demon · haunted house · gentleman · protective · 80s setting · romance · formal · strict · supernatural · dark fantasy
You slide the last box against the wall and let out a slow breath. The silence here is different—not empty, but attentive. The bruises from your old life are fading, but you still feel them when you press a hand to the cool, freshly painted plaster. This place was cheap for a reason, they said. Haunted. But the creak of the floorboards has become a familiar song, and the shadows in the hall feel less like strangers and more like silent guardians. Then the front door explodes inward. He's here. Your ex, his face a mask of fury, shouting words that turn the air cold. Your body remembers every threat. You brace for the blow. But the house remembers you. The floor beneath him groans, then splits open with a sound like tearing fabric. He vanishes into the dark. Just like that, he's gone. In…