Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

The hospital room fell silent, the kind of quiet that can feel almost deafening. Aubree wanted to pull up a chair and sit, but found her hands not quite cooperating. She looked over at Andrew, sitting there on the bed, looking so pitiful. His wounds had been restitched, and the fever had left his lips pale. In that moment, Aubree's heart ached. She had sworn to distance herself from him, but seeing him like this tugged at her heartstrings.

How could she just stand by and watch someone she once loved deeply suffer like this? But she was so weary, so tired of it all.

Her mind flashed back to the sunrise she saw that morning, the thrill of bungee jumping off a cliff. For a moment, it was like she was wrapped in the beauty of the world. But whenever she was near Andrew, it felt like being dragged back into a cycle of mutual pain. She lowered her gaze and pulled a chair closer, finally sitting down. "Andrew," she called, her voice raspy.

Andrew, on the other hand, suddenly wanted to shut it all out, to cover his ears and pretend he didn't hear her. But Aubree continued.

"Andrew, I'm really tired," she confessed, rubbing her forehead with weariness. "I went to see the sunrise with Matthew, and hiking felt so freeing. The sunrise was breathtaking, and the bungee jump made me forget all my troubles. But with you, it's like there's a weight holding me down, stopping me from chasing after something better."

"If you really care about me, could you let me be?" Her plea for freedom masked a deeper desire for him to just vanish from her life.

at her. Aubree had wanted to say this for a long time, but now she couldn't meet his eyes. It felt like she was making a tough choice, one that had to be made to

to keep her. Now that she wanted to leave, he couldn't even find the words to ask her to stay. His mouth opened, but all

feet. "Don't hurt yourself like this anymore," she said

each step felt like it weighed a ton. Everything had been

the

itched for a cigarette, and his

She warmed some of it, took a few bites, then curled up on the couch. Later that evening, her phone rang. It was Casey, calling to let her know she had passed the preliminary round for a movie role. Another round of selections, and the female lead would be decided. Aubree skimmed through the list of contenders, all strong actresses. While she was popular, her late start and

deep in discussions with the producers about the male lead when he heard his son, still sprawled on the couch playing a

who had always let his son find his own way, was surprised. "You've got her autograph, isn't that enough?

he flashed a smile.

in a 'want to marry her' way. You told me I could choose my girlfriend or future