Master of his heart (Max and Brielle)
Chapter 1257

Andrew froze, unable to believe his eyes as he looked down at her. Panic filled her gaze, and she darted her eyes around, as if something terrifying lurked in the shadows.

She even covered her mouth with her hand, a telltale sign of someone who was on the brink of losing it. But she didn't throw up; she just stood there, hand over her mouth, looking utterly helpless. Andrew felt like his heart had been stabbed a thousand times. He quickly scooped her up and carried her back to the couch, gently setting her down as if she were made of glass. Aubree sat there, the light offering her some comfort, her frantic cries fading. But she couldn't stop herself from scanning the darkness, as if monsters might leap out at any moment. Andrew thought he understood why she was acting this way, and it tore him apart. He didn't know what to do except hold her tightly, his lips sealed shut, afraid that if he spoke, he'd start sobbing. Held in his suffocating embrace, Aubree's eyelashes fluttered. She wanted to push him away, but she had no strength left, just a hollow stare fixed on the distant shadows. Surprisingly, his embrace felt warm in that moment. She knew she must be really sick. But God, please forgive her, for if she pushed him away now, she feared she'd be swallowed by her emotions.

She took a deep breath, her body going limp as she let him hold her. To avoid seeing the darkness in the room, she buried her head in his shoulder.

Andrew felt her move and stiffened, then relaxed, gently patting her back. "It's okay, I'm here."

Aubree hadn't always been afraid of the dark. She used to be bold and brash, cursing loudly when angry, but she melted in Andrew's presence.

Growing up in the Clements household, she never lacked for food or clothes, but she was mostly overlooked. Once, during a party at the Clements' house, she fell asleep in the wine cellar, which was pitch black, and ended up crying hysterically, all alone. None of the Clements noticed she was missing. She cried until her voice was hoarse, unaware of the time, curled up in a corner, convinced the cellar was full of monsters.

Andrew was the only one who

noticed she wasn't at the party. It wasn't until the event was nearly over and the Clements were about to leave that he realized no one had noticed Aubree's disappearance.

Kidnappings had happened in wealthy families before, children taken for ransom. If the demand wasn't met, the worst could happen.

Though still a minor, Andrew alerted the rest of the Clements to Aubree's disappearance. Only then did they start searching in earnest.

Unfortunately, the cellar had no surveillance and was seldom visited, except during events to fetch supplies. The Clements reported her missing, but it took a whole day before anyone found her.

Andrew returned to the venue, driven by a gut feeling that Aubree was still there. Using his phone's light, he scoured every inch until he found the locked cellar door.

Unlocking it and entering, he hadn't even called her name before she flung herself at him, bursting into tears and collapsing into his arms. "It's okay, I'm here."

He had felt awkward saying it, having always referred to himself in the third person around her. It was the first time he'd called himself her brother.

Hearing those words, Aubree cried even harder, eventually sobbing herself to sleep in his arms. Andrew picked up his phone and carried her out.

The host immediately apologized,

and Aubree ended up in the hospital, receiving fluids for three days. Yet, that incident didn't seem to leave any lasting trauma, nor did she develop claustrophobia.

But now, her fear of the dark had intensified more than ever before. Andrew found himself at a loss for words.

Maybe in Aubree's heart, she felt

In

even more helpless than when she was locked in the cellar. Back then, Andrew, Kad come to rescue her from that despair. But when she needed him most, he was absent, standing by Tessa's side instead.

He hadn't become her beacon of light, which is why she now feared the darkness.