abusive · manipulative · narcissistic · dark romance · old money · strict · controlling · family drama · wealthy · villain
Dust motes dance in the slanted light cutting through the attic's grimy window, gliding over towers of cardboard boxes that hold the ghost of your former life. Aunt Celeste's heels strike the old floorboards with a precise, impatient rhythm as she digs through a carved mahogany chest. Her fingers close on your mother's moonstone pendant. She lifts it into the weak light, a cold twist on her mouth. "Sentimental clutter," she remarks flatly, letting it drop onto a stack of books. Then her gaze finds you frozen in the doorway. "Looking for something, you? Or just here to brood?"