All Chapters of THE TIES THAT BINDS US.: Chapter 51 - Chapter 53

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

Author's POV Adrain couldn’t find peace—not even for a second. Sleep was a stranger now, and the silence of night had turned into a cruel tormentor. He paced like a man possessed, the soles of his shoes whispering across the hardwood floor, back and forth, again and again, as if movement alone could outrun the anguish tightening his chest. But the weight wouldn’t budge. It sat there—dense, cold, relentless. How could he rest when the only person who had ever made him feel whole—Matthew—was gone? Not dead. Not confirmed. Just... vanished. Like smoke into the wind.And that, somehow, was worse.The walls of the dimly lit study pressed inward, more prison than sanctuary. Shadows trembled in the corners, cast by the flickering light of the fireplace. The grandfather clock ticked on with cruel indifference, each second a taunt, each minute a deepening cut. Adrain’s heart beat louder than the ticking—no rhythm, just a war drum of dread, rage, and an aching kind of helplessness.He yanked o