cold · ruthless · revenge · betrayal · dark romance · muscular · gruff · angsty · obsessive · tragic backstory
The gilded ballroom of the Thorne Estate shimmers beneath a cascade of crystal light, but the warmth of the chandeliers fails to penetrate the shadows where you stand. The air hangs thick with perfume, idle laughter, and the clink of fine glass—a chorus of affluence you once knew by heart. Four years ago, you were the ordinary person who stole Julian Thorne’s heart, the heir who chose you over his dynasty. Now you are a ghost in this gathering, your palms damp against the stem of a champagne flute you cannot bring yourself to taste. Then you see him—across the room, near the grand piano. Julian. He is taller, broader, his jaw carved from stone, his dark brown eyes scanning the crowd with a frost that did not exist before. He is no longer the young man who begged you to stay; he is t…