My Love Until the Last Goodbye by Alut

Chapter 0414 Chapter 0414 +25 BONUS Valerie had just finished the meeting with John's teacher. As she walked with the kids, her mind wandered. The face of that man she'd seen earlier was identical to Peter's. Shaking her head, she tried to dismiss the absurd idea. Holding Ethan's hand, she strolled slowly beside John, who already looked exhausted.

"Ethan, sweetheart, can you help me?" Valerie asked, handing him her bag. "Take the car keys out of here, please!" Ethan took the bag and did as she asked. Like the little gentleman he was, he didn't give the bag back. He had already guessed Valerie's plan: noticing how tired John was she intended to carry him while juggling her bag and crutches at the stime.

"No, ma'am! I can carry your bag and the crutches. You carry John. If I were stronger, I'd carry him on my back." Valerie couldn't help but smile warmly at him. What a sweet boy he was.

"Thank you, Ethan! You've just givena great idea!" Ethan's eyes lit up with excitement. Valerie led them to a bench and sat John on it before telling him to hop onto her back. Her son happily obeyed, and soon enough, the three of them were outside the school. After settling the two boys into the backseat of her SUV, Valerie began driving home, her mind still preoccupied with the face of that man.

"Ethan, what's your dad's name?" John had already fallen asleep, and Ethan was staring out the window, captivated by the scenery.

"My dad's nis Alden, Alden Pietrovich. Why?" "Just curious!" Valerie didn't know how to frthe question she really wanted to ask, but she needed to take advantage of John being asleep.

"Earlier, you mentioned you have two grandpas, right?" "Yep! My grandpa Theodore-he's grumpy. And my grandpa Pe-" Just as Ethan was about to finish his sentence, Valerie's phone rang. It was Marcus, so she had to interrupt and answer the call.

"Valerie, my love! How did things go at John's school?" "Hi, honey. It went well. By the way, we'll have a guest at htoday. Ethan is coming with us. His grandpa gave him permission to spend the afternoon." "Oh, really? The broccoli?" "Marcus!" "What? His head does look like broccoli, doesn't it?" "Ethan is right here with me!" "Hey there, champ! How's it going?" "Hi, sir!" "CallMarcus. I like that better." +25 BONUS Старлет 0414 "No! My grandpa says we should always speak respectfully to our elders." "Wow! You're very well-mannered." "My grandpa is very strict about how I behave when visiting someone's home. If I don't behave, he won't letcback." "I see, little man. That's good-it's important to be polite After exchanging a few more words with Marcus, he hung up, and Valerie continued driving. They were only five minutes from hnow, so there wasn't tto resthe conversation. Once home, Valerie carried John to his room while Ethan followed, holding his friend's crutches.

“Ethan, John is completely knocked out. Do you want to wait here, or cdownstairs with me? I'll make you a snack." "I'll go downstairs with you. John needs to rest-he got really tired at school." Valerie took Ethan to the kitchen, where she casually brought up the conversation again.

"So, Ethan, tellabout your family." "Hmmm... My mom lives in Spain. I visit her once a month and stay for a week. She's really busy, but she lovesa lot. She also loves my dad and my grandpas." "Oh, really?" "Yeah, my dad lives with us. He works a lot, so my grandpa takes care of me.

"What's your grandpa's name?" "One of them is Theodore Bennett-he's grumpy. But my other grandpa, I love him so much. His nis Peter Pietrovich"

Valerie froze mid-motion, the spoort she was holding to spread mayonnaise on a slice of bread slipping from her hands and m clattering to the floor. Hearing that nmade her hands tremble. The image of the man she'd seen earlier rushed back to her mind. It wasn't an illusion, nor her imagination playing tricks. "Ma'am? Here..." Ethan said, picking up the spoon and handing it to her.

His kind gesture snapped her out of her daze. She took the spoon and set it in the sink.

"Ethan, you said your grandpa's nis Peter?" "Yeah! He's the best grandpa. He just gota dog-his name's Chester." Memories flooded Valerie's mind. Her Peter had once told her that, as a child, he and Maximus dreamed of having a dog named Chester. Their father had never allowed it, saying it was too much responsibility. Forcing herself to appear calm, Valerie continued the conversation "Your grandpa sounds wonderful." "He is! He takes care ofwhile my parents work. He always has tfor me. If he wasn't busy today, he might have chere to meet you.

"Really?"

"Yeah! He likes meeting my friends.

Back when we lived in Slovenia, he m met all my friends parents. Everyone loved visiting our house-they said it was the first tthey'd been in a castle." Chapter 0114 +25 BONUS "You lived in a castle?" "My house looked like a castle, but no, it wasn't a castle...was just really big," Ethan explained with a small shrug.

"Oh, I see!" Valerie replied, smiling.

She couldn't stop looking at little Ethan. Her heart told her here was something different about him-those gray eyes, that hair But she quick and even his quickly reminded herself it was impossible. Peter had been gone for twenty years. This was just a coincidence, nothing more. That sweet boy must simply have a wonderful grandfather taking good care of him.