Master of his heart (Max and Brielle)

In the pediatric wing of the hospital, Dustin was pacing like a caged lion, worry etched on his face as his child's cries echoed through the halls. The sound made his heart race, fearing that their little one might just stop breathing from the intensity of it all. When the doctor finally came out, Dustin rushed over, barely able to contain his anxiety. "How are they?" he asked, tension clear in his voice.

"Mr. Lynch, try to relax. Your child is okay but needs a bit of observation until the fever breaks," the doctor reassured him.

Relief flooded through Dustin, and he quickly called Emma to set her mind at ease. But her phone just rang and rang, lying silent in a bush near the accident scene, its ringtone swallowed by the noise of passing traffic.

With a heavy sigh, Dustin sank into a chair, his mind replaying the image of Emma's distressed face from earlier that day, twisting his heart with worry.

Then his phone buzzed, Brielle's name lighting up the screen. "How's Emma holding up?" she asked.

"She's home, not doing too well," Dustin replied.

"I'll go check on her," Brielle offered.

Dustin hesitated. "Maybe not now. She doesn't know you that well and might not be up for a chat. Let's give her some space. We need to contact a lawyer, make sure the driver pays up."

A heavy sadness filled Brielle. Emma and Peyton had been each other's rock for so long, and now with Peyton gone, what was Emma going to do? Would she regret moving to Beaconsfield? For now, all Brielle could do was seek justice, ensuring the driver faced the consequences of their actions.

Meanwhile, Emma was at home, cradling Jaime, her eyes vacant and distant. The news of Peyton's death had cast a heavy silence over the house, leaving everyone hesitant to disturb her solitude. Emma sat by the window, watching the garden until the early hours, Jaime sleeping peacefully in her arms. Dustin returned with Heather, who was finally resting soundly after her fever broke. He entered the room and found Emma sitting alone. Hurrying over, he gently took both children, carrying them upstairs to bed.

"Why are you up all by yourself? You should be getting some rest," he said softly.

Emma's gaze snapped back to reality, startled by the emptiness in her arms. "Jaime..."

"I've taken her upstairs. The kids are sleeping now, and you should be too. You need to take care of yourself."

Tears silently streamed down Emma's cheeks, her grief a quiet scream. Dustin's heart ached, and he softly stroked her hair in comfort.

"I've arranged everything for your mom and spoken to a lawyer about the driver. I also got you some time off from Stellar Stage Entertainment. No need to stream for a while."

Emma didn't respond, sinking deeper into her sorrow as Dustin continued. "The driver wasn't drunk, just overworked, which led to the accident."

She nodded weakly, her lips parched and cracked, a sign of how little she had cared for herself all day. Dustin quickly fetched a glass of warm water. "Here, have a sip."

But Emma couldn't bring herself to drink, even though her throat felt like it was on fire.

ét

"I never thought... my mom just suddenly wanting to go out, ending up there... How can someone just die like that? I should never have come to Beaconsfield. We'd have been better off in our small town. It's all my fault..."

Her voice trembled as the weight of her choices hit her hard, blaming herself for the tragedy that had unfolded.

"I've made so many decisions,

including moving here. If we'd just

stayed in our little home, maybe she'd still be here. My ambition led us here, to this point of no return."

l.no

Emma felt crushed by despair, unsure how to face the future, her responsibilities, or even the camera again. Peyton's absence left a gapingvoid, like losing her shelter in a storm, exposing her to unbearable cofe and pain.

Dustin held her close, offering silent solace, his own heart heavy with her loss.