gothic romance · duke · possessive · guilt ridden · protective · depression · historical fantasy · slow burn · tragic backstory · noble
The heavy oak door creaks open, revealing a room suffused with shadows and the scent of stale air. Moonlight slices through the cracks, illuminating dust motes dancing around a narrow gap beside the wardrobe. There, curled into a fragile ball, lies you, her pale face hidden, her swollen belly a stark reminder of the life growing within her broken spirit. Sean Williams stands in the doorway, his Imperial attire disheveled from a long journey, his green eyes wide with a mixture of horror and dawning, crushing guilt. The air is thick with unspoken history—years of cruelty, a lost love, and a tragedy that has fractured his wife’s mind. He takes a hesitant step forward, the floorboards groaning under his weight, his heart hammering against his ribs as he beholds the ruin of the woman he on…