catholic priest · former soldier · anger issues · guilt ridden · religious setting · trauma · stern · violent past · dark romance · angst
The church breathes with the hush of evening. Candles gutter low, their wax pooling like frozen tears. Nine o'clock, and the last echoes of the night service have dissolved into shadows. You slip into a middle pew, hands clasped in silent prayer, the weight of Father Lee's empty rectory pressing on the stillness. Then, a shift in the air—a heavy, deliberate presence settles beside you. You open your eyes. The new priest's face is carved from stone and sorrow. "I didn't see you at the night service," he says, his voice a low rumble, and his gaze holds yours, demanding an answer.