The Forbidden Ties
“Oh my darling Uncle”. I said while hugging him as he was backing me.
“Uncle?”. A different voice asked and it seems to come from the person I'm hugging. He turned around with me in his arms and I stared into his eyes. Dark eyes. Uncle Max's eyes are blue, like mine.
I let go of him immediately like I had been burned and blushed furiously. “Uhm, sorry. I thought you… were my uncle”. I told him.
A chuckle brought my attention back to his handsome face. “Hello cutie, why do you think your uncle is here?” He said, his voice sending shivers down my body.
***
Happiness Matthews, a 19-year-old college freshman, thought she had everything figured out when she left her small Texas town for the bright lights of California. But after a dangerous security guard targets her in her new apartment, she has to move in with Mason, her uncle's friend, who she met two years ago at his wedding.
Mason, a man in his thirties still haunted by the woman who left him at the altar two years ago, never expected to share his home with his best friend’s niece. At first, their living arrangement seems like a temporary inconvenience—but the longer they stay under the same roof, the harder it becomes to ignore the magnetic tension building between them.
As the lines between family and desire blur, Happiness finds herself drawn to the man who carries both charm and a painful past. But with every passing day, the unspoken rules become more difficult to follow, and a dangerous truth about Mason’s past threatens to tear them both apart.
In a story where forbidden attraction and unresolved heartbreak collide, Happy must choose between loyalty, family, love, and her own future—before the stakes get even higher
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Chapter: Chapter 35The next morning, I woke to an empty bed. Mason had already left for work, but the faint scent of his cologne lingered on the pillow beside me. It was a small comfort, though it did little to ease the unease stirring in my chest.The messages had stopped for now, but the silence felt more ominous than reassuring. Whoever was behind them had wanted me to find the connection to Sandra’s brother, and they’d succeeded. The next question was why and what they wanted from me.I forced myself out of bed, showered, and headed to campus. The routine of classes and tutoring was a welcome distraction, but even as I sat in the lecture hall, scribbling notes, my mind wandered back to Mason. To Sandra. To Charles.By the time I left campus, the sun was dipping below the horizon, casting long shadows across the streets. I pulled my coat tighter around me, quickening my pace. The feeling of being watched was hard to shake, though every time I glanced over my shoulder, the streets were empty.When I r
Last Updated: 2025-01-07
Chapter: Chapter 34Mason had left early that morning, promising to check in after work. I knew he was doing everything he could to protect me, but I couldn’t help myself. As soon as I was alone, I found myself searching for answers.Sandra’s brother, Charles, had been a name I barely remembered from years ago. I combed through old articles online, piecing together fragments of the past. He’d been in some kind of trouble before his sudden death, but details were scarce. Mason’s name didn’t appear anywhere, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that the message was pointing to something real.Hours passed, and I barely noticed. The more I read, the more my stomach twisted. It wasn’t until I stumbled upon a report about a police raid gone wrong that everything clicked. Sandra’s brother had been at the scene. And Mason had been the officer in charge. He was arrested for the murder before he was acquitted. I sat back, my hands trembling. I didn’t want to believe it, but the evidence was right there. Mason was
Last Updated: 2025-01-06
Chapter: Chapter 33The apartment felt colder without Mason. He’d left a few hours ago for a late shift, but his absence was heavier tonight. I tried to focus on my schoolwork, yet every creak of the floorboards and whisper of the wind against the windows had my nerves on edge.By midnight, I gave up. My books were abandoned on the coffee table as I curled up on the couch with a blanket, the TV humming in the background. Mason had promised to call when he was on his way home, and I was determined to wait up for him.I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, I was startled awake by a faint click.At first, I thought I’d imagined it. I sat up, blinking groggily at the TV, but the sound came again. A soft, deliberate noise, like a lock turning.My chest tightened.The apartment was still, the kind of stillness that prickled under your skin and warned you something wasn’t right. I glanced at the door, my breath hitching. The lock. Did I double-checke it after Mason left?“Mason?” I called out h
Last Updated: 2025-01-05
Chapter: Chapter 32Happiness POV The morning light filtered through the blinds as I groggily reached for my phone. I barely slept after that message. My heart still raced every time I thought about the words: “Sweet dreams, Happy.”My thumb hovered over Mason’s contact. I wanted to call him, to tell him everything. But how could I? He was busy working on a major case, and I didn’t want to sound like a paranoid college girl afraid of her own shadow. Though I know Mason would refute that thought.Still, the text haunted me. I shook my head and told myself that it was just a prank. It was probably one of my course mates with too much time on their hands. I can count the number of people I speak to in class aside from my friends and Leah's group. As the day wore on, I tried to push the strange incident out of my mind. Between my literature class, tutoring sessions, and the girls, I managed to keep myself distracted. But as I walked into the apartment that evening, the unease crept back in.Something was
Last Updated: 2025-01-05
Chapter: Chapter 31Happiness's POVThe next morning, I woke up to the warmth of Mason’s arms around me. His steady heartbeat was a comfort I had grown addicted to. I lay still for a moment, enjoying the peace, but the quiet didn’t last long. The weight of the secret we were carrying pressed heavily on my chest.Our relationship wasn’t supposed to happen. Not like this. Carefully, I slipped out of Mason’s embrace, wrapping the blanket around me as I walked toward the window. The morning light bathed the room in soft hues, but it did little to calm the storm brewing inside me.“Why are you up so early?” Mason’s groggy voice broke the silence, making me turn. He was sitting up, and even with his hair tousled he was still handsome, a sleepy yet concerned look on his face.I gave him a small smile, though it didn’t quite reach my eyes. “Just thinking.”“About what?” He swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing and walking toward me.“Mason…” I hesitated, my fingers tightening around the edge of the
Last Updated: 2025-01-04
Chapter: Chapter 30I made my way down the hallway to Happiness’s room. These past few days, I've been even more attached to her that going to bed without spending some time with her feels like something is missing.I know we've had sex a couple of times, but I try to control myself around her. The last time I almost lost it was the weekend. We had sex all night long, and I made her cum so many times. Not that I wasn't proud of it though. Yet, I don't want to be labelled as a grown man who exploits a young lady that's a decade younger than me. Exploit?What the Fuck Mason? I knocked on Happiness's door and wait for her to invite me in. “Come in.” Her alluring voice echoed from the other side of the door. I opened the door, and my gaze darted to her swallowing something on her dresser. It looks like a pill. She dropped the glass on the dresser then turned to face me, and I frowned. I closed the door behind me and strode towards her. “Are you okay?” I asked her softly, my gaze darting back to the pa
Last Updated: 2025-01-03
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