Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Brielle felt as though her heart had crumbled, a void that could never be filled. She looked up, her gaze piercing straight into his eyes.

"I will never forgive you for Mark's passing. Not in this lifetime."

Max's pupils shrank, his heart stopped for a brief moment, and his grip weakened as if he had lost all his strength.

He choked back a silent sob. It was his own disgrace.

Brielle shook off his hand and stormed out with determined strides.

He had lost the courage to chase after her.

Death is irreversible. His selfishness had condemned Brielle to a life of pain.

Max's eyes reddened in an instant, and his lips pressed tightly together like the edge of a knife.

Back in her car, Brielle realized just how violently her hands were trembling. She wanted to slam the gas pedal, but her body felt as limp as overcooked spaghetti.

The more she struggled, the deeper she sank into the mire until she finally slumped over the steering wheel, her shoulders quaking silently.

An hour later, she finally grabbed the tissues from the passenger seat and wiped the moisture from her cheeks. Taking a deep breath, she mustered what little rationale she had left and drove to Pearl Estate. All the way there, she felt the tears wet her face, only to dry again.

She was despicable and vile, dragging Max down only to discard him without a second thought.

She used him to fill all her voids and desires, and now, she chose to let him go without hesitation.

She sat on the couch like a zombie, motionless until the evening, until the doorbell rang.

Standing up felt like a merry-go-round had taken up residence in her head. After splashing water on her face, she opened the door to find Aubree holding beers and late-night snacks.

Aubree had just wrapped up a shoot and had come over to have a drink with Brielle. With her next scene not until three days later, she could afford to let loose for the night.

As soon as the door swung open, she saw Brielle's unnaturally red eyes.

"Come in," Brielle's voice was hoarse and barely recognizable.NôvelDrama.Org copyrighted © content.

Aubree stepped inside, placed the barbecue bites on the coffee table, and popped the caps off the beer bottles.

Brielle didn't touch the food or drink and just leaned against the couch.

Aubree didn't ask any questions. She just laid everything out and turned on the V. "Hey, what do you think of this actress?" she asked, pointing to a celebrity who was the current talk of the town. en FindNovel

"She's alright."

"She's all glam and glitz. How do you think I'd fare with that look?"

Brielle managed a wry smile, "You'd knock 'em dead."

Aubree took a satisfied swig of her beer.

"Right? That's why you gotta have a plan in life. Men are just the icing on the cake. They do not come through when you really need them." Brielle slowly sat up straighter, taking the cold beer can Aubree handed her. She didn't drink, just held it.

Aubree hugged her knees, rocking her beer bottle back and forth.

Brielle whispered, "I'm the one who did him wrong."

"In love, there's no room for wrongs. Isn't it all about willing hearts? If said Andrew hurt me, how could that be? If there's no love, there's no love.

I was the delusional one, and it's my own fault."

When it was all over, you couldn't keep counting who gave more or wronged whom. That would be as cheap as bargaining goods sold by the pound at a market. Besides, the very nature of love is mutual indebtedness. Falling for someone should erase countless possibilities for yourself, a sort of deprivation.

Once you woke up to reality, you would see it was not that big of a deal.

If you thought everything before was meaningless just because love was gone, well, the world needs some meaningless things. If everything had to be significant, we'd suffocate.

"Bri, just hang in there."

Hang on until spring blooms.

Hang on until the world is awash with light.