The Brother of My Boyfriend: A Love for Two
Chapter 18

As night fell, Mandy's parents began to worry about her. She always let them know when she was staying out, but it was nearly 10:00 PM and they hadn't heard from her. In desperation, Judith decided to call Dylan. Just as she was about to, there was a knock at the door. It was Megan, Mandy's friend.

"Good evening Aunt Judith, is Mandy here?" Megan asked, unaware of the situation.

"Good evening dear, come in. I was just about to call Dylan to see if she was with him. It's late, and she hasn't called," Judith said, worried.

"We saw each other early at college. Then she got a call. I asked if everything was okay, and she said she'd come home to help me with some things and then tell me what happened. But she didn't call, and her phone was off. So, I decided to come and check if everything's alright."

"Where could my daughter be, dear God?" she sighed, worried.

Franco emerged from the kitchen, listening to Megan's conversation with Judith.

"Good evening Megan. Did I hear correctly that Mandy said she had something to do at home? What time was that?" he inquired.

"It was around 2 PM Uncle Franco," she replied.

"I'll call Dylan. She must be with him," Franco decided.

"She's not. She wouldn't stay without letting us know," Judith said nervously.

"Aunt, please, calm down. She's surely fine," Megan tried to reassure.

Franco was concerned about Mandy and decided to call his son-in-law Dylan for information. Dylan, sounding a bit tired but willing to talk, answered.

"Hi Dylan, how are you? I was wondering if you've seen Mandy today."

"Hi, Franco. I haven't seen her all day. I left work early and came straight home to meet my mom. Where could she be at this hour? I'm starting to get worried."

Franco thanked him and sensed the worry in Dylan's voice.

"I understand, Dylan. Let's keep an eye out, and if necessary, we'll take steps to find Mandy. Megan is here; she said Mandy left college early and told her she'd come home to help with some things. We've been waiting all this time, thinking she might be with you."

"I didn't know my mom was coming here, and since they don't get along well, I assumed she wouldn't want to come. I'll get ready and head over. We need to report her missing at the police station."

"I'll wait for you here, so we can go together."

"Alright, I'll be there in a bit."

Dylan nodded on the other end of the line and said he'd head to their house immediately to assist in the search.

****

Morgana overheard bits of Dylan's conversation on the phone, and true to her venomous nature, she began to speculate about Mandy. "What happened, my son?"

"Mandy has been missing since earlier. I'm getting ready to go with my father-in-law to report her disappearance," he said, concerned. "Do you believe all of this?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, puzzled.

"This disappearance, she could be with some man. I never liked that girl. Her innocent face doesn't fool anyone." She tried to tarnish her daughter-in-law's image.

"Why are you like this? I honestly don't understand. Mandy has always been good to you, but every chance you get, you speak ill of her. She's my fiancée, the person I love. Speaking ill of her hurts me, mother," he said, hurt. "But I can't just ignore this, my son. I don't want to hurt you, that's why I'm saying this. And if she's with some..."

"You'd better not finish that sentence, or I won't forgive you."

"You didn't even notice that your brother hasn't come home either. You know how Jason is, a ladies' man. What if they're together?"

"I'm sure Jason is not her type, and she's not his. Even if they were together, I trust my brother, and I trust Mandy even more. Now stop talking nonsense. Don't make me regret letting you come."

"Now you're going to treat your mother like you treated your brother, that ungrateful boy who had the nerve to call a taxi instead of bringing me home just because I asked about his life. I'm just an old woman, and both my sons do these things to me."

"You're far too well for an old woman, and for Jason to leave you like this, I know he must have been quite annoyed. Now let me get ready, I need to find Mandy."

Jason went to his room to change before heading to Mandy's parents' house. When he reached the living room, he was surprised to find his mother ready to go with him. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going with you. My son is missing too, and knowing your fiancée, I'm sure they're together."

"Mom, please don't test my patience. Can't you see my state? And now you're following me to speak nonsense to her parents?"

"Let's go. I won't argue with you. And rest assured, I'll behave. I won't expose her or anything like that."

"Alright, since there's no other way."

Dylan went with his mother to Mandy's parents' house.

****

Jason and Mandy, still exhausted after being together, lay down on a mattress on the floor. As the night progressed, they began to talk, realizing they had more in common than they had imagined.

"I wonder who lived in this house, to abandon such an incredible place with this beautiful view of the sea," she said.

"Some people have something special but don't value it and let it slip away," he hinted.

Mandy felt a bit awkward about what Jason said and changed the subject. "Thank you for sharing this with me, a place that was special to you."

"Special places are for special people, which is why I wanted to bring you here," he said, caressing her hair.

"I'm going to sleep a bit. I'm tired, and it's very late. Goodnight, Jason."

Mandy fell asleep in Jason's arms, while he spent the whole night lost in thought. He realized he had slept with his brother's girlfriend, betraying his brother, the guy who had always looked out for him, the good older brother.