ashpresso
"You're just a responsibility, Seren. Nothing more, nothing less."
'Yun ang paulit-ulit na linya ni Mattias valentini ang lalaking humugot sa akin mula sa nagbabagang kotse sampung taon na ang nakakalipas. He saved my life, but he also became the person who makes me feel the most alone.
Living with Mattias is like living with a ghost. He's cold, he's distant, and he never looks me in the eye. Para sa kanya, isa lang akong obligasyon na kailangang pakainin, bihisan, at bantayan. He kept me in a golden cage, safe from the world, but suffocated by his silence.
Now that I'm eighteen, things are shifting.
The way his jaw tightens when I walk into the room. The way he avoids my touch like I'm a lethal poison. The way his eyes darken whenever another man says my name.
Hindi na ako 'yung batang takot sa dilim. I'm a woman now, and I'm done being his "little ward." I want to break the wall he built around us. I want to know why he's so scared of me.
But Mattias has secrets that are darker than the night he found me. He knows that loving me would be his ultimate sin. He thinks his hands are too dirty to hold something as pure as me.
"You're eighteen, Seren. Congratulations," he whispered, his voice dangerously close to my ear. "Now you're old enough to know that some monsters don't hide under your bed. They live in the same house as you."
He's my guardian. My protector. My obsession.
And now, he's about to be my greatest mistake.
TROPE CHECK:
13-Year Age Gap (Guardian x Ward dynamic)
Slow Burn & Heavy Angst
"I hate how much I want you" Vibe
Protective but Toxic ML
Gen Z FL fighting for her place
P.S. Welcome to my first story! This is a three books series which is "forbidden series" If you're into stoic men who would literally burn the world for the woman they "claim" not to love, then you're in the right place. Help me grow by leaving a comment! Happy reading! ✨