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Chapter Six (Libby)

Author: Sabrina Noelle
last update publish date: 2026-02-12 08:27:34

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
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  • Bound By Chaos   Chapter Thirty-Two (Matteo)

    The bell over the bookstore door rings, and for half a second my heart stutters.
Not because I expect Libby.
Because I don’t.
She hasn’t called back.
Hasn’t texted.
Hasn’t done anything except leave a hollow ache in my chest that won’t go away.
So when Mariela walks in instead—smiling, bright, almost buoyant—I’m caught completely off guard.
“Hey,” she says, like this is just another normal visit. “I was hoping I’d catch you.”
My stomach drops.
She looks… happy. Nervous, sure, but glowing in that unmistakable way.
“I had my first ultrasound today,” she continues, already reaching into her bag. “I thought you might want to see.”
She holds out her phone and there it is.
A grainy black-and-white image. A small, unmistakable shape. Proof of something that might—might—be mine.
I stare at it longer than I mean to.
Awe hits first. Sharp and disorienting.
Then fear follows right behind it.
Because this—this is real now. Not theoretical. Not a conversation waiting for the right moment. This is

  • Bound By Chaos   Chapter Thirty-One (Libby)

    It’s Friday and there’s a knock on the door. It’s light and polite. That’s what makes it unsettling. I’m barefoot, still in leggings, hair pulled into a messy knot because I finally have a day off and I intend to enjoy it. Emma is at school. The house is quiet in that rare, precious way. I open the door without thinking.
Mariela stands on the other side. For half a second, my brain refuses to catch up. She looks… put together. Calm. Nervous in a way that feels rehearsed. Like she’s practiced this moment in the mirror and still doesn’t like how it goes.
“Hi,” she says. “Is Matteo here?”
There it is.
“No,” I reply evenly. “He’s at the bookstore.”
Her eyes flick past me, just briefly, like she’s taking in the house. The space. The life.
“Oh,” she says. “Okay.”
Silence stretches. I don’t invite her in.
“Can I ask why you’re here?” I say, keeping my tone neutral. Pleasant. Civil.
She shifts her weight. Hesitates.
“I think,” she says carefully, “that Matteo should probably tell you. Not me.

  • Bound By Chaos   Chapter Thirty

    I pull into the estate too fast.
I know it the second the tires crunch against the gravel harder than necessary, but I don’t slow down. My hands are tight on the wheel, jaw locked so hard my teeth ache.
Because this wasn’t theoretical.
This wasn’t a bad feeling or a maybe.
It was him.
My men were sure.
I was sure.
And she missed it.
I’m halfway out of the car before the engine’s even off. Libby’s just getting Emma settled inside when she looks up and sees me.
Her face tightens immediately.
“What’s wrong?” she asks.
I don’t soften it. I can’t.
“You,” I say. “You missed him.”
Her brow furrows. “Missed who?”
“Your father,” I snap. “He was there. Outside the school. My men saw him, Libby. They tracked him. And you didn’t notice a damn thing.”
Her color drains.
“That’s not possible,” she says quickly. “I would’ve seen him.”
“You didn’t,” I say. “And that’s the problem.”
Emma hovers by the door, eyes wide.
“Emma,” I say immediately, forcing my voice to steady. “Go inside.”
She hesitates, t

  • Bound By Chaos   Chapter Twenty-Nine (Libby)

    The car rider line is a nightmare.
It always is.
Cars inch forward in fits and starts, parents craning their necks, teachers waving laminated signs like traffic conductors in some deeply underpaid orchestra. I check the clock on the dashboard for the fifth time and drum my fingers against the steering wheel.
I just want Emma in the car. I just want to get home.
My phone buzzes in the cup holder.
Matteo: We need to talk.
My stomach drops so fast it feels like I’ve missed a step on the stairs.
We need to talk.
That’s never good.
I stare at the screen, pulse picking up. My brain doesn’t wait for logic—it launches straight into panic.
Did I do something wrong?
Am I too much?
Did he change his mind?
Is this about Mariela?
The line moves. I jerk forward, barely stopping in time as a teacher opens the back door.
“Libby?” she asks brightly.
“Yes—yes, sorry.”
Emma climbs in, backpack thumping against the seat, braid a little looser than it was this morning but still intact.
“Hi, SisterMom!” sh

  • 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 Fifteen (Libby)

    Matteo isn’t there.I notice it immediately, even though I tell myself I won’t. The front door chimes, I look up out of habit, and the space behind the counter stays occupied only by Luca and a stack of returns.Something in my chest loosens, something else aches, and both feelings surprise me. I b

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-21

  • Bound By Chaos   Chapter Twelve (Matteo)

    The store is quiet, lights dimmed low, the scent of paper and dust and something faintly sweet lingering in the air. Libby is at the counter counting the drawer, brow furrowed in concentration, hair pulled back in that way that makes something restless coil low in my chest.“You’re scowling,” I say

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-20

  • Bound By Chaos   Chapter Eleven (Libby)

    The front door slams open so hard the walls shake. I bolt upright with a gasp, heart instantly in my throat.“Emma!” I whisper. I scramble, panic exploding through me as reality crashes back in all at once. Matteo. My bed. The fact that I am very much not alone and very much not dressed.“Oh my God

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-19

  • 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,” sh

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-29
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