  Neutron stars (NSs) are excellent natural laboratories to constrain gravity
on strong field regime and nuclear matter in extreme conditions. Motivated by
the recent discovery of a compact object with $2.59^{+0.08}_{-0.09} M_\odot$ in
the binary merger GW190814, if this object was a NS, it serves as a strong
constraint on the NS equation of state (EoS), ruling out several soft EoSs
favored by GW170817 event. In this work, we revisit the question of the maximum
mass of NSs considering a chameleon screening (thin-shell effect) on the NS
mass-radius relation, where the microscopic physics inside the NS is given by
realistic soft EoSs. We find that from appropriate and reasonable combination
of modified gravity, rotation effects and realistic soft EoSs, that it is
possible to achieve high masses and explain GW190814 secondary component, and
in return also NSs like PSR J0740+6620 (the most NS massive confirmed to date).
It is shown that gravity can play an important role in estimating maximum mass
of NSs, and even with soft EoSs, it is possible to generate very high masses.
Therefore, in this competition on the hydrostatic equilibrium between gravity
and EoS, some soft EoSs, in principle, cannot be completely be ruled out
without first taking into account gravitational effects.
