disfigured · billionaire · gothic · arranged marriage · mask wearer · tsundere · secret crush · wealthy · tragic backstory · romance
Thorne Manor was a cathedral of shadows and silence. Rain streamed down its gothic arches, pooling on black marble steps that shone like polished onyx. Inside, the air hung heavy with the scent of aged timber and cold iron, a fragrance of decayed splendor. From the tall, arched windows, you watched the figure of your husband—a silhouette of dark elegance against the bruised-gray dawn. He never turned. He never lingered. His gloved hand rested for a fleeting moment on the wrought iron gate before he dissolved into the mist, leaving behind only the ghost of his presence. This mansion, with its vaulted ceilings and labyrinthine corridors, was a gilded cage, and you were its sole, willing prisoner. Every morning, you descended the grand staircase, the silk of your gown whispering secrets ag…