BRIANN P.O.V
The room was quiet again.Only the soft hum of the ceiling light and the faint rhythm of his breathing filled the air.For a while,I stayed there,lying still,listening to the way his chest rose and fell beside me.My thoughts felt heavy and scattered,like petals drifting in water.
Then slowly,reality began to seep back in.
I turned my head toward him,my heart was still trying to make sense of what just happened.His eyes were half-lidded,unfocused,a lazy smile tugging at the corner of his lips.The faint scent of alcohol lingered between us.Tequila,sweet and sharp,mixing with his cologne.It hit me then,sharp as a blade.
He was drunk.
The realization struck harder than I expected.My stomach tightened and the warmth that had filled me moments ago faded into a quiet ache.I watched him mumble something incoherent,his hand falling limply against the sheets and I felt the sting of regret crawl up my throat.
My mind replayed every moment every word,every breath,every touch now seen through a new,painful light.The tenderness I thought was deliberate,the longing I felt in his kiss was it....real,or just blurred by the fog of his intoxication?
I pulled the blanket around myself, suddenly aware of how exposed I felt,not just my body,but my heart.
He looked peaceful,almost boyish in his sleep.That alone made it hurt even more.Because I knew that when morning came,he might not remember the way I whispered his name.He might not remember any of it.
And yet,a part of me wished he would because even if it was wrong,even if it was broken,for a brief,fragile moment....it had felt like love.
THE NEXT DAY
The clinking of cutlery echoed softly in the dining room,breaking the heavy morning silence.The scent of pasta and warm tea filled the air and sunlight poured through the tall glass windows,cutting through the polished marble like gold.
I moved quietly around the table,my hands trembling just slightly as I served breakfast.Massilo sat at the head of the table,looking calm while Michelle was beside him,stirring her coffee with a kind of grace that only came from arrogance.
I tried not to meet his eyes.I didn't want to.I didn't even know what to call what happened last night and the weight of it pressed on my chest like a stone.
But he leaned closer the moment I set his cup down.His breath brushed against my ear,warm enough to make me freeze.
"What really happened between us last night?" He whispered lowly,his voice laced with confusion and curiosity. "Did we truly—"
The words cut into my spine like lightning.My hand slipped before I could even think and the porcelain cup shattered against the floor,scattering into a thousand glittering shards.
Michelle flinched,then turned sharply toward me. "Briann!" She snapped,her voice slicing through the room. "Do you have any idea how expensive that cup is?"
"I....I'm sorry" I stammered,my heart raced as I bent to pick up the broken pieces.
"Don't go around breaking things in the house if you have no money to pay for any" Michelle added,her tone was dripping with mockery.She lifted her spoon gracefully as though she'd just said something normal.
I forced a small nod,swallowing my pride,bending lower to gather the shards,but before my hand could touch them,Massilo firm hand caught my wrist mid-air.His touch was steady,almost protective. "Don't" He said quietly,his voice seemed low but commanding. "You'll hurt yourself"
He turned his head slightly,calling out. "Someone else will handle this.Bring another maid"
Michelle's voice shot across the table,cold and sharp. "Massilo,even if she's related to Sua,you shouldn't be too nice to her.It's her job to clean up her mess"
His chair scraped violently against the floor as he rose,his jaw tightened. Then—Bang!—his fist hit the table,making the dishes tremble.
"Briann won't be working till she fully recovers!" He shouted,his voice echoed across the large room.
Michelle blinked,startled.She shoved a spoonful of pasta into her mouth,chewing aggressively as her glare shifted between us with pure fury burning in her eyes.
The silence that followed felt heavier than before.I didn't dare look at him,nor her.I only gathered my courage,bowed slightly and whispered. "Excuse me" before walking out of the dining room.
My footsteps echoed down the hallway and only when I reached the corner did I stop to breathe.I could still feel his hand on mine,his voice,his question.And no matter how hard I tried,I couldn't tell if what broke inside me was the cup or my heart.
Behind me,I heard another maid rushed in to clean up the mess and I walked away,pretending not to care…though every beat of my heart said otherwise.
The sudden sound of my name cut through the hallway like a whip.
"Briann!"
My heart skipped a beat.Michelle's voice was sharp,too sharp.It wasn't a call,it was like a call for an accusation.I turned immediately,almost dropping the tray I was holding and hurried back into the dining room.
"Yes...i..."
Before I could finish,a hot and stinging slap landed across my face.
The sound echoed louder than my heartbeat.My cheek burned instantly and for a moment,I couldn't even breathe.
"What have you done? You immoral b*tch!" Michelle spat,her eyes burned with something close to hate.
I froze.My lips parted to speak,but no words came out.I didn't even know what I'd done wrong.My hands trembled as I bowed my head,forcing myself to stay calm.I bit back every ounce of pride left in me and whispered, "I'm sorry,Miss Michelle.I'm truly sorry"
"Sorry?" She repeated mockingly, "You think 'sorry' fixes everything you destroy in this house?"
Then—There was a sound.Between a gasp.
It came from the head of the table.
"...Massilo?" I called softly.
He was sitting there,his expression twisted,his lips parting in pain.His skin and his neck were turning red as if something was burning beneath it.His hand went instinctively to his throat,his fingers clawed at the skin as though he was suffocating.
My breath caught.
"Massilo!" I screamed,rushing to his side.His face had gone pale,sweat beading down his temple.His breaths came in short,ragged bursts like a man drowning without water.
"Oh my God,what's happening to you?" My voice broke as I knelt beside him,my trembling fingers brushed over the red welts spreading across his neck. "Please,look at me—Massilo,breathe! Please!"
He struggled to speak,his voice hoarse. "Get…out"
"What!?"
"I said get...out" He shoved me back,weakly but with enough force that I stumbled toward the doorway.His voice was barely human.
"Get out,Briann!" He roared,his voice cracked.
Tears blurred my vision. "But I didn't—"
"I won't let you hurt him anymore,just like your sister did!" Michelle's voice snapped like thunder behind me.
Her words cut deep,deeper than any slap.I froze where I stood,my lips quivering,unable to defend myself.
Then Mrs Angeles ran in with panic carved across her face,a small box was clutched in her shaking hands.
"Mr Massilo! Here's the box!" She cried.
Michelle turned to me with venom in her tone. "Don't you even know he's allergic to butter?!"
Butter?
My eyes widened in horror.The breakfast…the pastries…the butter was spread on the toast I had served him myself.
My heart sank into my stomach.
Mrs Angeles dropped to her knees beside him,opening the medical kit with trembling hands.The air smelled faintly of medicine and fear.She jabbed an injector against his arm while Michelle held his shoulders,shouting his name over and over.
But his breaths only grew shallower.His body trembled,his lips was turning into an awful shade of gray.
"Please,please…" I whispered,backing away slowly,my voice barely audible. "Don't die on me"
I slipped out through the doorway and stood at the edge of the kitchen,watching from afar.My hands gripped the glass frame so tightly my knuckles turned white.
Mrs Angeles was crying,desperately checking his pulse while Michelle shouted for someone to call the Mason family doctor.
"He's not responding—" Mrs Angeles gasped,her voice breaking.
My chest caved in.
The room felt like it was closing in on me,every heartbeat seemed louder than the next.I could barely see through my tears,but I couldn't look away either.He looked so fragile,so unlike the man who had been strong enough to pull me into his arms the night before.
The same lips that had whispered my name in warmth were now gasping for air.
And as I watched the scene unfold,a thought,so sharp and merciless,tore through me.That love,in my life,always came with tragedy.
I covered my mouth,stifling a sob and whispered into the emptiness of the hallway.
"Please…don't leave me like everyone else"