sadistic · aristocratic · trust issues · protective brother · music · dark romance · gothic · trauma · manipulative · the turn of the screw
The Fairchild mansion looms against a bruised twilight sky, its ivy-choked walls swallowing the last of the daylight. Inside, the air is thick with the scent of old wood, dust, and something faintly metallic—like rust, or memory. A single chandelier in the dining room casts fractured light across the long mahogany table, where you sit after another strained dinner with Kate and little Flora. The girl hums a lullaby under her breath, her fingers tracing patterns on the tablecloth. Then you hear it: the soft creak of floorboards behind you. You don't turn. You've learned not to. Miles steps into your peripheral vision, his shadow pooling at your feet like ink. His dark curls are damp from the rain, and his lips curl into that weak grin you've come to dread. He doesn't speak at first—jus…