My Love Until the Last Goodbye (Mary and Maximus)

"Monday?"

"No, I mean... what's the date?"

"August 15th."

"What year?"

She laughed softly, as if I were playing some kind of joke on her.

"2003... Peter, what kind of prank are you trying to pull? Come on, get out of the bathroom. I need to pee, and you're taking forever. And don't forget-we have the appointment at 9:00 a.m. You said that would give you enough time to make it to your family's monthly meeting." My whole body went numb.

August 15, 2003.

This was the day I was supposed to die.

I barely registered what I was doing as I threw open the bathroom door. Mary stared at me, wide-eyed, clearly shocked. But I barely noticed. Because I was more shocked than she was.

"Are you okay?" she asked, reaching out to touch my forehead.

"Yeah! I just woke up a little disoriented..." I lied, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Okay, well, hurry up and get dressed. We have to leave in a couple of hours. And don't even think about walking around like that—I don't want you stirring up any of the girls. Remember, Aurora and a few of her friends stayed over last night."

"...Who?"

"Aurora and three other girls," she says, looking at me strangely.

I didn't say anything else. I just kissed Mary on the forehead. She leaned in, expecting me to kiss her on the lips, but for some reason, the very thought of it felt incredibly wrong.

Quickly, I grabbed my phone and checked the date.

August 15, 2003.

I didn't know what kind of sick joke this was, but I knew this wasn't real. I remembered parts of this day, and as far as I could recall, that crazy woman Aurora had never stayed over. She and I could barely stand being in the same space for too long.

As Mary headed into the bathroom, I threw on my pajamas and stepped out of the bedroom. The house felt strangely warm, filled with the familiar scent of coffee—the kind of warmth and smell that only Celeste ever brought into my home. "Good morning, sir!"

I heard a familiar voice behind me.

I turned around and saw Agnes, the old housekeeper. She was holding a watering can—she must have just finished tending to the garden.

"I was about to make breakfast, but one of the young ladies who stayed over beat me to it. She helped clean up the kitchen and started breakfast. The other girls are outside in the garden."

"...Who?"

"Aurora and Miss Mary's friends. It got late last night, and you told them they could stay over so they wouldn't have to drive at night. You know how much you hate driving at night."

"...And who's in the kitchen right now?"

"One of the young girls. She's quite handy-cooks like an angel."

"I need some coffee... I'll go grab some in the kitchen."

"No need, sir. I'll bring it to you. Shall I take it to your study?"

"Yeah..." I answer, still thrown off.

This day was completely different from what remembered. Something felt off. I didn't know what was happening, but something insideme told me to follow Agnes. A strange instinct pulled me forward.

As I walked toward the kitchen, my phone rang.

I knew this voice.

"Peter..."

"Yeah?"

"1

"Today's the Palmer Group's monthly meeting. Can you review everything regarding my shares?"

"Yeah..."

"You okay?"

"Yeah... it's just that..."

"What?"

"Have you ever woken up and felt

know-everything

like everything you on thing

you remember-is

different from what's in front of you?"

"Peter! What's going on?"

"That's the weird part—I don't know! I feel like I'm stuck in a déjà vu."

"You're probably just stressed. And

it's no

lot ofprise-I've been throwingt

lot of work your way. I promise I'll

make it up to you...."

As I listened to the voice on the phone, I stepped into the kitchen doorway.

Agnes was pouring my coffee.

But my eyes locked onto a small figure in front of her.

She was much thinner, much smaller than I remembered... but I recognized her instantly.

That curly hair—

I knew that hair.

“Agnes, breakfast is ready. If you'd like, I can help bring it to the table,” the girl said as she turned around—

And I saw her face.

It was her.

It was Celeste.

My Celeste.noveldrama