I can't live here anymore."
No one objected to his decision; they all felt his pain and sincerity. And so, Max did what he said. He sold the mansion and all his father's possessions and moved into a small apartment near Maria's house.
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The next day, after the hardest day Max had ever lived through...
Maria (sadly): "My heart aches for what he's going through... I can't let him go through all of this alone. I want to be by his side, I want to live with him and support him."
Julia (cautiously): "But, Maria... You're not married yet. Isn't it better to wait a little longer?"
Maria (impulsively): "How long am I supposed to wait?!"
Julia (calmly): "Don't rush, Maria. Everything happens in due time. Take things slowly."
Maria (firmly): "I can't just sit back. I'm going to him now to make sure he's okay."
When Maria arrived at Max's apartment, she saw Leo and Matthew about to leave the place.
Leo (surprised): "Maria! We didn't expect you to come."
Maria (nervously): "Where is Max? I need to see him right now."
Matthew (calmly): "He really needs you now."
Maria (anxiously): "Where can I find him?"
Leo (pointing inside): "He's in his room. We're going out for a while, you take care of him."
Matthew (smiling reassuringly): "Having you here with him now is the best thing you can do for him."
Maria (gratefully): "Thank you. I'll do everything I can."
Leo and Matthew (together): "Goodbye, Maria."
Maria (hesitatingly): "Goodbye..."
She then went straight to his room...
Maria (warmly): "My love..."
She followed the sound of muffled crying coming from one of the rooms. She entered hesitantly to find Max sitting on the floor, broken and collapsed. Her lips trembled when she saw him in that state, and tears fell from her eyes as she couldn't hold them back.
Max (between sobs): "Maria... I'm all alone... there's no one left for me now."
Maria (sadly, tears falling): "Never, Max... we're always here for you. You won't be alone."
She moved closer, sat beside him, hugged him gently, and patted his hair to comfort him. She stayed with him until sleep overcame him in her arms.
Maria (whispering): "We'll stand by you, Max... we'll never let you face this alone."
Soon, Maria closed her eyes as well and fell asleep beside him without even realizing it.
⸻
In the middle of the night...
Max woke up to find Maria still sleeping next to him. He looked at her with a small smile, grateful for her presence in these difficult moments. Carefully, he lifted her and placed her gently on the bed so as not to wake her, then went to the kitchen to prepare something to eat. While he was in the kitchen, a plate slipped from his hands and broke, making a loud noise. Maria rushed into the kitchen immediately, her eyes full of concern.
Maria (anxiously): "Max! Are you okay? What happened?"
Max (smiling nervously): "Nothing, just the plate broke. I was trying to prepare something..."
Maria (calmly and firmly): "Leave it. Let me know what you want, and I'll make it for you."
Max (politely refusing): "No, Maria. Go rest. You've done enough."
Maria (insisting): "I won't rest until I'm sure you're okay. Now sit down, I'll take care of everything."
Maria started preparing the food, and Max watched her silently, feeling deep gratitude. After she finished, she presented him with the food and sat beside him, watching him eat to make sure he was fine.
Max (softly): "Thank you, Maria. Your presence here is all I need right now."
Maria (with a loving smile): "I'm always here, Max. I'll never leave you."
After making sure Max had fallen asleep peacefully, Maria slipped out of the house, her mind still occupied with him and everything he was going through.
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To be continued...
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