My Love Until the Last Goodbye by Alut

Chapter 0488 Upon hearing the voice of that man, Valerie was left with a bitter taste in her mouth. She didn't think she was hallucinating, but the man she had seen was so much like Peter. That was what had caused her fainting spell. When she looked at her husband, she felt uneasy. She shouldn't feel this way. She shouldn't be thinking about another man. Peter was dead. He had been dead for 20 years, so why was she getting these silly ideas about him? She was happily married. Peter had been her great love in her youth, but life had taken him away, and they never could be more. She had to admit, though, that there were still nights when she woke up and thought about how life could have been with Peter. She once dreamed about it, and it felt so real.

Peter, as always, working in his study, and she would enter with his usual lunch. He would flash that wide, seductive smile, and Serenity would take little steps with great care. He would stand up when he saw them, lifting their daughter with so much love, kissing her so much that she would push him away with her little hands. "They're the best thing that's ever happened to me," she could almost hear him saying. He would smile and make silly faces at their two-year-old, and it was strange, but her heart felt so full of happiness. Something she hadn't felt in a long time. Sadly, all of it was just a beautiful, cursed dream.

She felt guilty for thinking of anyone other than her husband. He had been so good to her. He helped her grow as a person, but more as a woman. Thanks to him, she learned to recognize what she wanted from a man. Her grandfather treated her like a pampered princess, and that felt so good. It was a balm for the mistreatment she endured from her father. But he never taught her to look beyond the intentions of a kind gesture.

Maybe if she had learned to discern between a kind gesture and a demonstration of love when she was younger, she wouldn't have married Maximus. She loved and adored her daughter, Serenity, the result of that failed marriage. But it had been nearly 5 years of mistreatment. Bringing Serenity into the world was one of the best gifts life had given her, but at what cost? Marcus had been an excellent man, husband, and lover, but sometimes, like today, she found herself imagining that she could have lived this whole life with Peter-if only that damn Levett family hadn't torn them apart. Frank never received the punishment he deserved. Alexia had lived 20 years of happiness, but her tragic death felt too little compared to the damage they had caused.

She had never been a resentful person. In fact, she didn't hold as much hatred for Maximus as she did for that damn woman's memory. But what did it matter? She was dead and buried. Now, she had a life, a good man who had once again been placed in front of her.

Sometimes, she caught herself remembering Peter. She still remembered how it was to live her first months with him. Everything started as a love-hate friendship. She had just arrived in Valentia. He gave her the freedom she had never had at her father's house. He let her do whatever she wanted, even gave her a card to cover her expenses, but she never wanted to use it. The only tshe used it was when she returned to Hesperia under painful circumstances.

He was a very attentive man. Agnes adored him. He always played with her, telling her that if he weren't so old, he would marry her. He loved the flavors of her cooking. If anyone knew Peter, it was her. Agnes knew when Peter was well, when he was in a bad mood, or when he was sad. They had lived together for years and had learned each other's routines. Agnes was never a servant in their house; she was like a mother to him. She kept secrets from him that Valerie never had the chance to know.

When Valerie started seeing Peter in a different light, Agnes had already noticed. She even saw the sinterest from Peter toward her, but the woman was very discreet. At first, Peter was mostly absent from the house. She only saw him when he left dressed in a suit, carrying a briefcase, which meant he was going on a trip. Those were the days when he chome, and now she knew it was when Marcus and he met somewhere.

Peter had been clear from the start: he was a womanizer, usually not home, always staying at slover's house.

1/2 Chapter 0488 $25 BONUS At first, Valerie didn't pay much attention to it. In fact, she even joined in the teasing with Agnes. She remembered one day when she hinted she might bring a guy to stay at the house. Peter's relaxed demeanor immediately turned cold and threatening.

"No! No way! You're just a girl! Listen carefully! This house is your house, and don't even think about bringing any guy here. In fact, if it were up to me, you shouldn't ever go out with any boy. You're still a child!"

That reaction from Peter left Agnes and Valerie stunned. Ames had clearly realized something Valerie hadn't yet, but at that time, she didn't say a word. Years later, when Peter and Valerie were together, Agnes confessed that she had noticed Peter changing because of Valerie, but it was hard for her to admit it. If only, back then, they had both cleared up their misunderstandings. Maybe now, they would be happily married. If only they hadn't gone to Grandma Catherine's birthday party, they would have been together.

By the tCatherine's birthday came, several things had already happened between Peter and Valerie.

On several occasions, they were on the verge of intimacy, but he always stopped himself, repeating that it had to be special. He clearly knew that when it happened, it would be Valerie's first time. For a long time, she thought that night at Catherine's birthday would be the night.

She suspected it when, instead of booking rooms at the hotel where the dinner would be, he suggested they go to his apartment. She knew why. The night had been lovely, a dream, but everything went to hell. It ended with him sleeping with a redhead with long legs, and she ended up with Maximus.