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Chapter 12
Huling Na-update:
2024-12-07 07:24:26
Kaugnay na kabanata
Tempted by Sin Chapter 13
Paetyn“Okay, that’s it for our session, Amy. I will see you again in two weeks.”My patient stands from the chair opposite me, fiddling with the ends of her long, auburn hair. “Thank you for today.”I lean forward to lay my notebook on the wooden coffee table in front of me and stand, meeting Amy’s gaze. A warm smile touches my lips as I regard her. She has been coming to see me regularly for the past two years. She’s in her early twenties, struggling with debilitating anxiety and depression. Despite being diagnosed with something life-altering, she still makes the effort every two weeks to sit down and talk with me. Amy might not see it yet, but in the time I have been seeing her, she has made progress. Mostly in the way she thinks and some of her actions. But there is still much more progress to make.“Get home safe, okay?” I wait for Amy to pass me before I follow her out of the room. My heels click against the vinyl floor, echoing throughout the front foyer.Clarissa smiles at me
Huling Na-update : 2024-12-07Tempted by Sin Chapter 14
AceListening to bones splinter beneath my fist is like music to my fucking ears.Drops of blood glide down my cheek, landing on my bare arm as it hurdles toward the man’s fucked up face. The blow is sickening to my ears, followed by a deep groan. Again, hearing someone in pain because of me is something I could listen to all damn day.“Please… stop.” His breaths are labored, the syllables cracking slightly. His shaved head is slick with blood and sweat. “It wasn’t… my fault.”I exhale a sharp breath and stand back, admiring my handiwork. The skin around his eyes is swollen to the point I’m sure I look like a blurry blob, and bruises are starting to form on his cheekbones which I’m sure are shattered inside his skull. Blood, both dry and fresh, litters his face.He looks like fucking shit.When I dragged his ass in here last night, kicking and screaming like a goddamn child, I knew he wasn’t going to make it easy for me. The poor bastard pushed my buttons, trying to talk me out of wha
Huling Na-update : 2024-12-07Tempted by Sin Chapter 15
PaetynI know he’s watching me.Every day for the past two weeks, I’ve felt his intense gaze no matter where I am. The gym, leaving work, visiting Liam’s parents, whenever I’m at the hospital visiting my mom, or even sitting in the living room with Liam by my side.He texts me every day, too. Sometimes it’s flirty messages or simple ones asking how my day was. I haven’t replied since Liam caught me texting him during dinner after he threatened to burst into the house and fuck me in front of my fiancé. I could barely look Liam in the eye when he asked who I was texting. I had to play it off that it was Raya.I couldn’t deny the adrenaline rush coursing through me at the moment, wondering if my captor was crazed enough to make good on his threat. I mean, he kidnapped me, so I’m sure breaking and entering is nothing to him.Either way, I couldn’t bring myself to respond to any of his text messages. The more I engage with him, as Raya said, the more danger I’m putting myself in. I thought
Huling Na-update : 2024-12-07Tempted by Sin Chapter 16
PaetynIt took me far too long to drag myself off the floor of the grimy alleyway and walk the rest of the way to my car. My body moved on autopilot as I drove home.After the interaction with Ace, I was left feeling frustrated, both physically and sexually. I hated that I let myself feel affected by his words and even more so that I was turned on by them. It’s wrong for me to feel this attracted to him, but it’s almost as if my body has a mind of its own right now. No matter how many times I tell myself this is wrong, and I need to stay away from this dangerous man, I find myself thinking about him and the night we shared.Ace is messing with my fucking head.When I walk through the front door, Liam is pacing the living room with his phone pressed against his ear. His features are lit up with what I can only assume is joy as he speaks.He doesn’t see me walk in, so I take my leave and go upstairs to have a shower so as not to disturb him. Having a moment to myself before I face my fi
Huling Na-update : 2024-12-07Tempted by Sin Chapter 17
AceFor once, I’m not stalking my little bird.This time, I have my eyes set on her loser fiancé. I knew politics was fucking boring, but it’s even worse witnessing it with my own eyes. The mundane cream walls and white tiles in this building make me want to rip my eyeballs out of my skull.It was easy to blend in with the crowd, posing as a janitor who cleans the hallways and offices. Given how far up each other’s asses these people are, I knew I would be able to lurk the hallways undetected, keeping a watchful eye.When I decided to watch Paetyn’s fiancé today, just to see what he does throughout the day, I knew what I was walking into—boring people talking about an equally boring topic. I set up a video camera in his office when he left for lunch, hoping that when he returned he would give me something, anything, that would be of interest.I have no idea what I’m expecting to get out of this. But I knew I had to find something incriminating to hold against this motherfucker with he
Huling Na-update : 2024-12-07Tempted by Sin Chapter 18
PaetynI’m not listening to a single word my client is speaking. The words are static in my ears as I stare at her, nodding when needed, but nothing she says registers in my mind.It’s not because I’m not interested in what she has to say. In fact, she’s telling me about her inability to choose between two men in her life and how it’s tearing her apart at the seams. This is certainly something I should be listening to as the person she has paid to help her and listen to what she has to say. But I just can’t.Her predicament makes me consider my own strangely similar one. I’m not in a position where I have to choose between two men, especially when there is only one right option in my case. But it doesn’t stop me from thinking about Liam and Ace.I shouldn’t even have them together in the same thought when they couldn’t be more different. Where Liam is kind and attentive, Ace is observant and dangerous. They are on different ends of the spectrum in terms of personality and even looks,
