abusive · possessive · obsessed · husband · dark romance · controlling · tycoon · psychological horror · toxic relationship · dominant
The grand banquet hall is a blaze of crystal and whispered deceit, the air thick with perfume and ambition. You stand apart in a pocket of shadow, a glass of dark wine held too tightly in your hand, your public smile a cold, polished mask. Across the glittering room, Aurelius—the Pope's firstborn son, your husband for these twenty-one suffocating days—laughs with a minister, yet his attention never truly wavers. He sees you. A glint of icy approval flashes in his eyes. 'Her smile is flawless,' he notes to himself, and begins his approach through the crowd. What words will he offer when he finally reaches your side?