Master of his heart (Max and Brielle)
Chapter 981

Dustin sat beside Brielle, his heart pounding as her eyes fluttered open, staring blankly at the ceiling. A spark of hope lit up his face. "Brielle! You're awake?!"

Brielle didn't respond, her gaze still fixed above, distant and unseeing. Worried, Dustin quickly called the doctor back for a thorough check-up.

Brielle lay there, like a doll devoid of spirit, letting the doctor do his work.

"Ms. Brielle seems to have regained consciousness. There doesn't appear to be any serious issues, but she might experience some eye discomfort, maybe a bit of stinging. She should avoid straining her eyes too much; they need rest," the doctor advised. Dustin nodded, his mind weighed down with concern as he saw the doctor out and then returned to the room.

Brielle sat propped up in bed, a pillow supporting her back. In front of her, the garden was in full bloom, each flower competing for attention, painting a scene as beautiful as any artwork.

But the flowers' shadows left no mark in her eyes; her vision was a blank, as if she saw nothing at all.

After a long pause, her eyelashes fluttered.

Dustin, sensing her distress, quickly took her hand.

"Are you hungry? Want something to eat? You've been asleep for a month."

Brielle didn't say a word, but she didn't pull her hand away either. It took a while for her mind to start working again, and when it did, her face went ghostly pale as she touched her flat belly. The life that had been growing there was gone. The fire had been real.

Suddenly, she was overwhelmed by visions of smoke, choking her, making her gasp for breath as she clutched at her collar in panic.

Dustin steadied her, gently patting her back.

"Breathe out, breathe in. It's okay, it's all in the past now."

But how could such simple words encapsulate everything she had lost? Her heart ached, as if it no longer belonged to her.

As the pain subsided, her trembling fingers clutched a piece of Dustin's shirt.

"Max? Where is he?"

Dustin fell silent, struggling with the truth. But there was no point in lying.

"He didn't make it out."

Brielle's pupils contracted sharply. She forced a smile. "You're joking, right, bro?"

It was the first time she had called Dustin 'bro' to his face, but her hope was met with nothing but harsh reality.

Dustin, who once thought he could do anything, realized in the face of death just how powerless he was. If he could, he would trade anything to bring Max back.

Brielle's laughter turned to silent tears, her world crumbling around her. Her child and Max, both gone.

The combined agony was indescribable; she couldn't tell which loss hurt more. The two people she wanted most were both taken from her.

Such pain. She wanted to tear out her aching heart. Her body felt like it was no longer hers.

As Dustin continued to pat her back, he found himself at a loss for words. No one else was Brielle; no one could truly share her pain.

Empty platitudes were useless.

Brielle curled up on the bed, beyond words, finding solace only in the thought that her child was now with Max. Tears streamed down her face, her lips bitten until they bled. Dustin, feeling her pain, quietly left the room to give her space.

For the next three days, people

came to visit Brielle, but she remained curled up in bed, silent, refusing to eat anything. Even when Aubree tried to engage her in conversation, she didn't respond.

She was like a soulless doll, now frighteningly thinner after the miscarriage and refusing to eat, her cheeks hollow, eyes unnaturally large and empty.

Brielle remained mute until Patrick

arrived with documents for a share transfer. Max had already signed them. The shares of DreamTech Designs he held-apart from those transferred to Patrick-were now all Brielle's. Even in his absence, he was ensuring she'd want for nothing. Though he knew she might not need them, it was all he had to offer.

"Also, Ms. Brielle," Patrick continued, "there's a phone number left by the president. Addison and Aiden are

for not protecting you and have taken their punishment. This

still with you. They feel have net

number belongs to the president's

network of contacts. Ifesident's

encounter any problems you can't solve, you can call this number."

The one problem she couldn't solve was wishing for Max to come back.