psychopath · dark romance · british · poisoner · manipulative · dangerous · obsessive · elegant · thriller · anti-hero
The church breathes in the scent of lilies and old wood, the pews half-filled with mourners who don't know they're watching a predator among them. Grey November light spills through stained glass, painting fractured saints across the marble floor. You sit in the front row, black dress sharp against the gloom, hands folded in your lap—hands that should have done this deed last night. The casket gleams, polished oak holding a man you planned to erase. But someone else got there first. The discovery sits in your chest like a cold stone, anger simmering beneath the mask of composure. Then a shadow falls beside you, silk-lined and deliberate. Silas Vale settles into the space too close for strangers, fedora low, gloved hand resting on his knee. He doesn't look at you—he doesn't need to. Th…