Chapter 159: Chapter 159: A New Beginning ll
Elaria acted as if she had not heard him. She kissed the girl’s cheek gently, stroking her hair.
"Baby, you are here. Why did you not wait? I told you I would come back."
The girl smiled sweetly and kissed her back.
"Because I missed you, Mama. I couldn’t wait. I wanted to see you."
The two of them spoke like no one else existed in the room. Maximus was forgotten.
But after a while, the girl finally looked at him. Her bright smile froze. Her body stiffened. Her eyes widened as she stared. The resemblance struck her too.
Her heart pounded. An unwanted thought rose inside her, but it was impossible to ignore. Was this man... her father?
Her eyes trembled as she turned back to her mother, silent questions written all over her face.
Elarliya’s lips shook. She nodded stiffly. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Maximus’s hands trembled as he looked at both of them. His voice cracked as he asked in a broken tone,
"She... is my daughter?"
Elarliya finally broke. Her face twisted with sorrow.
"Not yours," she whispered. "Ours."
The words shattered him.
Maximus felt as if the ground had disappeared beneath his feet. His chest collapsed. He wanted to drown, to vanish. The memory of that night from twenty years ago rushed back into his mind. The night he had lost control. The night that had torn him away from Elara.
And now... this was the result.
A daughter. His daughter. Their daughter.
He could not deny it. The resemblance was too strong. His blood was in her veins. His heart knew the truth the moment he saw her.
Maximus’s body shook with pain, but when his eyes fell on the girl, they softened. His cold heart, locked for years, melted at her presence. A strange warmth spread inside him, mixed with unbearable guilt.
He had a daughter. But he also had lost everything.
Serena’s eyes were wide as she looked between the man and her mother. Her heart was racing. She had grown up without a father. And now suddenly, a man appeared. A man who looked exactly like her. She did not need anyone to tell her... she was sure. He was her father.
But why had he come now? Why after so many years?
Her eyes filled with questions as she looked at her mother. Elaria reached out and gently tapped her hand.
"Go, baby. I need to speak with him alone."
Serena’s lips pressed together. Her chest sank with disappointment. She wanted to stay, to hear the truth herself. But she had never been able to deny her mother anything. Slowly, she nodded and stepped back. Without another word, she walked into the other room, her heart restless, her mind heavy with thoughts she could not untangle.
The silence left behind was sharp.
Maximus turned to Elarliya with a pale face.
"How could you do this? How could you hide her from me all these years? Why didn’t you ever tell me?"
Elarliya smiled faintly, but her eyes were cold.
"And if I had told you, what then? Would you have let me stay? Would you have let me keep her? No, Maximus. You would have dragged me away, or worse, cast me aside as shame. You and I both know what happened that night. You were lost in your madness for my sister, blind to anything else. How could I shamelessly stand before her and say I carried your child?"
Her words hit like knives.
Maximus clenched his fists. Shame burned in his chest. He knew she was right. Back then, his heart had been chained to Elara. He had seen nothing else, wanted nothing else. And yet in his weakness, in his worst moment, he had done this. He had given life to another child.
His own disgust crushed him as he realised that he could never become a good mate and now he was not even a good father.
But the image of Serena’s face flashed before him again... her silver hair, her eyes so much like his own. His heart twisted with pain. He wanted to rip himself apart.
His voice broke. "She is coming with me."
Elaria’s smile stiffened. A cold laugh slipped from her lips.
"Bold of you to think so. You are still the same arrogant man I knew twenty years ago. Still the same Maximus who believes the world bends to him. Nothing has changed." Her eyes hardened. "My daughter is not going anywhere."
Maximus’s jaw locked. He could not bear the thought of leaving Serena in this house, under Elarliya’s control. He knew what kind of woman she was. He had seen it before. The tricks, the lies, the way she had poisoned every bond. She had torn him from Elara many times. He could never forget it.
Her face looked gentle now, her voice soft. But he knew the truth behind it. He knew her real face.
His chest heaved as he glared at her. Whatever it takes... I will not leave my daughter in your hands.
Elarliya’s tears spilled over, rolling down her pale cheeks. Her shoulders shook, her face twisted in sorrow. She looked so pitiful that even Maximus felt a sting in his chest. But he knew he could never believe her.
He knew her too well. This face, these tears—they were part of her. They were her shield. She had always used them. He would not fall for them again.
Her voice trembled as she spoke.
"But I am not heartless like you, Maximus. I would never take your daughter away from you. If you wish to spend time with her... you can. I will talk to her."
She wiped her tears softly, lowering her head as if she were yielding. Then she turned and started walking toward the other room, where Serena was waiting.
Maximus stayed where he was, stiff in his chair, his eyes locked on the wooden floor. His fists pressed hard against his knees. His breath was slow, each second pulling harder at his chest.
But when Elarliya crossed him and when he could no longer see her face, her face completely transformed.
The sad expression vanished, and a small smile appeared on her lips with a glint in her eyes.