Huling Na-update : 2024-12-07Tempted by Sin Chapter 19
PaetynPAETYN: Hey! I’m going to get dinner with Raya before I head home. There is left over food in the fridge if you want to heat that up. I’ll see you later.“Texting your fiancé, are you?”My head snaps up at the sound of Ace’s voice, and I slip my phone into my purse, not waiting for Liam’s response. Ace has one hand on the steering wheel while the other rests on his lap. His eyes should be looking ahead, but instead they’re on me.Everything about him is intense, even when he’s doing something as simple as driving a car.I clear my throat and shift in the seat. “I don’t want him to worry about where I am.”“And what did you tell him?”“That I’m getting dinner with my friend.”Ace smirks and turns to look at the road, not saying a word. But he doesn’t have to since I know exactly what he’s thinking.Thankfully, he doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he surprises me by asking, “How was work?”I blink at him. “Work?”“Yeah.”I rub my hands together in my lap, staring at the side of his
Huling Na-update : 2024-12-07Tempted by Sin Chapter 20
AceIt’s taking everything in me not to snap the motherfucker’s neck. But I have to wait and be patient. Not only am I in public, watching as the rat lurks the street, his beady eyes following women as they pass by, but I can’t give myself away.Not yet.I lean against the streetlamp beside me, my eyes locked on the man I now know as Johnnie Abrams. After my encounter with him three nights ago when he attempted to mug my little bird, I did some digging into him and used my connections to learn everything I could about him.Nothing of importance turned up. He is nothing but a common street thug who is well-known to the police for his petty crimes, and yet, he still has the ability to stalk the streets, searching for his next victim. But not for much longer once I get my hands on him.Johnnie leans against the wall of a building beside a dark alleyway, much like the one Paetyn walks every night after work. A cigarette hangs from his lips as he lights the end of it. With it being almost
Huling Na-update : 2024-12-07
Pinakabagong kabanata
Tempted by Sin Can't Choose Me
Paetyn’s POVI’ve been bedridden at home for twenty-four hours, and I’m already losing my damn mind. Who knew sitting in bed all day would actually be so bat shit boring? Sure, I love a relaxing day as much as the next person, but when it’s forced upon me, and I get no say in what I do, I can’t stand it. The quiet throughout the house besides the voices coming from whatever TV show I threw on is growing increasingly more unnerving. My gaze sweeps across the duvet to the book on the bedside table, bookmark nestled between the pages. Not even reading a new bestseller has diminshed any of the boredom I’m experiencing. No amount of distractions has helped me to relax. It doesn’t help that I’m worried about Ace. When he got into bed last night, I could tell something was off. Whatever happened in his office while I was on the phone with Clarissa rattled him to the point that he could barely speak. I didn’t push him on the topic because I had a feeling it was related to Enzo and the Gambi
Tempted by Sin Accept the Punishment
Ace’s POVI’m so fucked. I knew it the moment I took the call from Amos last night.When I sat down at my desk, intent on catching up on emails and texts, my phone rang. I was close to not answering the call from Amos because I had been ignoring him and Enzo all week, too busy at the hospital with Paetyn, so why connect now? But I knew I couldn’t avoid this conversation for much longer. “Boss wants to see you in his office tomorrow morning,” Amos said, voice gruff. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “And what’s this about?”“You’ll find out when you get here. Ten A.M. Don’t be late.”The call ended as quick as it started, and I was left staring at my desktop, ice filling my veins to the point I was almost suffocating. I knew what Enzo wanted to see me about and knew it wouldn't end well for me. Walking out on a job last week and ignoring him since had clearly landed me in scalding water. All I could do was face the music and accept the punishment I knew would be coming my way. Sit
Tempted by Sin Trouble Comes in Threes
Paetyn’s POV“Now, are you sure you’re okay, Pae?”I turn in the front seat, eyes lingering on the curve of Ace’s jaw. His knuckles are pale as they hold the steering wheel in what I’m sure is a death grip. Even beneath the leather jacket he’s wearing, I see the tension rippling through his muscles. Since the attack seven days ago, Ace has hardly left my side. Unless it was to grab coffee, food, or use the bathroom, he’s been glued to the chair beside my bed, holding my hand. I hadn’t expected him to do so since I knew he had his own business to deal with and work he needed to do, but he reassured me that he wasn’t going anyway unless it was to take me home once I was discharged. I don’t remember much about the attack. All I know is I blacked out after taking a boot to the side of the head—which I’m thankful for. If I was conscious throughout the entire ordeal, I can’t imagine how much more pain I would’ve suffered. The doctors and nurses said I was lucky to be alive because of how
Tempted by Sin No More Mistakes
