Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Brielle was at a loss for words on how to respond to Mark. She had wanted to tell him not to bother coming over because she had undergone another paternity test with Kingston, this time under the strict supervision of a government-regulated hospital. Hence, the chances of a mistake were slim to none.

Two consecutive paternity tests yielding the same result solidified the truth about her and Kingston's connection.

Who would go to such lengths to orchestrate all this?

Before she had met Max, Brielle's life had been by the book, and although her relationship with Max had attracted its fair share of criticism, it seemed far-fetched that someone would tamper with her identity.

Her brow furrowed with concern, but considering Max had personally arranged for someone to pick her up, she feared that refusing to cooperate would only leave him with doubts.

[Alright, Mark, just hit me up when you get here, and we can head out together. I've recently bumped into another guy from Sunflower Children's Home, and we could both come and pick you up.] she replied.

The person she was talking about was Ricardo, who used to live in Sunflower Children's Home and got along great with the kids there.

[You don't have to pick me up, Bri. Just focus on your own stuff. Mr. Dorsey's got my back. My return's on the down-low. Mr. Lynch also found me last time, so there's probably some secret still lurking in that home. It's better to play it safe.] Mark texted back. Brielle's heart sank a little more with each message.

Mark was no spring chicken, and she had selfishly sent him away from Beaconsfield. Now, because of her, he was being dragged back into turmoil and sneaking around in his own hometown.

was supposed to be Mark's

she was powerless to intervene, so she silently accepted the

from the clinic that Martha had awakened. Brielle's heart leaped,

felt paralyzed, frozen on the couch, her mind a

Since Mark's message, Kingston had been bombarding her with texts, each more pleading than the last, begging her to help get James out of the police station. But what could

had hurt Martha, Michael's

had made his intentions crystal clear:

final message was a

brother is vital to us; without him, your mother and I

heard we found you, he

dozens of messages were

and the list of charges against him was lengthy as if they intended to keep

Kingston couldn't accept this.

coddled and adored since childhood. They couldn't bear to see him suffer, but

Brielle read the messages,

that night was too muddled; only James knew the whole truth. She arrived at the station to find James, nearly two meters tall, covered in bruises. It seemed