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Chapter Fourteen (Matteo)

Author: Sabrina Noelle
last update Last Updated: 2026-02-16 09:20:35

The bell over the door rings, soft and familiar. I don’t look up right away. I’m halfway through re-taping a cracked dust jacket, the store quiet in that end-of-day way where everything feels suspended—like if I move too fast, I’ll break the calm.

“Hey,” someone says.

The voice lands wrong. Too familiar. Too careful. I look up. Mariela stands just inside the doorway, hands tucked into the sleeves of her sweater like she doesn’t know what to do with them. She’s dressed simply—jeans, boots, hair
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  • Bound By Chaos   Chapter Twenty-Eight (Matteo)

    The bookstore is deceptively calm.
Midday light slants through the front windows, dust motes drifting like everything in the world is exactly where it should be. Luca is behind the counter, sleeves rolled, helping a customer choose a cookbook like this is just another ordinary afternoon.
I hate how convincing it is.
The second the customer leaves, I move closer.
“Anything?” I ask quietly.
Luca doesn’t look up right away. He finishes tapping something into the register, waits until the bell jingles, then reaches into his pocket.
“Yes.”
He pulls out his phone and angles it so only I can see.
The first image hits me like a punch.
Libby’s father.
Older than the last time I saw him in court photos. Thinner. Meaner. That same hollow-eyed stare that makes my skin crawl. The kind of face you don’t forget once you’ve seen it.
The next image is grainier. A security still. Hoodie up. Side profile.
“Local sighting,” Luca says. “Gas station. Two towns over. Yesterday morning.”
My jaw tightens.
“Th

  • Bound By Chaos   Chapter Twenty-Seven (Matteo)

    Emma is practically vibrating by the time I cut the engine.
“Libby’s here,” she says, already halfway out of her seatbelt.
“Whoa, speed racer,” I laugh, opening my door. “Let’s not face-plant on day one.”
She bolts anyway.
Libby’s outside the bookstore, sleeves rolled up, hair pulled back like she’s been working nonstop. The second she sees Emma, her whole face softens.
“Hey, baby!” she says, dropping to her knees just in time for Emma to crash into her arms.
“It was good!” Emma announces immediately. “Like really good.”
Libby laughs, squeezing her. “Yeah? Tell me everything.”
Emma does.
Every single thing.
She rehashes the entire day with the same enthusiasm she gave me. She talks about Mrs. Hanley, Steve the plant, Lucy and her sparkly shoes, the crayons, the lunchroom. Word for word in places.
I hang back a step, watching them, smiling when I’m supposed to. Nodding when Emma looks to me for confirmation.
Libby glances up at me mid-story.
Her smile fades.
“What’s wrong?” she asks qu

  • Bound By Chaos   Chapter Twenty-Six (Matteo)

    The door closes behind them.
The apartment goes quiet in that particular way that feels too loud.
I stand there for a second longer than necessary, hand still on the doorframe, like if I don’t move, the moment might rewind itself. Like Libby might suddenly reappear, flushed and smiling, and kiss me again like she did five minutes ago.
Not a peck.
Not a thank-you kiss.
A statement.
I run a hand through my hair and laugh under my breath.
Jesus Christ.
I’ve kissed plenty of women. I’ve been wanted. Desired. Chased. I’ve done the chasing too. None of that is new.
What is new is the way my knees nearly gave out when she whispered in my ear.
What’s new is the way my face heated like I was some teenage idiot instead of a grown man with a reputation.
What’s new is the realization that I didn’t just like that she trusted me.
I needed it.
I walk into the kitchen, still half-dazed, and spot the uneven heart-shaped pancake left behind on a plate. Emma’s doing. Syrup smudge and all.
I stare at it

  • Bound By Chaos   Chapter Twenty-Five (Libby)

    A week later and Emma is sitting on the living room floor in her pajamas, arms crossed, tears streaming down her face like she’s personally offended by gravity.
“I’m not going,” she announces through sobs.
My chest tightens. “Okay, sweetheart, I know you’re nervous, but—”
“I said I’m NOT GOING,” she cries louder, kicking one sock off her foot like it’s betrayed her.
I glance at the clock. We are officially behind.
My hair is half in a bun, half doing its own thing. I’ve spilled coffee down the front of my shirt. My keys are… somewhere. Probably. Hopefully.
“Emma,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “We talked about this. New school can be scary, but—”
“I won’t know anyone,” Emma wails. “And what if they don’t like me? And what if my teacher is mean?”
Oh god.
I crouch down in front of her, heart breaking into about a thousand pieces. “Baby, I promise—”
She dissolves into full sobs.
I squeeze my eyes shut.
I love her so much. I really do. But right now, I feel like I’m failing in ev

  • Bound By Chaos   Chapter Twenty-Four (Matteo)

    I’ve overseen shipments that cost more than small countries’ GDPs.
I’ve stood in rooms where men decided whether someone lived or disappeared.
I have stared down enemies who would happily gut me for sport.
None of that prepared me for Libby standing in the entryway of the estate, holding a box labeled EMMA – IMPORTANT STUFF, while Emma herself ricocheted off every surface like a feral pinball.
“IS THIS A REAL CASTLE?” Emma shouts, already halfway down the hall.
“It is not a—” I start, then stop when she skids into the formal sitting room. “Emma, sweetheart, maybe don’t touch—”
“There’s a POOL,” she screams, sprinting past a very expensive sculpture. “AND A GARDEN. AND—IS THAT A MOVIE ROOM?”
“She’s been here before,” I say, more for Libby than for Emma. “For the little pool thing I hosted. She’s just… seeing more of it now. She’ll calm down when she gets used to everything.0
“Yeah!” Emma calls back. “Last time Libby said I wasn’t allowed upstairs or in the fancy rooms. This is the WHO

  • Bound By Chaos   Chapter Twenty-Three (Matteo)

    The bell above the bookstore door jingles, and I decide—right then and there—that it’s too cheerful for the kind of day I’m having.I flip the sign from OPEN to CLOSED knowing that the customers will ignore it and come in anyway.Luca doesn’t look up from the ledger.“Professional,” he says mildly.“I contain multitudes,” I reply, leaning over the counter. “Mostly sarcasm and unresolved trauma.”“Shocking.”The bookstore smells like paper and espresso and calm. Which is a cruel joke, really, because calm is not something I’m currently familiar with. Calm is something other people get. People whose girlfriends don’t have homicidal fathers currently enjoying the perks of being at large.I smile anyway.Because that’s what I do.A woman wanders toward the romance section, and I perk up instantly, slapping on my brightest grin like it’s a designer jacket.“Good morning!” I chirp. “Looking for something spicy, slow-burn, or emotionally devastating?”She blinks. “Uh—”“Dealer’s choice,” I a

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