Ace’s POVIt pained me to leave Paetyn in that sterile hospital room this morning. The nurses were kind enough to give me a blanket and let me sleep in the chair, mainly because I refused to leave her side despite visiting hours being over. It became obvious rather quickly that I wasn’t the type of person to back down from something as trivial as visiting hours, so they relented and let me spend the night. Sleep didn’t grace me with its presence. How could I close my eyes when all I could picture was Paetyn’s battered body lying on the cold, dirty ground of the alleyway? Guilt ate away at me while I watched her sleep, her breathing labored and her chest rising and falling unevenly. She wouldn’t tell me every detail of the attack, just that she eventually lost consciousness and woke up in the hospital. A nurse told me someone called 911 after finding her, left for dead. If that person hadn’t found her when they did, she could’ve died. I left the hospital before the sun had risen, ne
Tempted by Sin Chapter 45: Bloodied and Beaten
Ace’s POVA scream pierces through the air, sharp and painful. Any normal person would cringe at the sound or be filled with such fear it would make their knees wobble like a newborn fawn. But I’m not a normal person. Never claimed to be. I’m the fucking devil. I squat in front of the man chained to the roof of the basement in the Gambino mansion. His trembling arms are attached to the hook on the low ceiling by a thick metal clasp. He hangs there helplessly, leaving the rest of his body exposed to me to do with as I please. My gaze rakes over the sweat and blood clinging to his pale skin. Bruises and gashes paint his body like the finest piece of artwork, thanks to my fists. Electricity thrums through my veins at the sight of this kid, not much older than nineteen if I had to guess. I should feel some ounce of remorse for punishing someone who is nowhere near mature enough to understand his actions. And some part of me wants to feel that because he doesn’t know any better. But I d
Tempted by Sin That Damn Alley
Paetyn’s POVI’m concerned about Ace. Last week, I noticed he had busted knuckles that were split and beginning to bruise around the torn skin. When I asked what happened to him, he gave me that same straight-faced look I always get when I asked questions about his job. I know he is an enforcer and has to hurt people, but it doesn’t make me any less worried about him when he leaves in the morning. Not knowing if he’s out on the streets in danger sends me into a spiral more often than not. I know he’s a man capable of looking after himself, but it still doesn’t ease the tension in my chest. He won’t tell me the details of his job, and I don’t expect him to, but sometimes I think I would be better off knowing to help me relax a little more. But until that day comes—if ever—I will have to get used to worrying about my boyfriend. Boyfriend. It’s an odd feeling thinking of him as that. Who would’ve known that Ace, my kidnapper and stalker, would become my boyfriend? Certainly not me, bu
Tempted by Sin Chapter 43
Ace’s POVEnzo was adamant about this shakedown going smoothly. He doesn’t want a single thing to go wrong. The goal is to get the message across to the Bonanno crew and their leader, Antonio, that we’re not to be messed with. If they don’t back off, Enzo will have no problem coming at them full force with me at his side. And unfortunately for them, I like getting my hands dirty. All the made men in the group stand around me, black hoods covering their heads, concealing their identities. Enzo ensured they were equipped with every weapon under the sun that’ll be useful in protecting them if shit goes south. I’d like to think I have this under control. After all, Enzo trusted me to do this, so I’m going to do it right. “Does everyone remember the plan?” My voice is quiet but deep in an attempt to not be detected where we stand in the shadows of the quarry. The full moon is our only source of light, which works in our favor for staying hidden. “The Bonanno crew have a gun shipment comi
Tempted by Sin Chapter 42
Ace’s POVIt took every ounce of self control I possessed to not kill Patrick Aster with my bare hands. The smug look on his face when he told Paetyn to publicly name herself as an obsessed ex-fiancee to save Liam’s ass, and in return she’ll recieve one million dollars, had me seeing red. If Paetyn wasn’t standing in front of me, I would have lunged for the motherfucker. As much as I wanted to paint my hands red with his blood for having the audacity to speak to my girl that way, I reigned in my temper and allowed her to make her own decisions. Plus, I got far too much enjoyment out of seeing his face when I answered as her boyfriend. I’m sure Pat will have a swell time informing his son of that development. Paetyn trails me as we walk the small pathway to the front door of our house. Her presence behind me is all-consuming, like a wildfire licking at my back, ready to devour me. Every inch of her is ingrained in my mind—there isn’t a thing I don’t know about this woman or what she
Tempted by Sin Chapter 41
Paetyn’s POVThe Aster mansion sends chills down my spine. Every dinner I ate with them consisted of Liam and Pat talking about politics while Angie smiled and nodded along as if it were the most riveting of topics. I was always bored out of my mind because not only am I not interested in politics, but they hardly ever included me in their conversation. All they cared about was their precious son. The same son who had me kidnapped and held hostage as a trick for his campaign.I never thought I’d be back here after I ended the engagement with Liam, but now, here I stand, staring down the barrel of the gun. My muscles itch, desperate for me to turn around and hightail it back to the comfort of Ace’s house where I know I’m safe. Here… anything can happen. No one is truly safe in the presence of Patrick Aster.“Pae, are you okay?” Ace’s hand rests on my shoulder, his chest brushing my back. I lean into the warmth of his hand, soaking in the comfort his gentle touch brings me. “If you
