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Chapter 39
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2025-04-21 03:19:15
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THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 65
The BedroomThe silence in the bathroom was deceptive—thick, tense, almost holy in its stillness. It clung to the steam curling along the tiled walls, clung to the air heavy with heat and memory, like the last breath of a prayer whispered into the dark. Water slid down their skin in shimmering rivulets as Adrian rose from the bath, lifting Matthew as if he weighed nothing. One arm anchored under his thighs, the other braced at his back, steady and sure.Matthew didn’t resist. His breath caught—not in surprise, but because of the reverence in Adrian’s hold, the quiet worship in every inch of contact. He didn’t just carry him like something fragile—he carried him like something sacred. Like someone he had bled for. Fought wars for. Won.Water dripped in soft patterns onto the marble floor, echoing like the heartbeat of the moment as Adrian walked. Past the wide doorway, through the dimly lit hallway where shadows danced on the walls, through the glass-paned doors that always seemed too
THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 64
The air hung thick with warmth, draped in the heavy hush of intimacy. Steam coiled through the room like slow-moving spirits, clinging to the tiled walls and tracing invisible fingers down flushed skin. It blurred the world into softness, wrapping the two men in their own private cocoon. The bathwater had long since settled, the frenzy of earlier passion giving way to stillness. Now, only the subtle lapping of water against skin and the quiet rhythm of breathing remained.Adrian’s hand moved languidly across Matthew’s chest, his fingers ghosting over the flushed skin in a slow, reverent glide. He wasn’t touching to arouse anymore. He was memorizing. Worshipping.Matthew lay back against him, boneless, as if his body had unraveled completely and trusted Adrian to hold what remained. His breaths came shallow but calm, each exhale escaping his parted lips like a surrender. He trembled—but it wasn’t fear or pain. It was that exquisite after shiver, the kind that lingered when someone had
THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 63
The Next MorningGolden sunlight spilled into the bedroom like a gentle caress, flooding the space with its warm, drowsy light. It filtered through the tall arched windows in soft beams, dancing across the floor and catching on the edges of the thick velvet drapes. The remnants of last night’s fire still glowed faintly in the hearth, little embers pulsing like a heartbeat beneath the ashes. The heat had faded, but a cocoon of warmth remained—stitched into the sheets, clinging to the air, and pulsing steadily between two intertwined bodies.Adrian held Matthew close, his arms a fortress around him. One hand rested protectively on the small of Matthew’s back, fingers splayed like he was anchoring him, even in sleep. The other lay curled in Matthew’s hair, gentle and absent, as if even his subconscious knew how fragile this moment was.And Matthew—he stayed still, barely breathing. His cheek was pressed against Adrian’s chest, listening to the calm, rhythmic thud of his heart. That sound
THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 62
The city lights fractured into halos of gold and white as Matthew ran, the rain soaking into his bones like guilt he couldn’t shake. Each drop stung his skin, slicing across his face, mingling with the tears he refused to acknowledge. London was cruel tonight—unforgiving, metallic. The kind of cold that made you feel unwanted, unloved, like the city itself was conspiring to punish you for hoping. His breaths came in harsh, uneven bursts, steam curling from his lips only to be swallowed by the night. His soaked shirt clung to his chest like a second skin, tightening with each gasping inhale, as though his very breath betrayed him. His heart wasn’t just beating—it was warring. Pounding like it wanted to break through his ribs and run ahead of him. Leave him behind. Escape the agony. But there was nowhere to escape to. Because the chaos wasn’t behind him. It lived inside him. He wasn’t just lost in the maze of empty alleys and neon-glazed sidewalks. He was lost in himself. A ruin of
THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 61
