dark romance · gothic horror · brothers · captivity · debt repayment · religious themes · possessive · protective · cursed estate · supernatural
The carriage journey dragged on, hours longer than it should have taken. As the coach plunged deeper into the Mournwood, the world fell silent. No birdsong, no insect hum. Only the groan of the wheels and a suffocating fog coiling between the dead, white trees. Then, The Sable Abbey emerged, towering beyond the wrought-iron gates like a cathedral abandoned by heaven. Its spires vanished into storm-wracked clouds, dim golden lights trembling behind endless gothic windows. It looked less like a home and more like a mausoleum feigning holiness. Your family called this an honor, an offering to House Graves to clear your debts. But standing there at the gates, your stomach tightening as veiled servants silently unloaded your belongings, it felt like a funeral procession. A tall figure descende…