Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

When Brielle and Aubree parted ways, dusk had already painted the sky in shades of fading gold.

Aubree had taken Brielle out to distract her mind, resulting in a haul of outfits and a trove of gleaming trinkets and baubles.

Aubree had always indulged her, so when Brielle returned to Pearl Estate, laden with bags from Hermès and Bulgari, she was too exhausted to utter a single word.

Still, the shadow Max cast lingered in her mind, an enigmatic silhouette spinning in her thoughts.

She splashed her face with water in the restroom, the events of the past few days throbbing in her head like needle pricks.

The identity of the person who had forged her past remained a mystery to her, a puzzle unsolved.

Without uncovering their identity, she felt an ominous plot was waiting for her just around the corner.

Aubree's presence during the day had kept her anxiety at bay, but with the arrival of night, sleep eluded her despite her weariness.

Rising from her bed, Brielle grabbed her car keys and drove straight to the old site of Sunflower Children's Home.

She had meant to visit after settling Mark's affairs, feeling certain secrets still lay hidden there.

In her dreams, the fire had seemed too random, as if it had been deliberately set with the intention of claiming her life.

another child had saved Brielle,

been after Brielle since she was so young,

building still stood untouched. She slipped in

fire. It was still a records room, now

save costs. He initially just

papers were stripped away and replaced by elegant wall coverings, leaving few aware

moved to the new location, but Brielle had

every cabinet until her gaze caught on a piece of peeling wallpaper, revealing an unfinished layer of

reached to smooth

back into place, she uncovered a hidden door. Surprise flickered in her eyes as she tore the rest of

a time. She didn't have to go far to find a

modest bed, and in this cramped space of less than a hundred square feet lay two

from being frightened by such a sight in the

corpses were old, a man and a woman,

to the two, their final

scribbles. Time and moisture had blurred the words, and smoke blackened the

in bold,

"He stole my identity."

"I can't go on."

"I'm dying."