Chapter 4

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• THE TIES THAT BINDS US.   Epilogue

  The Morning After the Storm The sunrise stretched slowly across the horizon, spilling molten gold over the sleepy town and setting the ocean ablaze with light. Each wave shimmered like fire meeting water, soft and endless. The wind that drifted through the open balcony doors was cool and clean, carrying the scent of salt and something newer—something almost like peace. The curtains swayed like ghosts retreating into daylight. Inside the room, Matthew sat on the edge of the bed, shirtless, skin still warm from the weight of the night before. Adrian’s arm remained lazily thrown around his waist—solid, comforting, a quiet claim that lingered even in sleep. His fingers twitched lightly against Matthew’s bare skin, as though even unconscious, he wasn’t willing to let go. And Matthew didn’t want him to. He hadn’t slept much. Not out of restlessness, but because he couldn’t bear to close his eyes and risk missing the stillness. The quiet wasn’t frightening anymore. For the first tim

• THE TIES THAT BINDS US.   Chapter 70

  *On the Highway*The GPS signal blinked cold and steady—a pale pulse of hope in a dashboard drenched in amber light. The sun hung low, casting long shadows through the windshield, painting Adrain’s face in streaks of gold and fire. His jaw clenched, his storm-filled eyes locked on the road ahead. His fingers tightened on the wheel, knuckles white, tendons rigid with tension. His pulse thundered, each beat a blade, each second a countdown.Hold on, baby… Just hold on for me. I'm coming.Traffic blurred past as Adrain weaved between cars with calculated urgency, ignoring the horns and chaos he left in his wake. Nothing mattered—no risk, no rules—except the black car up ahead. Its taillights blinked like warning beacons, flashing red against the bright sky.That has to be it.His breath hitched.Please… let him be there.Inside that car… was his Matthew.---Inside the Stranger’s Car – Minutes EarlierMatthew sat still, stiff as stone, his eyes forward but unseeing. His hands clenched in

• THE TIES THAT BINDS US.   Chapter 69

  Matthew turned on his heel, the sharp click of his shoes ricocheting off the polished tiles of the deserted hallway like gunshots in the silence. The once-bustling corridor, now hollow and abandoned, stretched before him like a tunnel leading to freedom. He didn’t look back. Couldn’t. The air behind him felt thick, pressed in by a presence too heavy, too suffocating.He needed to get away—needed to breathe.Every muscle tensed as instinct roared in his blood.Run. Now.But he didn’t make it far.A hand clamped around his wrist.Not just firm—unyielding. Possessive. Branded with unspoken menace.Matthew froze, every nerve sparking with panic. The grip wasn’t meant to restrain. It was meant to claim. It pulsed with authority, intention, a silent threat wrapped in touch.His heart slammed against his ribs as he tried to yank free.“Where do you think you’re going?” the man behind him asked.The voice was calm—chillingly so. Each syllable rolled out like velvet wrapped around a knife. The

• THE TIES THAT BINDS US.   Chapter 68

  Matthew jolted awake with a sharp inhale, his chest rising as if pulled by invisible strings. Muscles tensed beneath the smooth, cool sheets, his body locked in a quiet battle against the fading remnants of a nightmare he couldn’t quite name. Sunlight filtered through the blinds in fractured slits, striping his bare torso with golden lines that moved gently with each breath he took. Physically, he felt different—strong, agile, almost reborn, like his body had exorcised the chaos of the night before. But his mind? That was a battlefield left in ruin.Fragments of memory clung to him like smoke—elusive, shifting, impossible to hold onto yet impossible to ignore. He saw flickers of faces, shadows of feelings, the echo of voices that didn’t belong to the morning. They clawed at him, cold and persistent, dragging him back toward a darkness he had no name for. He shut his eyes, clenched his fists against the sheet. Focus. You’re fine. He mouthed the words like a mantra, grounding himself wi

• THE TIES THAT BINDS US.   Chapter 67

  Matthew’s mind spun in frantic, erratic circles, grasping at shadows in his memory—reaching for anything, anything that could explain the man’s face. A familiar scar. A crooked smile. A glint in the eye that might’ve once meant something. But it was a void. Blank. Nothing surfaced. And yet, there was something so wrong in the way the man looked at him. Like he was not a person, but a possession—something precious and hunted, finally cornered.And then—Footsteps.Sharp. Measured. Drawing nearer with the certainty of someone who belonged there.The man’s expression cracked.That eerie, hollow smile vanished. His jaw clenched. Something like frustration—or fear—flickered in his eyes before he shoved Matthew hard against the tiled wall, the impact of sending a jolt of pain through his back. The man stepped away just as the bathroom door burst open with a soft creak of worn hinges.“Matthew?”Adrian’s voice.Sharp. Urgent. Tinged with panic.Matthew’s knees almost gave out from the sound.

• THE TIES THAT BINDS US.   Chapter 66

  Adrian had never seen Matthew like this before.Not when they kissed behind the theater last week. Not when Matthew fell asleep on his shoulder during one of those long, silent car rides. Not even when he’d cried in Adrian’s arms the night he found out what happened to his sister. All those moments had carved themselves into Adrian’s memory, but none of them held a candle to tonight.On this rooftop, under a velvet sky littered with stars, Matthew glowed.City lights blinked far below like scattered fireflies, their glow muted and soft beneath the rooftop’s dreamy ambiance. The air carried the scent of night-blooming jasmine and warm stone. A single candle flickered between them, its flame swaying with the breeze, casting golden ripples across Matthew’s face. He looked younger tonight. Lighter. The corners of his eyes crinkled when he laughed—an unfiltered, unguarded laugh that caught Adrian off guard every time.And God, he couldn’t stop laughing.Every word Adrian spoke—every dumb j