Master of his heart (Max and Brielle) novel Chapter 763

Alivia worried that if she stayed any longer, she would be physically sick, so she set down her spoon, her complexion ghostly pale, pretending to sip her soup.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Max had finished eating. Suppressing the howl of frustration and anger that threatened to burst from within, she watched him with a feigned gentleness.

"Max, I spoke with the doctor. He said if Martha can hold and just get through the next three days, she'll be out of danger."

By out of danger, she meant no risk to Martha's life. Becoming comatose was all but a certainty.

She broached the subject at this moment as a warning to Max – your thoughts may be with Brielle, but remember, it's Brielle who's driven your mother to the brink of a vegetative state. How can you remain indifferent?

Sure enough, she saw Max's fingertips tremble slightly and his eyelashes cast downward.

His skin was too perfect, bathed in the glow of the setting sun. It was too easy to be overwhelmed by the urge to spend a lifetime by his side.

Alivia felt an irrepressible fondness wash over her, further solidifying her resolve that any sacrifice was justifiable for Max.

She was determined to marry into the Dorsey family. Everyone would have to make way for her love.

Hadn't she once masterminded Tessa's successful marriage to Andrew? Surely, what worked for Tessa could work for her as well.

It was just a matter of timing.

Max hadn't yet reached the point of complete disillusionment with Brielle. When he had accumulated enough disappointment, that would be Alivia’s moment to strike.

Max said nothing, simply stood up, and headed toward the intensive care unit.

There, he encountered Michael.

Leaning on a cane, the once omnipotent patriarch of the Dorsey family looked unexpectedly alone, sitting in the hospital corridor.

Max had always believed that there was no love between his parents – after all, Michael had had more than one wife, but it was Martha who had outlived the others, the rest having died under mysterious circumstances.

"Father," Max called out, sitting down beside him.

Michael gripped his cane, looking suddenly aged. "Max, I've spoken to the doctors. The best-case scenario for your mother is that she remains comatose. I’ve been thinking, you never should have brought her back to Beaconsfield."

A pang of guilt hit Max. His mother's condition had been even worse abroad, and it was out of necessity that she had been transferred home, but no one had anticipated the tragedy that would unfold here.