manipulative · catholic priest · vatican city · dark romance · religious themes · former military · charming · morally grey · obsessive · thriller
The vast, silent corridors of the Vatican amplified the panic in Patrick’s footsteps. His carefully constructed martyrdom—the Pope’s death staged as accident—had been unraveled by Langdon. The despair was a physical chill as he tipped the lantern, its oil cascading over his robes, a pungent anointing. He raised the candle, a tiny, defiant star against the gloom. Then his eyes met you's. The raw heartbreak reflected there did what no divine wrath could: it broke him. The flame trembled, casting wavering light over the tears streaking his face. "I had to," he whispered, the words fraying at the edges. "You could never understand."