The city of London unfolded like a gray, restless canvas beneath a sky that seemed as heavy as a thousand unsaid words. The streets buzzed with life—taxi cabs, hurried pedestrians, the soft whoosh of distant trains—but to Matthew, it all felt like a world away. He sat there, perfectly still, across from Lucian in the quiet hum of the restaurant. His fingers traced the rim of his untouched wine glass, the red liquid and a mockery of the pulse he couldn’t feel in his veins. The warm lights in the room should’ve felt comforting, but they only amplified the emptiness that clawed at his chest.Lucian, with his perfectly styled hair and confident, easy smile, was everything Matthew should have wanted. He was charming, effortlessly so, with a laugh that rang out like the chime of a bell—light, carefree, and disarming. He spoke about his day, about the little joys and challenges of work, about his plans for the weekend. Every word was polished and thoughtful. He was decent. He was kind. He wa
THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 60
“Matthew left the country.”The words fell from Jordan’s mouth like a guillotine’s drop—quiet, measured, but devastating in its certainty. He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to. Each syllable carried weight, striking the air with the cold finality of something that could not be reversed.The room held its breath.For a moment, everything stood still—as though time itself refused to move forward. The silence that followed was thick and immediate, coiling around them like smoke from a fire that had burned everything to ash. It settled in their lungs, made breathing feel like a task too great.Jordan remained steady. His shoulders squared, back straight, but there was a flicker in his eyes—something not quite hidden. Pity, maybe. Or guilt carefully disguised as indifference. A muscle twitched in his jaw as he inhaled slowly, then exhaled with purpose, as if the act of speaking again required preparation.“He’s gone to London.”A pause.Then, softer—“Said he needed space. Needed t
THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 59
Noah wasn’t expecting a knock.Not at this hour. Not when the world outside had already sunk into stillness, swallowed whole by the hush of midnight. The city’s pulse had dulled, the streets mute, even the wind unwilling to stir. Inside, the quiet was heavier—suffocating. A silence that pressed against his ears, loud with everything he didn’t want to hear. The room around him held the aftermath of a day gone wrong. Ashtrays full. Whiskey sharp in the air. Regret soaking into the walls like cigarette smoke.He barely twitched when the first knock came.But the second hit harder.The sharper, louder—like it had teeth. A rhythm too precise to be random. Not a drunk neighbor. Not someone lost. It had intent. It had weight. Like whoever was on the other side already knew they wouldn’t be turned away.Noah exhaled through clenched teeth, dragged his body upright with the sluggish resistance of someone too used to feeling heavy. His temples throbbed, a dull beat behind his eyes. His muscles
THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 58
"That was too much! He helped save your life!"Jordan’s voice pierced the stillness, sharp and full of disbelief, echoing off the cold walls as he halted just a step behind Matthew. His frustration wasn't just in the words—it pulsed through his stance, his clenched jaw, his narrowed eyes.Matthew didn’t flinch. He stood completely still, his back to the room, framed by the large window that looked out into a sky swallowed whole by night. Streetlights flickered in the distance, blurred by the mist on the glass. He didn’t blink. Didn’t breathe. The silence pressed in, thick as fog.The darkness beyond the glass reflected everything he couldn’t say—confusion, conflict, fear. And something else. Something heavier."I know," he whispered.It came out like a breath that had been held too long, his voice dry and small, almost devoured by the stillness in the room.Jordan’s expression softened, but only slightly. He took a step closer, his tone lowering but edged with urgency. "Then talk to h
THE TIES THAT BINDS US. Chapter 57
Outside the Hospital – Adrian’s RestraintAdrian stood alone beneath the buzzing glow of a flickering street lamp, its yellow light casting long shadows over the hospital parking lot. Leaning against the driver’s side of his car, he crossed his arms over his chest, his posture rigid. The cool metal pressed into his back, but he barely felt it. His fists—bruised and swollen from the fight with Noah—remained balled tight at his sides, hidden beneath the folds of his coat.But it wasn’t his hands that hurt the most.It was a shame. The fury still thrumming through his veins, coiled like a viper behind his ribs, begging for release. His jaw clenched as he stared across the lot toward the glowing entrance of the hospital. The doors slid open and shut for strangers who didn’t matter. Who didn’t bleed for the boy inside.He could break the rules. Again. Storm through those doors and make someone talk. Bribe the front desk. Threaten a nurse. Drag a doctor by the collar until someone gave him
