Chapter 61

The message came mid morning, while August was halfway through his second cup of coffee and scrolling idly through his inbox.We should talk. Just you and me. No Sebastian.The name wasn’t saved, but August didn’t need it to be. He’d seen that precise, almost theatrical phrasing before. Ash.His first instinct was to ignore it he’d heard enough from Sebastian to know that Ash’s version of “talk” usually meant “dig under your skin.” But there was a second part to the text that made him pause.If you want to know what he’s keeping from you, meet me at Westbury Café at 3.August sat back, staring at the screen. It was bait. Obviously bait. But curiosity, that stubborn little itch, settled somewhere in his chest. He told himself he wouldn’t go. And yet by the time the clock pushed past two, he was already pulling on his jacket.The café was quiet for a weekday, just the occasional hiss of the espresso machine and the muted chatter of two people by the window. Ash sat in the far corner, dr

Last Updated : 2025-08-12

Chapter 62

The world outside blurred by in muted streaks of grey as the car sped down the nearly empty road. Rain tapped softly against the windshield, a steady rhythm that should’ve been calming, but instead felt like a ticking clock counting down to something neither of them wanted to face.August sat pressed against the passenger door, his arms folded tightly across his chest. His heartbeat hadn’t yet returned to normal after the chaos back at the café the fists, the shouting, Sebastian’s sudden appearance, and Ash’s glare burning through him.He swallowed, his voice quieter than he intended. “What were you doing there, Sebastian?Sebastian didn’t look away from the road. His jaw was locked, the sharp line of it tightening with every passing second. “I could ask you the same thing,he said, his tone clipped.“I told you,” August muttered, trying to keep the defensiveness from his voice. “I was just meeting a friend.Sebastian’s grip on the steering wheel flexed, leather creaking under his fin

Last Updated : 2025-08-12

Chapter 63: Pretend it’s didn’t happen

Morning came slowly, like the light itself was reluctant to enter the house. The rain had stopped sometime in the night, but the sky remained heavy and grey, the kind that made every sound echo sharper, more noticeable.August stirred in bed, the sheets cool against his skin. He reached out instinctively to the other side, but the space was empty. Cold. His chest tightened before he even opened his eyes.Sebastian hadn’t come to bed.He sat up, rubbing the back of his neck as fragments of last night replayed in his head the car ride, the silence, the argument that had unraveled them both. The words he had thrown, the look on Sebastian’s face when he said them. It all sat like a weight in his chest.Dragging himself out of bed, August padded barefoot down the hall. The house was quiet, too quiet. He found Sebastian in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, a cup of black coffee in his hand. He looked like he hadn’t slept, dark shadows beneath his eyes, his hair a little disheveled.

Last Updated : 2025-08-16

Chapter 64: Fractures at Midnight

The night was heavy, thick with shadows that seemed to cling to the walls of the apartment. Sebastian had been gone for hours, drowning in work and responsibilities that felt endless, but beneath it all, something more corrosive simmered in his chest: Ash. Every time August’s phone buzzed, every time his eyes drifted with that absent look, Sebastian felt the ghost of Ash between them like a wedge prying them apart.It was well past midnight when Sebastian finally unlocked the door and stepped inside. The apartment was quiet, dimly lit only by the glow of a lamp in the living room. His body ached, his shirt clung to him with the scent of cigarettes and sweat from stress. All he wanted was to collapse into bed beside August, maybe hold him close, if August even wanted him there tonight.He pushed the door closed softly, careful not to wake him. But as he walked down the hall, he froze.From August’s room came the faint sound of a voice hushed, trembling, but unmistakably his. The tone w

Last Updated : 2025-08-17

Chapter 65: Tighter Chains

Tighter ChainsThe morning crept in slow and heavy, light cutting across the curtains in fractured lines. August stirred in the bed, blinking against the pale glow, his hand still wound tight from the jerking of phone from his hand of last night. The heated argument the look in Sebastian’s eyes it all replayed in jagged fragments.For a moment, the bed beside him felt cold, empty. Panic flickered through his chest until he caught the sound of footsteps returning. The door eased open, and Sebastian stood there, hair disheveled, shirt halfway buttoned, a coffee cup in one hand.He didn’t look like the sharp, untouchable man who could command a room. He looked… tired. Human.“Morning,” Sebastian said quietly, setting the cup down on the nightstand. His voice carried none of the sharp edges from before, only a tentative weight.August sat up, pulling the blanket tighter around him. “You’re back early.Sebastian nodded, slipping onto the edge of the bed. For a long moment, he just stared

Last Updated : 2025-08-19

Chapter 66: Echoes in the dark

August sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the faint glow of his phone screen. It was late past midnight but sleep hadn’t come easy in days. The message notification at the top of the screen blinked like a warning light, one he’d tried to ignore but couldn’t.Ash: We need to talk. Please, August. Don’t let him twist you. I know who Sebastian really is.August exhaled shakily and set the phone face down on the duvet. His pulse was unsteady, his chest tight. For days, Ash had lingered at the edges of his life like a shadow that refused to disperse. He said he was trying to save him, that Sebastian was dangerous, manipulative but Sebastian had already explained everything. He’d looked August in the eye and promised that Ash was lying. That Ash wanted to destroy what they had.And August had chosen to believe him.Still, the weight of Ash’s words clung to him like smoke.“Still awake?” Sebastian’s voice broke the silence. He was leaning against the doorway, his shirt half buttoned, ha

Last Updated : 2025-08-20