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Chapter 23
Last Updated:
2025-04-03 05:02:45
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THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 24
Matthew's POV Morning arrived with a golden glow filtering through the curtains, warm and inviting. My body stirred to life, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I awoke with an unshakable sense of peace. I had slept like a baby—no nightmares, no restlessness—just a deep, uninterrupted slumber that left a lingering smile on my lips. Even in sleep, something within me had been content, and the happiness clung to me like a stubborn scent, refusing to fade.But that contentment was short-lived.The moment I sat up, a dry, searing pain scraped against my throat, making me wince. It felt like I had swallowed sandpaper in my sleep. Desperate for relief, I threw off the covers and stumbled out of bed, my bare feet pattering against the cold wooden floor as I rushed down the stairs, my sole mission being water—cool, soothing water.As I reached the kitchen, the sight before me brought my urgency to a halt.Adrian stood at the counter, dressed in a fitted black apron, his sleeves
Last Updated : 2025-04-04THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 25
Matthew's POV "You are insane," I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper as I lowered my head to my plate. The once-appetizing meal before me blurred into an unappealing mess. My appetite had all but vanished, replaced by a heavy weight pressing against my chest, making it hard to breathe.Adrian is mad—there’s no other explanation. How could he, in his right mind, even entertain the thought that there was ever an us? That there could be an us? The sheer audacity of it made my stomach twist. It was absurd, laughable even, if not for the fact that he had said it so effortlessly, with a straight face, as if the idea weren’t completely delusional."Let's start all over," he said, his voice laced with something that made me pause.The words struck like ice-cold water poured down my spine, shocking me so much that I inhaled wrong. A sharp burn clawed at my throat as I choked on my food, the sudden spasm racking my body. My chest constricted, and my vision blurred with tears as I coughe
Last Updated : 2025-04-05THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 26
Matthew's POV I tipped the glass to my lips and swallowed the last of the whiskey in one punishing, deliberate gulp. The burn hit instantly, searing its way down my throat like wildfire, leaving a trail of raw, relentless heat that forced a grunt out of me. It clawed at my insides, but even that pain felt hollow. Not enough. Nowhere near enough. I wanted it to do more than just sting—I needed it to scorch away the thoughts that kept crashing through my skull like a wrecking ball. The guilt. The shame. The helplessness that gnawed at me, hour after hour. If only whiskey could char memories the same way it torched my throat, I might’ve stood a chance tonight.The low thrum of music drifted through the lounge, a slow, rhythmic pulse that vibrated through the floor and up into my bones. The dim lighting pooled in corners and crept across the faces of strangers, none of whom cared who I was or why I was there. Just how I liked it. The beat echoed the chaos spinning in my mind, steady and
Last Updated : 2025-04-06THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 27
Noah’s POVWe didn’t even make it another thirty minutes at the bar before everything unraveled.Matthew was completely out of it—drunk beyond reason, his body slumped against mine like dead weight. He wasn’t just leaning; he was melting into me, every step we took an effort to keep him upright. Not that I was complaining. Honestly, there was something strangely grounding about having him so close, so unguarded. It wasn’t the first time I’d been the one to catch him when he fell, and I doubted it would be the last. Even if he wouldn’t remember a second of it tomorrow morning, I would. I always did.I’ve known Matthew for years. Hell, it feels like I’ve known him all my life. We grew up on the same streets, passed through the same schools, and faced the same bullshit together. If there’s one thing about him that’s never changed, it’s his ridiculously low tolerance for alcohol. The guy could barely handle a quarter of a shot before the world started spinning for him, yet that never stop
Last Updated : 2025-04-07THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 28
Adrian's POV Being cool—collected, untouchable, unshaken—that’s always been my thing. It’s like breathing, something I do without thinking. For as long as I can remember, I’ve worn calm like a second skin, as if nothing could ever touch me. I reveled in the smug satisfaction of being in control, the power that surged through me, knowing that nothing, and no one, could ever break me. It was my pride, my armor, and I wore it with certainty. I thrived in that calm, that unshakable composure, because it made me feel invincible. No one could ever get under my skin. No one… until tonight.The moment I saw them—Noah and Matthew—locked in a kiss, something inside me cracked wide open. It wasn’t just a tremor. It was a violent snap, as if something fragile and long-held had shattered beyond repair. My entire world didn’t just tilt, it crumbled beneath me. My chest tightened, and for the first time in forever, I felt the rush of panic crawling under my skin, a sensation I’d long since forgotte
Last Updated : 2025-04-08THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 29
