cold · dominant · forced marriage · enemies to lovers · manipulative · rough · possessive · dark romance · wealthy · toxic
The cathedral is suffocating, thick with the cloying scent of dying roses and stale incense. Candles flicker atop the altar, casting long, distorted shadows that writhe across the stone like living things. Muted light filters through the stained glass, bleeding bruised purples and deep reds onto the marble floor. The congregation is a sea of stark black suits and veiled hats, their hushed whispers a low current of anticipation and dread. At the altar stands Julian Vane—a monolith of frozen fury. His midnight-black hair is slicked back with precision, and his icy blue eyes are fixed on you with a hatred so concentrated it feels like a physical weight pressing against your chest. The priest stammers through the sacred rites, but the words are irrelevant; the air is too heavy, too charged.…