Master of his heart (Brielle and Max)

Max walked in to find Andrew looking like a shadow of his former self, just slumped on the couch, staring blankly as if the world around him had ceased to exist.

Meanwhile, Jaired, that goofball, was casually cracking open a beer right next to him.

"Hey, man. It'll be alright. Try to shake it off."

Over the past few days, Jaired had done some digging and discovered that Aubree was now seeing some 18-year-old kid.

Eighteen? Seriously?

Aubree was seven years older than him.

"Andrew, come on, pull yourself together. Even if those two have got something going on, who's to say this Matthew kid won't wake up one day and call it quits? Maybe they're just testing the waters." Andrew's lips quivered, and suddenly, he buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking slightly.

He didn't want Jaired and Max to see him like this.

He felt like he had brought this upon himself.

Jaired glanced over at Max, lost for words.

Max felt helpless too. When it came to affairs of the heart, there was only so much an outsider could do.

He gave Andrew's shoulder a reassuring pat.

Back when Andrew had taken Aubree for granted, Max had a feeling this day would come.

Life has a way of coming full circle. The pain Aubree felt because of him was now his to endure.

Truth be told, Max had a good feeling about Matthew.

Brielle, worried about Aubree, had asked him to look into Matthew's background.

Max had uncovered the whole truth. Even at eighteen, Matthew had life experience that rivaled someone in their thirties or forties.

Most importantly, he came from a loving family, which was something many people longed for.

Aubree being with Matthew wouldn't face any pushback from Casey and Pauline. Their love for their son was clear in their willingness to let him choose his own path. Such parenting was rare back home.noveldrama

Matthew was a lucky kid. And he wasn't someone you could easily push around.

On the flip side, Andrew had a family that kept butting into his relationship with Aubree. Desiree couldn't stand Aubree, and the rest of the family wasn't any more welcomingo

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SWI

Andrew's love couldn't mend the wounds his family had caused. Every time Aubree visited the Clements, she faced a wall of disapproval.

Being an only child, Andrew was the

apple of his family's eye. He couldn't bring himself to cut ties with them for Aubree without feeling guilty.

In terms of loving Aubree, he didn't lose. But when it came to family, he was at a significant disadvantage.

Any woman with a bit of sense would know how to choose.

If a man's whole family was against you, marrying into that family was like signing up for a life of misery.

It seemed like there was no future for Andrew and Aubree.

Unless, as Jaired suggested, something went wrong between Aubree and Matthew later on.

Andrew didn't drink. He just sat there, crying into his hands.

Jaired lost his taste for beer too. He'd seen his buddy struggle with love, trudging through the messy world of romance, and he decided he was better off without that kind of beartache.

Love was a painful game he didn't want to play.

Andrew cried through most of the night, eventually falling asleep.

Max didn't leave either, idly twirling his drink, not really drinking it.

Dawn broke, but Andrew refused to face the new day.

Meanwhile, Aubree was still on set, but she perked up when she got a call from Matthew, who was planning to fly in that evening.

His upcoming arrival gave her a sense of comfort she couldn't quite put into words.

They still had two months of filming left, and soon they'd be leaving Beaconsfield.

She was looking forward to having dinner with Matthew that night.

As she was about to head out to pick Matthew up from the airport, Casey called her over.

Aubree instantly knew this was going to be about Matthew.

Feeling a bit apprehensive, she followed Casey to his office.

Casey wasn't much of a drinker; he preferred brewing goji berry tea whenever he was on set.

Now, sitting in his chair, he glanced at Aubree and said, "Matt's coming back today."