Adrian’s POV“Have you any idea what you’ve done to me?” I asked, voice low, almost trembling, as my eyes locked onto the sleeping man lying beside me. The car was cloaked in darkness, but I could still make out the outline of his face, every line of it etched in my memory like scripture. The curve of his mouth, the gentle rise and fall of his chest—every detail haunted me.It was absurd, really—how deeply I’d fallen. So much that even a few moments without his face flashing in my mind felt like torture. Every breath I took echoed his name. He was my obsession, my fixation, the only constant in a world that had long stopped making sense.I didn’t just think of him—I lived in my thoughts about him. I hallucinated the day he’d finally look at me the way I looked at him, when he'd stop running and start craving. I fantasized about that moment when his heart would finally align with mine, when he’d melt into my arms without hesitation. I even went so far as to imagine our next lives mergi
Last Updated : 2025-04-09THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 30
Adrain's POV Matthew’s moans were the only sound that echoed through the dim-lit room—a melody of desire that wrapped itself around me like a second skin. Each groan, each gasp, was the kind of music I’d craved for as long as I could remember. Hearing him fall apart beneath me wasn’t just satisfying—it was everything. And every time I drove into him, every push of my body into his, I felt a surge of raw, electric pleasure tearing through my veins like a current I never wanted to end.I love this man.No—I’ve always loved him. And even now, with him sprawled beneath me, his body offered up like some divine sacrifice, I still hadn’t tasted enough. It wasn’t just about sex. It wasn’t just about release.I wanted him. All of him. His thoughts, his breath, his fears, his damn soul—I wanted to own it all. Possess him in ways that went far beyond flesh and desire. If the world dared to call it obsession, I’d nod with pride. Because whatever this was between us, I never wanted it to be pure
Last Updated : 2025-04-10THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 31
Matthew's POV A sharp, throbbing pain exploded behind my eyes as consciousness clawed its way back into me like a beast with bloodied nails. My head pounded in time with my pulse, each thud a reminder that I was alive—but barely. My limbs felt foreign, weighted with a heaviness that went beyond exhaustion. It was as if I'd been broken apart and carelessly reassembled, every joint out of place, every nerve flaring in protest. Like I’d been dragged through hell on my back and dumped here as some cruel afterthought.Every breath burned. Each inhale scraped against my ribs like broken glass, and when I tried to move—just a twitch—my muscles screamed, rebelling with a vengeance. It felt like my bones were splintered beneath the skin, barely held together by shreds of willpower and pain.A soft, fractured sound escaped my lips—a whimper, pathetic and raw. I tried to sit up. Tried to fight the weight pressing me down, to rise above it like I always had. But the second I pushed against the m
Last Updated : 2025-04-11
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THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 52
Derrick ripped the seal tape off Matthew’s mouth in one swift, ruthless motion. The skin on Matthew’s lips, already split and bleeding, peeled with it. But Matthew didn’t flinch. He didn’t even hesitate. The moment his mouth was free, he summoned every ounce of disgust, every drop of rage he’d buried over the years, and spat—straight into Derrick’s face.It wasn’t just saliva. It was everything. Years of betrayal. Bitterness. Vengeance. It struck Derrick full on the cheek with a wet smack, sliding down his jaw like a curse—delivered not from weakness, but from defiant, deliberate loathing. As if Matthew had rehearsed that spit a thousand times in his head and now, finally, had his chance.Derrick jerked back, recoiling as the warm insult soaked into his skin. For a moment, he simply stood there—stunned, blinking, silent. His mouth twitched. His jaw clenched. Then fury surged to the surface, dark and unmistakable. One of the men leaning against the wall—stoic, bored, maybe even entert
THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 51
Matthew stepped out into the crisp night air, dragging in a breath so deep it felt like he might swallow the whole sky. The cold bit into his lungs, sharp and unforgiving, but he welcomed it. Let it burn. Let it strip away the fog clouding his thoughts. The chaos in his head had been building all day, clawing at him, whispering doubts he couldn’t silence. Work. Family. Life. All of it pressing in from every direction.The street stretched ahead, dimly lit and mostly deserted. A few windows flickered with life, pale rectangles of gold behind drawn curtains. Somewhere in the distance, a siren wailed and faded. The hum of traffic barely reached his ears. He walked slowly, like each step might bring clarity, his footsteps echoing off the wet pavement. His hands were jammed deep into the pockets of his jacket, shoulders drawn up against the wind, but it wasn’t the chill that made him shiver—it was the storm in his head.He wandered without direction, letting the city guide him. Past shutte
THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 50
MATTHEW'S POV Maybe losing myself over love wasn’t the most excruciating pain I could endure. Heartbreak had its sting, yes, but nothing—absolutely nothing—compared to the agony of losing my sister. The pain didn’t come in sharp bursts. It was slow. Numbing. A hollow ache that echoed in every breath, every heartbeat, every damn second that ticked by without her. And the worst part? I blamed myself. Hated myself. Because no matter how much I rewrote the narrative in my head, it always ended with the same bitter truth: I couldn’t protect her. The one person I was meant to guard with my life. Jordan had tried to explain, his lips moving but his words muffled by the rage pounding in my ears. I couldn’t stay. I wouldn’t. I stormed out, ignoring the pain in his eyes, jumped into my car and sped off, tires shrieking against the asphalt like a warning I refused to hear. The silence that followed wasn’t peace—it was madness. And I wasn’t ready to drown in it. Not again. I wouldn’t be qui
THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 49
