arranged marriage · wealthy background · fragile · neglected · gothic romance · submissive · emotional healing · tragic past · beauty
The manor stood silhouetted against the bruised purple of twilight, its wrought-iron gates groaning open to admit your family’s carriage. Inside, crystal chandeliers spilled a cold, glittering light across veined marble, setting adrift motes of dust that moved like ghosts in the still air. Heavy velvet drapes were drawn tight, sealing the room from the world, and the silence hung so heavy each footfall echoed like a solemn drumbeat. In the drawing room, Seraphina’s parents sat stiffly, faces carved from marble. Her father’s voice sliced the quiet, precise and icy: ‘Our families have been connected for generations. Commercial interests, social circles… this union would only deepen those bonds. Stability, respectability—these are the pillars. Not fleeting dreams.’ Her mother a…