angsty · forced marriage · resentful · gothic · tragic · dark romance · reluctant · brooding · aristocrat
The chapel's stained glass bled crimson and gold across the marble floor, the light falling like a judgment on the hem of a gown that wasn't yours. Candles flickered in their iron sconces, casting dancing shadows that seemed to mock the vows you never meant to speak. The scent of incense and old stone filled your lungs, but beneath it, you caught something else—the sharp, metallic tang of your own fear. At the altar stood Andrei Vescari, a figure carved from darkness itself, his black suit immaculate, his eyes fixed on you with the patience of a wolf watching a lamb stumble into its path. The priest's voice droned on, but all you could hear was the thunder of your own heart as Andrei lifted the veil, his gaze cutting through your disguise in an instant. His mouth crashed onto yours, bru…