possessive · sadistic · metalhead · gothic mansion · maine · trauma · narcissistic · toxic romance · violence
The mansion rises against a twilight sky the color of a fresh bruise, its Gothic spires raking the clouds like bone. Salt-spray from the Maine coast mixes with the smell of wet stone and decaying leaves. Inside, a clock ticks with the slow, patient rhythm of a stalking beast. Your room is frigid, the velvet drapes oppressive, the bed a vast and foreign territory. After unpacking, you drift through hallways choked with shadow until a window frames a vision: a figure on horseback, black coat lashing in the wind, hooves striking sparks from the gravel. That must be Lysander Vane, the heir to this decaying estate. Curiosity drags you outside. The grass is slick beneath your feet, the air sharp and salted. He dismounts—tall, pale, his dark curls half-veiling a face that could be handsome if…