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Chapter Nine (Matteo)
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2026-02-13 03:10:13
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Bound By Chaos Chapter Nine (Matteo)
Libby is usually precise.Not stiff—just deliberate. She lines receipts evenly. Straightens displays before they look messy. Notices when a customer needs help before they ask for it.Today, she’s off.She rings up the same book twice and doesn’t notice until the register beeps at her. She reshelves a paperback in hardcover. She keeps checking her purse like it might bite her.I lean against the counter and watch her for a minute before saying anything.“You okay?” I ask.“Yes,” she says immediately. Too fast.I hum. “That was a very convincing lie.”She stills. Shoulders rise. Then fall.She sighs and rubs a hand over her face. “Sofia overpaid me.”That gets my attention.“She gave me way too much,” Libby continues, voice low and tight. “I didn’t open the envelope until I got home. There’s… a lot in there. I need to give it back.”“Why?” I ask, genuinely confused.She looks at me like I’m the confusing one. “Because it’s not mine.”“It is,” I say.“No, Matteo,” she insists. “It’s not
Bound By Chaos Chapter Eight (Libby)
By the time Matteo steps away to take a call, my hands have stopped shaking.Not completely but enough that I trust them.The bookstore is quieter than the diner ever was. No plates clattering. No orders shouted from the kitchen. There’s only the soft hum of the lights and the whisper of pages turning when customers browse.I like it more than I expect to.A woman approaches the counter with a stack of books and a look that says she’s already annoyed about something. I straighten instinctively, shoulders pulling back, smile sliding into place.“Hi,” I say. “Did you find everything okay?”She hesitates, thrown off but not because I’m rude, but because I’m calm. People always expect tension especially when they are in a bad mood.“Yes,” she says slowly. “Actually… yes.”I ring her up without fumbling. Apply the discount Sofia mentioned. Bag the books neatly. When the receipt prints, I tear it cleanly and hand it over.“Have a good afternoon.”She smiles on her way out.I exhale only aft
Bound By Chaos Chapter Seven (Matteo)
She doesn’t say hello right away.I hear movement on the other end of the line—soft footsteps, a door opening, the faint creak of something old and tired. Then Emma’s voice drifts through the phone, sleepy and slurred.“Libby?”“I’m here,” Libby whispers. “Eyes closed, okay?”There’s fabric rustling. A pause. Then—“Love you.”“I love you more,” Libby says, voice gentle in a way that hits me straight in the chest.The line goes quiet again, except for distant apartment noises. Finally, I hear the door open and close, followed by night air.“I’m outside,” she says. “Sorry.”“It’s okay,” I tell her, and mean it.There’s a moment where neither of us speaks. Not awkward—just careful. Like we both know this conversation matters.“I’m not happy about this,” she says finally. No preamble. No apology. “If I wasn’t desperate, I wouldn’t have called you.”The words sting but they don’t surprise me.“I figured,” I say gently.She exhales, sharp and shaky. “I don’t want you thinking this means so
Bound By Chaos Chapter Six (Libby)
The apartment is too loud for how small it is. Emma is everywhere. She is spinning in the living room, hopping from cushion to cushion, singing something she’s clearly making up as she goes. She laughs at her own jokes, asks me if penguins have knees, then immediately wants to know if knees can get tired.I sit on the edge of the couch, phone balanced in my hands, scrolling through job listings that all blur together after the first three.Part-time.Flexible availability required.Competitive pay.Competitive with what? Survival?I fill out one application. Then another. My thumb cramps, my eyes burn, and Emma keeps talking like she’s afraid silence might swallow her whole.“Libby, what if I became a singer but only sang in the shower?”“Libby, do you think teachers sleep at school?”“Libby—”“Emma,” I snap, sharper than I mean to. “Please be quiet for just one minute.”She freezes.Her smile falters. Her bottom lip wobbles, and I see it happen—the moment she decides she’s done tryin
Bound By Chaos Chapter Five (Matteo)
I wake up when my body decides it’s done sleeping.No alarm. No urgency. Just sunlight slanting through the curtains and the faint, distant knowledge that I don’t actually have to be anywhere at a specific time. I roll over once. Twice. Consider getting up. Then don’t.When I finally do, it’s unhurried. I take a shower and drink some coffee. I choose a shirt that doesn’t require ironing because nothing in my life requires ironing anymore. I check my phone. No missed calls. No emergencies. No one angry that I’m late.A tragedy, really.I stroll into the bookstore sometime midmorning, hands in my pockets, already grinning because I know exactly what face Sofia is going to make when she sees me.She looks up from the counter and sighs like I’ve personally ruined her day just by existing.“Nice of you to join us,” she says.I glance at my watch. “I’m early in at least one time zone.”She rolls her eyes. “You’re late.”“Counterpoint,” I say cheerfully. “I’m here at all.”She mutters someth
Bound By Chaos Chapter Four (Libby)
I wake up to silence.No alarm.No blaring reminder.Just the soft, terrifying quiet that tells me I’ve already screwed up. My eyes snap open, and I grab my phone off the nightstand.7:42.“Oh my God.”I bolt upright so fast the room tilts. My heart is already racing, panic flooding my veins as I throw the blanket off and stumble out of bed. Emma has to be at school by eight-thirty. I have to be at the diner by nine.I’m already late.“Emma!” I call, yanking open my dresser drawer. “Emma, we’re late—up, now!”No response. Of course. I drag on clean-ish jeans, tug a shirt over my head, and shove my feet into shoes without socks. My hair gets twisted into a messy knot that barely holds. No makeup. No time. I rush into the living room, already bracing myself.Emma is still on the couch. In the same clothes as yesterday. Sprawled upside down, watching cartoons like the world isn’t actively on fire.“Emma,” I say, sharper than I mean to. “Why aren’t you dressed?”She looks at me like this
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