Master of his heart (Max and Brielle) novel Chapter 1434

Having been through that kind of panic before, Mason just couldn't stomach the idea of going through it again. He knew it was only a matter of time before he unraveled completely. Whenever Tiffanie was out of sight, he couldn’t shake the fear that something might have set her off, that she might slip away quietly to end it all.

Instead of heading upstairs, Mason stood frozen in the foyer, tears splattering onto the floor. After waiting upstairs for what felt like forever, Tiffanie eventually came down to find him still standing there.

"Mason?" she called softly. He looked up, his face wiped clean, managing a weak smile.

"Just got lost in my thoughts. Why didn’t you wait in bed?"

"I was worried," she admitted. "You didn’t come back, and I thought something might’ve happened."

Mason put his shoes back in their spot, his eyelashes trembling slightly. "It's okay. Let’s head back to bed."

Tiffanie nodded, and they made their way back upstairs.

The next morning, the psychologist dropped by again. Tiffanie still felt uneasy around him. She couldn’t bring herself to share the contents of the video she had seen with Mason. Although she had already confided in the psychologist about her past, seeing it was entirely different from talking about it.

She was constantly on edge, fearing more copies of the video might exist, that Everett had set things up so these videos would keep coming. It was only a matter of time before Mason stumbled upon one. Just imagining it was enough to unravel her.

The psychologist pulled Mason aside, noting the dark circles that had taken up residence under his eyes. "Mr. Dorsey, you need to take care of yourself. You look like you haven’t slept in days."

Back in North America, Mason had been a mess, barely catching any sleep. Now, in Beaconsfield, he was still living in a state of constant dread. His dark circles were deepening, a glaring sign of his sleep deprivation.

Mason sighed with relief, catching a flight that night, eager to wrap up Everett’s affairs. He felt no warmth towards Everett, especially after all the awful things he’d done. Mason honestly wished he could just leave Everett’s body somewhere remote, to be picked clean by wild animals. It seemed like only then would his bitterness fade away.

But he couldn’t do that, not with his mother’s last wishes in mind. She had loved Everett fiercely, enough to face the world and bring him into it. She’d said if Mason ever found his father, to take him to see her.

Mason couldn’t help but wonder if the man he was about to bury was still the same person his mother had loved. The shining star, playing the piano on stage, had long vanished.

He visited his mother's old room again. Thinking back to the last argument with Tiffanie there, his eyes misted over. Now, he understood Tiffanie’s mindset back then; wishing that even in death, his mother wouldn’t find peace. If her spirit lingered in this room, seeing her son tangled up with the Dorsey family would surely cause her unrest, even in the afterlife.

But Mason held no grudges against Tiffanie. In fact, his love for her far outweighed any resentment. He knew the innocence, naivety, and mischief she showed when she clung to him were all an act. But he couldn’t help it; he was already in too deep. Since he had fallen for her, he had to own up to it.