Author's POV Adrian paced outside Noah's house, fists clenched at his sides, heart pounding like a war drum in his chest. Ragged breaths tore through him as he locked eyes on the heavy door. He’d already screwed up once. Now he stood there, begging for another chance—one he wasn’t even sure he deserved. But he had to try. Only Matthew could help him. Only Matthew could drag him back into the game, back where he belonged.He knocked once. Before the sound could echo back at him, the door swung open. Noah filled the frame, tall and unyielding, his face a cold mask.“Adrian,” he said, voice low with a blade-sharp edge. “You need to leave. Now.”Adrian’s chest constricted. “Please, Noah. I—I’m sorry. I know I messed up. But I’m asking for just one more shot. Matthew will listen, I know he will. I can fix this.”Noah’s lips twitched into a thin, humorless smile. “You had your chances, Adrian. And you blew them. If I were you, I’d turn around before I have to spell it out.”Adrian stepped
THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 48
Matthew turned his back to Adrain, his spine rigid, like a wall hastily rebuilt after a collapse. His shoulders quivered as he scrubbed at his face with both hands—rough, trembling palms dragging down skin already raw. He wasn’t just wiping away tears. He was clawing at the storm beneath them, desperate to rid himself of the weight, the filth of what he felt. The emotion clung like grime soaked deep into his pores, no matter how hard he rubbed. His breath hitched, uneven and sharp, like each inhale scraped along the inside of his chest. The silence that pooled between them wasn’t passive—it pressed down like a lead blanket, heavy with all the words neither of them could voice. It screamed without sound, teeming with every cut left to fester, every truth withheld, every apology that came too late. Adrain could hear the chaos inside Matthew’s body—the ragged way he breathed, the stiff way he held himself like he was about to break or bolt. Then Matthew shifted, just a fraction. His f
THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 47
Adrain's POV Happiness.That’s all I felt in my heart—pure, unfiltered happiness. A feeling so foreign, it almost scared me with how good it felt. They say, "It doesn’t always rain," a phrase I used to brush off like dust on my jacket. It sounded like one of those cliché lines people throw around when they don’t know what else to say. But standing here now, breathing in the calm that’s slowly wrapped itself around my chest, I think I’m finally beginning to believe it.For the longest time, home was just a word. Just letters stitched together with no weight, no warmth, no anchor. A concept, not a feeling. But when Matthew said it… when he said it, the word didn’t just sound different—it felt different. It didn’t feel hollow. It didn’t pass through me like wind. It settled—warm and solid—in the center of my chest. For the first time in what felt like forever, I believed him. I believed in the idea that I could belong somewhere. That I could belong to someone.He was my home—my peace, m
THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 46
Everything had been going perfectly—so perfectly, in fact, that I dared to believe the universe was finally giving me a break. Our time together felt like a dream I never wanted to wake from, a fleeting slice of heaven stitched together with laughter, silent glances, and stolen kisses. Just like how we had arrived—excited and wrapped up in each other—we rode back home, the weight of the world forgotten for those few precious hours.The wind outside hummed against the car, but inside, it was quiet. Comfortable. Safe.But somewhere along the way, something clicked in me. Or maybe it unraveled. I looked over at Adrain—always composed, always in control—but there was a fire in his eyes whenever he looked at me. A wild, unspoken intensity that said everything his mouth didn’t. That man may come off like ice to others, but when it came to me... he burned. He was obsessive, overbearing even, never letting me drift too far. And though it should've felt suffocating, strangely, it didn’t. I nev
THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 45
Rudolph gave a stiff nod, his face pulled tight in a strained, unnatural smile as he shot a fleeting glance at me over Adrian’s broad shoulder. His usual easygoing charm had all but evaporated, leaving behind a raw, uncomfortable shimmer of regret and unease in his eyes. It was the first time I had ever seen him look so thoroughly out of his depth.I scraped together a small smile in return, barely more than a twitch of my lips. It was the least — and honestly, the only — thing I could offer him at that moment. Anything more felt impossible, too heavy for the fragile air hanging between us."I'm sorry," Rudolph muttered, voice low, scratchy with tension. His words seemed to trip over themselves as he shifted backward, pressing himself deeper into the corner of the elevator like a boy caught red-handed. His gaze dropped to the floor, unable or unwilling to meet either of ours, his whole body language screaming apology and shame.Adrian, by contrast, didn’t move an inch. Every line of h
THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 44
Matthew's POV I grabbed the last bag sitting on the bed, giving the room one final, lingering glance. The walls, once so familiar, now seemed foreign, stripped of everything that made them ours. It felt strange, leaving like this — a bittersweet tug in my chest I couldn't explain, a quiet ache blooming under my ribs. Tightening my fingers around the handle, I drew in a slow breath, grounding myself, then stepped out and headed downstairs. Adrian was already there, waiting at the bottom of the staircase like a sentinel carved out of shadow and light. The moment my foot touched the ground floor, he moved, closing the distance between us with a few quick strides. Without a word, he took the bag from my hand, his touch casual but lingering — like he wanted to take every burden off me, not just the physical ones but the ones stitched deep into my bones. Wordlessly, I followed him out. The air outside wrapped around me, crisp and cool, tinged with the damp, earthy scent of rain still cl
